It is imperative that you use reputable, tried and tested housecleaners. Otherwise, you can suffer from health problems.

So what can we do? Use environment-friendly, not toxic and quick-to-clean products. While products available in the market are quick and easy to use, the home remedies are less harsh.

Here are a few recipes:

STREAK-FREE GLASS CLEANER

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup of white vinegar

- 1 gallon of water

Method: Mix the white vinegar and water. Wash windows and dry with an old newspaper. Does a great job without leaving streaks.

DRAIN-CLEANERS

Drain-cleaners are full of toxic chemicals. Try the following recipe and use once a week to keep drains free-flowing.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup baking soda

- 1 cup

salt

- 1/4 cup cream of tartar

Method: Place ingredients in an air-tight container. Shake well. Pour 1/4 of the mixture down the drain. Add 2 cups boiling water immediately. Let it stand for approximately 5 minutes. Flush with cool water from your tap.

Carpet and Upholstery: Sprinkle baking soda on carpets and upholstery to neutralise odours. Leave for one hour and vacuum. Baking soda will also eliminate pet odours.

Oven cleaner: If you hate cleaning your oven as much as I do, there is a simple formula: Sprinkle water over bottom, top and sides of your oven. Add baking soda to the areas until your oven’s surfaces are covered with white paste. Sprinkle with more water.

Let it stand

for 12 hours or overnight. Wipe off excess grease with a sponge and use a mixture of vegetable-based dish detergent and water to clean the rest.

Mold killer: Tea tree oil is a great mold killer. Add 2 teaspoonfuls of tea tree oil to 2 cups of water. Shake well and add to affected area. Let stand. Do not rinse.

FLOOR CLEANER

Ingredients:

- 2 gallons of hot water

- 1 cup of white vinegar

- 1/4 cup borax

- 1 tsp vegetable-based dish soap

Method: Mix ingredients in a large pail. Put cloth in pail. Get down on your knees and scrub the floor. Lifts grease and dirt. Smells great and gives you exercise at the same time.

BEWARE

OF YOUR TOILET!

Urban myths of deadly alligators aside, did you know your toilet could give you diarrhoea, dysentery and water-borne diseases like Cholera, Typhoid, Shigella, Polio, Meningitis, and Hepatitis A and E? It may sound far fetched but even a regularly cleaned toilet can prove dangerous.

An average person visits the toilet 2,500 times a year. About 6-8 times a day. You spend about 3 years of your life in the toilet. More than enough reason for you to be concerned.

Here is how your toilet puts you and your family at risk:

The toilet bowl and rim, if not disinfected properly, can become a hotspot for different types of germs, bacteria and even some deadly viruses. Yes, it

may seem an unlikely source of infection because for disease to spread, it is necessary for the germs to be ingested. But you’d be surprised how probable a threat it is when there are little children in the house who could easily come into contact with the toilet bowl while playing. All it takes is a single touch and then it’s only a matter of time before little hands go into the mouth carrying germs.

Flush is the another large reason for the spread of disease because of a toilet that is not regularly disinfected. When you flush the toilet, the spray from the toilet bowl can land several feet away. Unseen by the naked eye, this fine spray, more

often than not, contains a range of viruses and bacteria, some of which can survive for hours or days and may cause serious illnesses.

Dentists recommend that toothbrushes should be kept at least 6 feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. But a simpler solution is shutting the lid before you flush the toilet.

Here are some more tips for keeping your toilet germ-free:

Regularly clean your toilet with a good disinfectant.

Do not flick water on the floor after washing your hands. Instead, dry them with a hand towel.

Flush the toilet thoroughly after use.

Make sure your toilet is properly ventilated with lots of

exchange of fresh air.

Men using the toilets must aim properly so as not to dirty the floor.

Ladies should not set their foot on any part of the toilet bowl so that the toilet bowl will remain clean for the next user.

It’s your prerogative to keep your home safe. Remember to start with the toilet.

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