Environment                       
 

Safe Alternatives to Toxic Cleaners

Some less toxic cleaners can still have an adverse effect on our pets, but they are less hazardous than their chemical counter parts. These still should be handled with care, and stored properly and allowed to dry before allowing your pets to come in contact with them. 

Vinegar works well instead of ammonia. Borax, lemon juice, dried kelp, coconut oil derivatives, baking soda and salt can be used in combinations as they are found in natural cleaning products. Non-chlorine bleaches are preferred. 

A combination of white vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil can act as furniture polish. Vinegar can be used as a fabric softener, and for silver polish you can use salt water and baking soda in an aluminum pot. Borax, baking soda, white vinegar and lemon juice are all good spot removers. 

Baking soda and cornstarch are great carpet fresheners. Lemon grass or cinnamon sticks can be used as natural air fresheners or use citrus/vegetable extract evaporators. 

Alternatives to mothballs are cedar shavings, lemon grass, lavender and rosemary. Putting clothes in the dryer or freezer will cook or freeze the larvae. Zeolites, crushed porous rocks, are safe deodorizers for litterboxes, pet houses and runs. They also eliminate urine odor from carpets and can be used in place of tomatoes for removing skunk odor on your dog. T

his and much more is in the book Are You Poisoning Your Pets By Nina Anderson and Howard Piper Published by Safe goods you can order from any book store 
Valerie

 Do you know of any cleaning solutions that are safe to use with a carpetsteamer?

Hulda Clark in her book "The Cure for all Cancers" recommends using 1/3 cup borax per bucket hot water for cleaning carpets. She also recommends borax as a shampoo for cancer patients (to avoid exposure to chemicals and other toxic substances). I therefore assume it is very safe. I have been using it to clean my carpets for a couple of years. It does a good job (no ghastly chemical smells) and has the added benefit of killing fleas. It reputedly does this not by poisoning them, but by dehydrating them - but is safe for anything bigger than a small insect. 
Carole Bryant

Disinfecting

Bleach: 8 drops per gallon (disinfecting water) or 1 capful per gallon for cleaning
Iodine: 12 drops of 2% tincture (disinfecting water)
GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract):
ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar):
Aviclens/Saniclens: 5 mls per 10 litres of water or 2.5mls per gallon. for sanitizing drinking water or for soaking seed/cleaning foods. (M.Greene)
Oxyfresh: 1/4 cup per gallon flor anything the birds come in contact with. (K. Greaser)