Healthy Home Air Stuff
In my continuing quest to help my son's asthma, I found some interesting info. One page I found from the American Lung Association offered healthy cleaning alternatives.
Alternative Recipes
Fortunately, many common products offer safe and effective cleaning solutions to the following problems:Grease cutter - 1 cup of lemon juice + 1 cup of water
Scouring powder - 1 cup of baking soda + enough water to form a paste
Laundry stain remover - 1 tsp. of white vinegar or baking soda per machine load
Toilet bowl cleaner - cup vinegar (leave overnight and brush the next day)
Floor and furniture polish - 2 parts vegetable oil + 1 part lemon juice (for leather furniture: 1 cup vinegar + 1 cup linseed oil)
Metal cleaners (brass and copper) - lemon juice + salt to form a paste OR a lemon wedge dipped in baking soda OR hot white vinegar + salt OR hot ketchup applied with a rag
Glass cleaner - 1 part vinegar + 1 part water
Rug and carpet cleaner - baking soda
Flies - well-watered bowl of basil
Moth Repellant - Cedar chips in cotton sachets
Roach Repellent - Chopped bay leaves and cucumber skins
Another interesting tidbit I found is certain plants hel clean the air.
Growing plants in your office can be a relaxing and enjoyable escape from the "daily-grind". Besides offering an aesthetic value which many can appreciate, they also improve air quality. They do an excellent job of cleaning up the moisture within your office space in addition to filtering dangerous toxins.
Tip: Place aquarium gravel (found at your local pet shop) in your planting pot to reduce the growth of molds and mildew.
According to the Health eOffice website, the top 12 air-cleaning plants are:
- Areca Palms (chrysalidocarpus lutescens)
- Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa)
- Bamboo Palm (Chamedorea Seigrizii)
- Rubber Plant (Ficus Robusta)
- Dracaena Janet Craig (Dracaens deremensis "Janet Craig")
- English Ivy (Hedera Helix)
- Dwarf Date Palm (Phoenix Roebelenii)
- Ficus Alii (Ficus Macleilandii "Alii")
- Boston Fern (Nephrolepis Exalta "Bostoniensis")
- Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum sp.)
- Corn Plant (Dracaeba Fragrans "Massangeana")
- Golden Pothos (Epiremnum Aureum)
