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Home & Garden readers might also want to read Keep it Green, a gardening column by Michael Womack.

Saturday, September 29, 2001
Granny knew best
Old-fashioned, homemade cleaners that outshine the store-bought competition
By Tyler Treadway
Scripps Howard News Service

Scripps Howard News Service

When it comes to '50s sitcoms, maybe "Father Knows Best;" but Chris Procise says that when it comes to cleaning, "it's more like 'Granny knew best.'"
   "Everything she used for cleaning - vinegar, baking soda, club soda, ammonia - still work today," says Procise, the family and consumer sciences agent for the Martin County, Fla., Cooperative Extension Service.
   Granny made her own household cleaners because she had to. She was keeping house before the latest "spray and wipe" cleaners began glutting the grocery store aisles and the daytime airwaves. Procise says there are still good reasons to stick to her time-tested recipes: economics and the environment.

Scripps Howard News Service

   Simply put, making your own cleaners costs a lot less than buying them off the shelf. For example: Rubbing alcohol costs about 2 cents an ounce, vinegar about 3 cents an ounce and commercial window cleaner about 6 cents an ounce.
   Old-fashioned, homemade cleaners are also safer to both the user and the environment than most store varieties, Procise said.
   To make their products work faster and better, manufacturers add some pretty serious chemicals to the basic ingredients Granny used, Procise says.

   Chance of illness

Scripps Howard News Service

   "People get sick after cleaning the house and wonder why," she said. "Well, the reason is the chemicals (in the cleaning products). Besides saving you money, what you're really saving when you use (homemade) cleaners is your lungs. You'll also be keeping all those chemicals from running off into the environment."
   Because of the potentials for dangerous fumes, Procise says to make sure that store-bought cleaners aren't stored in the same cabinet as food.
   "On the other hand, many of the products Granny used, including vinegar and baking soda, are foods," Procise says, "so you know they're safe."

   The downside

Scripps Howard News Service

   With all those benefits to homemade cleaners you figure there has to be a downside. There is.
   "There is a little more physical labor, a little more elbow grease involved in using Granny cleaners," Procise admits.
   "But what's a little more scrubbing when you can breathe easier when you're done and save money in the process?"

   Granny's cleaners
   Vinegar

Remove stubborn stains from furniture upholstery and clothes: Apply white vinegar directly to the stain, then wash as directed by the manufacturer's instructions.

Kill germs on bathroom fixtures: Use one part vinegar to one part water in a spray bottle. Spray the bathroom fixtures and floor, then wipe clean.

Clean soap scum, mildew, and grime from bathtub, tile, and shower curtains: Simply wipe the surface with white vinegar and rinse with water.

Clean rust from tools, bolts, and spigots: Soak the rusted tool, bolt, or spigot in undiluted white vinegar overnight.

Prevent bright colored clothes from fading: Before putting the article in the washing machine, soak it in white vinegar for 10 minutes.
   Club soda

Clean grease stains from double-knit fabrics: Pour on club soda and scrub gently.

Remove wine spills or other spots from carpet: Apply club soda to the stain, rub it in, wait a few minutes, and sponge it off.

Clean and shine porcelain fixtures: Pour club soda over the fixtures.

Clean chrome or stainless steel: Use club soda in a spray bottle.

Remove food stains from clothes: Immediately blot up the spills on any washable fabric, sponge with club soda, then wash the item in the wash through a regular cycle.
   Keep club soda in the trunk of your car.
   Baking soda

Clean a microwave oven: Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge, scrub, and rinse.

Remove tarnish from silver: Mix a thick paste of baking soda with water, apply to silver with a damp sponge, rub, rinse, and buff dry.

Clean a stainless steel sink:Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge, scrub the sink, and rinse clean.

Deodorize garbage disposals and sink drains: Instead of throwing out that old box of baking soda that's been sitting in the refrigerator or freezer, gradually pour it down the drain and flush with water.

Soothe sunburn, windburn, and prickly heat: Dissolve ½ cup baking soda in a tepid bath. Soak in the bath for 15 minutes.

Remove crayon marks from walls or wallpaper: Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge, scrub gently to avoid mussing the paint or wallpaper, then wipe clean.
   - Scripps Howard News Service

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