Clean with Baking Soda for an Eco-Friendly, Healthy New Year

By Xiuxiu, volunteer of the Homemakers United Foundation Environmental Protection Foundation

The cold snap blows chilly, as if reminding us that the end of the year is near, and the pre-New Year deep cleaning is, I think, a routine task (or a chore?) we all share! At the thought of washing away a year's accumulated grime in this cold season, many people must start to get a headache and begin searching for all kinds of quick and convenient cleaning methods.

In this green generation that emphasizes environmental protection and LOHAS, if your choice is still the various chemically synthesized detergents in supermarkets or hypermarkets that stress "super strong stain removal," "bright and white," or "cheap and plentiful," then you are really behind the times.

The ingredients of commercially available chemically synthesized detergents are complex. Besides consuming petroleum in their production, they may also hide environmental hormones, which not only cause feminization of aquatic organisms and cancer risk, but also enter the human body through the food chain and affect our own health. In addition, not to mention the news that always appears around the New Year about mixing cleaning agents and children accidentally swallowing them, and so on.

In fact, many eco-friendly cleaning alternatives, such as baking soda, citric acid, and soap, are cleaning substances with strong cleaning power that break down easily in water. Below, focusing on baking soda, we introduce its various methods of use in cleaning, so you can clean easily without burden and enjoy an eco-friendly and healthy New Year!

Ovens and Microwave Ovens
Put a baking soda solution into a spray bottle, spray it evenly on the dirty areas, wait 10 minutes, and then wipe clean.

Cutting Boards
When a cutting board turns yellow, add 1 to 2 spoonfuls of baking soda powder to hot water and scrub hard.

Drains
First clean away the hair and grime at the drain opening, then use baking soda and vinegar in a 1:1 ratio. First pour the baking soda powder into the drain, then pour in the vinegar, then close the lid tightly, and after half an hour flush with hot water.

Doors, Windows, and Glass
Dissolve one large spoonful of baking soda powder in half a bucket of water, spray it on the glass, and then wipe clean with a cloth or newspaper.

Carpets
For regular maintenance, sprinkle on baking soda powder so the whole carpet looks as if it has snowed. Wait at least one hour, then vacuum it clean.

Floors
Add one large spoonful of baking soda powder to half a bucket of water, dip a mop or rag into it, wring it dry, and mop the floor.

Deodorizing
Take an old sock you no longer wear, pour in baking soda powder, and it becomes a convenient and effective deodorizing bag.

Hair Washing
Pour 1 to 2 spoonfuls of baking soda powder into your palm, rub it into wet hair, massage the scalp with your fingertips, and then rinse clean. It can remove dandruff and leave hair naturally soft.

This article is excerpted from the Homemakers United Foundation Environmental Protection Foundation, My Cleaning Handbook