The Green Ability

For those who live in areas where the coming months ahead will see storms and hurricanes pummeling in, staying safe and other health concerns should be taken into account not only during the calamity but also during the aftermath. The season will render your surroundings wet and damp hence certain areas in your house will be in a condition that can spur the growth of mold and spore.

As the season continues to bring in heavy rains, the family will stay indoors most of the time and molds as well as spores may be able to thrive in different parts of your home. They will find their way in leaking roofs, windows, pipes, walls, ceilings, cardboard boxes, wallpapers, insulations, fabrics and upholstery just to name a few.

Some people, usually children can be sensitive to molds. As these foreign bodies enter the home through open doors, windows and vents, molds will attach itself to almost anything. A person becomes affected by their presence as soon as sudden nasal stuffiness, eye, skin, and throat irritation, and wheezing coughs will be experienced while staying indoors. If a person has a chronic respiratory disorder like asthma, onset of attacks and other obstructive lung diseases are not far from taking place.

It is a must therefore to keep the house clean and free from mold and spore growth. Here are some steps you can undertake aside from those that you may deem necessary or needed by your home:

1. Mold infested items that can no longer be cleaned or rendered no longer usable even if they were cleaned should be taken out of the house and properly disposed.
2. For rooms that have become damp and wet, open the doors or windows then use a fan or dehumidifier to lessen the moisture retained in the room.
3. If molds have thickened and are in an advanced stage, remove the growth by using one cup non-chlorine bleach to a gallon of water. If non-chlorine bleach is not available make sure to wear rubber boots and gloves as well as goggles when using bleach as your cleaning agent. Also, remember to keep the doors and windows open while in the process of cleaning. After scrubbing the mold and spore growths with a stiff brush, rinse everything with water then let it dry.
4. Bleach and ammonia should never be mixed together as the resulting fumes from the mixture can fatally harm you.

Ridding ourselves of germs and bacteria does not necessarily mean that we have to resort to highly toxic and chemically formulated household cleaning materials. Making use of them to eliminate molds that cause respiratory illnesses will also lead to the same effect, since the fumes of these household chemical hazards also tend to affect our respiratory systems. As the season continues for another two months or so, there will be more cleaning efforts necessary and the availability of alternative or green cleaning supplies should not be limited. Commercially prepared green cleaning materials that do not contain chemicals and other toxic substances are also available and some of them can be ordered online.

In the meantime, consider the following suggestions which you can use as your green cleaning alternative:

1. For green cleaning your counter tops and bathroom tiles, mix one part water to one part vinegar and add a little bit of salt.
2. Concoct your own green cleaning paste by mixing equal parts of baking soda with a non-chlorine bleach or blend in lemon juice with borax, whichever of these ingredients are readily available. . Apply your concoction on bathroom tiles, toilet bowls and tubs, then scrub and wipe the paste away after letting it stand for about 30 minutes.
3. Drain unclogger- Pour 3/4 cup of baking soda into the clogged drain and follow it up with a half cup of vinegar. Cover the drain and let the mixture stand for about 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes or more is over, pour about 6 cups of boiling water and the drain will be unclogged.
4. Bathroom mold remover – To make your green mold remediation: mix ¾ cup borax to ½ cup vinegar. Use a spray dispenser to apply it in your bathroom so you can spray it between cracks and crevices. Let the mixture stand on the applied surfaces and cracks for 30 minutes or more. Simply wipe it off and watch the molds come off. To prevent mold re-growth, spray the mold and spore prone areas periodically and simply let it soak.
5. Removing candle wax drippings on carpets- cover the wax dripping with bond paper and set your flatiron to low. As soon as there is enough heat, run the flatiron over the bond paper on top of the wax. Let the bond paper absorb the melting wax, and adjusting the paper from time to time to make sure the wax is absorbed.
6. For spilled red wines on your carpet, simply pour white vinegar on the red stain and let it soak. Get some wet rags then rinse off the red wine and vinegar mixture on your carpet.
7. To remove grass stains in your children’s clothes, soak them in washing soda before putting them in the washing machine.
8. Green Cleaning Disinfectants – Add a teaspoon of tea tree oil to one gallon of water, and use to them to wash windows, floors, table tops and counter tops. You can also put some in a spray bottle to disinfect your house especially when a member of the household is sick or recovering from some viral disease.
9. Green Air Fresheners – mix any essential oil of your choice in a spray bottle and mix it very well to make sure the oil has blended well with the water. Spray it around the house, on curtains, couch, beds and the likes.
10. Baking Soda as a Green Cleaning Alternative – Keep boxes of baking soda in areas where odors tend to permeate the indoor atmosphere. This also works for your refrigerator, especially if left over food has a strong smell.

There are a number of ways to keep our homes clean and green, without having to rely on household chemical hazards. Green cleaning methods may require added extra efforts but there are also commercially produced green cleaning products you can resort to if you feel you’re not making any progress with your concoction.

Living green does not necessarily mean we have to start from scratch; instead, we should see to it that the products we use do not make use of harmful materials that will eventually affect our health as well as cause harm to our environment.

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