Goal For The Green

You don’t have to spend a dime on cleaners and solvents to do your Spring cleaning.  There are products in your kitchen or pantry right now that will do the job nicely and in an earth friendly way.

Most household cleaners fall into the acid or alkaline region on a pH scale.  The scale ranges from 1-14, with 7 being the pure or neutral (like water) region.  Acidic solutions fall below 7, while the alkaline solutions are on the up side of the scale.  Cleaners that rank on the high end of the alkaline scale are considered caustic, and the very acidic cleaners are corrosive.  Usually, areas that are soiled with grease and oil are best treated with alkaline cleaners.  This is because alkaline cleaners work by separating heavy soil and grease from surfaces and fabric, so they can be easily blotted up or rinsed away.  The most common alkline cleaners are sudsy ammonia, borax, chlorine bleach, detergents and soaps, TSP (trisodium phosphate) and washing soda.

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