Green Cleaning

Use Boiling Water To Clean

If you are in the market for a more eco-friendly way to clean up your home, check out these unique ways to use boiling water to clean up instead of using chemical products. Temperature based cleaning techniques are a good way to do things in an environmentally friendly way. Did you know that you could use boiling water to clean up microwave splatter? This is a successful way to clean off grime left behind on the microwave. The process for doing this is to take four tablespoons of lemon juice in a cup of water and boil the combination for 5 minutes in the microwave. Using a wide bowl in the microwave will allow for lots of steam to condense on the microwave. After you take out the bowl, you will be able to easily wipe away grime and left over food from the inside of the microwave.  You can also sterilize wet kitchen sponges in the microwave. Researchers at the University of Florida discovered that 2 minutes in the microwave could destroy most viruses and bacteria on sponges. It's best if the sponge is very wet and that it contains no metal. If you have a clogged sink, try pouring boiling ...

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Don’t Toss That Used Lemon! Part I

Did you know that lemon juice is roughly 5% to 6% citric acid with a pH level between 2 and 3? Lemon juice's low pH acidity makes it a great tool for breaking down mineral stains and rust, but lemon juice is gentle so it doesn't dull finishes. There is typically enough juice left over in a used lemon that can be put to work for a surprising number of tasks. The oil from a lemon peel is great for different culinary uses and as well as for personal beauty. Check out some unique ways to put your used lemon peels to work for you around the house: Cleaning The Kitchen Put a used lemon peel to work for you around the kitchen to clean dirty stove tops, greasy pans, and dirty countertops. The lemon juice from the peel is a great eco friendly option as compared to chemical cleaning products for the kitchen. Add salt to a juiced lemon half for abrasion and rub the lemon half on the greasy area, and wipe up with a towel or cloth. It's important to remember to be careful when using lemon on marble countertops because marble is sensitive to acid. Cleaning The Teapot Clean out mineral ...

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Smog-Eating Buildings

Alcoa is the world leader in the production and management of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum, and alumina combined. Alcoa recently announced a building panel that can clean itself as well as the air around the building. Alcoa has coined these panels: smog-eating buildings. The panels are a silver aluminum that would cover the building like a skin. There is a coating of titanium dioxide that is layered on top of the silver paint of the panel. Titanium dioxide particles act as photo catalysts. When they interact with sunlight, their electrons become supercharged and they interact with water molecules that are in the air. The resulting interaction releases free radicals that break down organic material on the building panel. Thus, pollutants such as nitrogen oxide in the surrounding atmosphere are broken down. The free radicals are the major component that does all of the work. They fight the organic material and oxidize them down to harmless compounds that can be easily washed away with some rainwater. Titanium dioxide yields a hydrophilic surface when it interacts with sunlight. The hydrophilic surface lets water fall off the panel easily, rather than bead up in little droplets. The self-cleaning Reynobond with EcoClean panels may reduce a ...

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Cleaning With Electricity and Water

Using electricity and water to clean and disinfect is latching on with some food and hospitality businesses that are looking to save some money and improve their eco-friendly image. New York City’s Union Square Whole Foods workers are equipped with battery-operated spray bottles that are designed to keep surfaces clean with water that has an electrical charge. Other options that are available for use are the electrolyzed oxidizing water products, or EO water, which are cleaning systems that utilize salt and electricity to make solutions for cleaning all sorts of places. Companies that are using the new systems are saving money, but the start up costs weren’t cheap. In fact they were much more expensive than just purchasing a bottle of bleach. It’s important to note that these new systems aren’t perfect for every cleaning job and different zapped water treatments may lose potency over time. Critics are claiming that the hype for electrolyzed water is over the top. Meanwhile, studies are proving that water exposed to a charge works as a cleaning agent. The Culinary Institute of America uses EO water in the kitchen and to mop the floors. While the electrolyzed water systems vary, a common type creates separate streams ...

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Clean Your Barbeque The Eco-Friendly Way

Now that summer has rolled around, it's time to fire up your grill and make some delicious food at your pool party. While there are a number of things you can do to make your pool party more eco-friendly, there is still the issue of cleaning and maintaining the grill to keep it working for you all summer long. Fortunately, there are some eco-friendly tips you can follow when it comes to cleaning and maintaining your grill. You might be surprised to learn that there is more that goes into cleaning your grill than just turning it up to a high heat to kill off any food or bacteria that was left behind. Cleaning your grill properly will not only cut down on any excess smoke, but it will make your food taste better too. And if you're not a big fan of cleaning, you'll be pleased to know that there are ways to clean your grill that are not labor intensive. Regardless of what type of grill you have, you need to clean your grill after each use. Be aware, that the process will be slightly different depending on what type of grill you have. Letting old food and grease ...

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