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Green Cleaning Your Bath Fixtures - Naturally!

Posted: Thursday, November 06, 2008

by Gunnar Baldwin
TOTO USA

If you've invested in high-quality bath fixtures or other luxury plumbing products, why would you buy cleaning supplies that are harmful and chemical-laden? Over time, the porcelain, metal, steel, and plastic items in your bathroom may be affected by compounds that cause tarnishing or chipping. After all, think back to what your grandmother did - she made her own cleaning supplies that were just as efficient. In this day and age, however, we like to think of this phenomenon as "green cleaning." Natural, non-toxic cleaning products, those you make yourself, are definitely cheaper but require more time - you have to sit down and make a batch yourself, yet this alternative can be just as effective as all those other less-than-environmentally-friendly products in the supermarket today.

I'd like to share with you some of the most effective homemade cleaning products - liquids, pastes, and stain removers that you can make yourself - without harmful, chemical-laden cleaning products. Try some out on your bath fixtures and we're sure you'll want to switch for good!

Basic Cleaning Products for Your Luxury Plumbing Products

Making natural cleaning products to use on your fine, luxury plumbing products is easy and can be done in no time. However, here are some necessities that should be in your cupboard at all times:

Baking soda: As a natural deodorizer, this handy non-toxic substitute scours and works well at eliminating hard-to-remove stains on your faucets, levers, and other bath fixtures. It's naturally abrasive and is one of the most effective green cleaners.
Lemons: Use as a natural bacterial combatant and acidic cleanser for the toilet and sink areas around all of your luxury plumbing products.
Borax: An all-in-one cleaner, sodium borate cleans walls and floors, deodorizes, and inhibits the growth of mold on most of your bath fixtures as well as showerheads and walls.
Vegetable-based (castile) soap: Available in liquid, flake, or bar form, it will clean all of your high-quality, luxury plumbing products and fixtures.
Distilled white vinegar: Wipes away soap scum, grease, mildew, and sticky wax build-ups on your finest bath fixtures almost effortlessly.
Tea tree oil: Excellent for deodorizing and disinfecting the bathroom. It cuts through mold and mildew on your luxury plumbing products quickly.
Hydrogen peroxide: A natural anti-septic that works well in bathrooms to get rid of harmful bacteria growth.

Each of these items can clean high-quality, luxury plumbing products efficiently on their own, but when combined, they become super-strength green cleaners you'll use again and again. Effective recipes can be found all over the Internet, but here are some of the best to keep your bathroom and bath fixtures squeaky clean.

Toilet bowl cleaner: Mix 1/4 cup of baking soda with 1 cup of vinegar. Pour this mixture into the toilet bowl and let soak. After a few minutes, scrub with a toilet brush and rinse (1).
All-purpose cleaner: Mix 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda with a pinch of liquid soap and 2 cups of hot water. Shake until all ingredients are fully mixed and dissolved (2).
Scrubbing paste: Mix enough soap with 1/8 cup of baking soda so that a creamy mixture forms. After the stain or surface has been scrubbed and removed, rinse the freshly cleansed area thoroughly with water (3).

A Different Approach to Cleaning Fine Porcelain Cleaning your porcelain bath fixtures can be trickier - if you use the standard products from the supermarket, you may be in for a surprise. Porcelain can be either glazed or unglazed, and unglazed pieces have been known to take on the color of the cleaning product.

If you notice hard-water scum on any of your luxury plumbing products or bath fixtures, mix equal parts of vinegar and warm water into a solution. Then, scour the area thoroughly and rinse with water. Or, for a general yet thorough cleaning of your bath fixtures, simply mix one tablespoon of detergent to one gallon of hot water (4).

Eliminate Chemicals - Go Non-Toxic for Good

Purchase spray bottles, buckets or pails, and glass jars to keep your new pastes, cleaners, and mixtures handy for the next clean-up.

And whether or not you decide to make your own green cleaning products to clean your luxury plumbing products, you can help the environment even more. Aside from paper towels, try cleaning with reusable rags, which you can make from old cotton-based clothing that you no longer wear to clean your faucets, handles, and other luxury plumbing products. You're creating less waste this way by recycling whatever you find around the house.

There are many ways to help the environment and green cleaning your bath fixtures is just one of them. This small contribution eliminates many problems, such as putting chemicals in the air you breathe and potential threats to children and pets. Besides, the greatest return on your investment will be the satisfaction that you've joined millions of people around the world who have chosen to clean their luxury plumbing products and bath fixtures the green way - naturally!

Sources

1. Green Cleaning Recipes, Better Homes and Gardens. http://www.bhg.com/homekeeping/cleaning-and-care/cleaning-advice/green-cleaning-recipes/
2. How to Make a Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit, Care2.com. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html
3. Alternative Recipes, Windham Solid Waste Management District. http://www.wswmd.org/recipes
4. Care and Cleaning of Porcelain, Porcelain Enamel Institute. http://www.porcelainenamel.com/care.htm

About the Author

Gunnar Baldwin, a Water Efficiency Specialist at TOTO USA Inc., has extensive knowledge in water efficiency and conservation practices. After joining TOTO USA, a leading luxury plumbing products manufacturer, in 1990, Baldwin participated in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Vitreous China Standard Committee and now represents TOTO USA on the Water Efficiency Technology Advisory Group (WETAG) and on the Alliance for Water Efficiency. In addition, Baldwin was instrumental in persuading TOTO to introduce one of the first low consumption toilets to the American marketplace. For more information on TOTO USA's earth-friendly low-flow toilets, please visit www.totousa.com.

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