When Madeleine Greene is in the grocery store, she often wishes she could tell other shoppers about safer, cheaper alternatives to the harsh household cleaners they?re buying.
“I?d like us to do what we can to keep them from leaving the supermarket,” Greene said. “We have some ingredients in our pantries that will do this [cleaning] for us.”
Greene, a family and consumer educator with the Maryland Cooperative Extension of the University of Maryland, is out to tell people ways to make their homes healthier and reduce their impact on the environment.
“If we can reduce the flow to the landfill and keep some of these materials out of the environment, then all the better,” she said Wednesday during a presentation at Elkridge Public Library. As a part of Howard County government?s Protecting the Environment week, Greene showed residents safer options for scrubbing the shower, polishing silver and cleaning the carpet.
Many household cleaners come in packages labeled with a small “caution,” “warning” or “danger” ? a sure sign an ingredient in the cleaner is hazardous to someone?s health or the environment, Greene said.
“When we reach for things in the store, I encourage folks to look for those words,” she said, adding that often the active ingredients are items readily available in the kitchen cabinet.
Rather than buying a silver polish, opt for baking soda and water. For cutting grease and grime, try white vinegar or lemon juice. Cleaning the windows? A bit of alcohol and water may do the trick, she said.
Dayton resident Carolyn Rouse, who attended Greene?s talk, was looking for ways to save money on cleaning products. She usually uses Scrubbing Bubbles and Lysol to clean the bathroom, but said she now might consider trying vinegar.
For Christine Grillo, a clinical herbalist and wellness counselor, alternative products have been a way of life for a while. She uses salt and baking soda instead of abrasive cleaners.
“People are becoming more aware the chemicals and additives get into the home environment and can cause respiratory issues,” she said.
