Cleaning

There is a solution. We talked to some of the leading "green" cleaners in the country about how to clean your house to minimize health threats to you, your family, and the environment. Here's what they recommend:

1. Clean in an organized manner. There's no point in mopping the floor only to then dust the ceiling fan and deposit a gray film over everything again. To clean well--and that means to clean healthily--you need to clean efficiently. That means avoiding going back and forth around a room. Instead, work using a systematic approach. Think in terms of left to right, top to bottom. Begin with ceilings and walls, and work your way down to windows and furniture, finishing with the floors.

2. Clean the things you'd never think to clean. For instance, your mattress is a magnet for allergy-causing dust mites. Washing the mattress cover in very hot water (140°F or more) every month, and wiping down the top of the mattress with hot water, can go a long way toward reducing morning stuffiness. Other never-thought-they-needed-to-be-cleaned areas:

• Telephone receivers. Dr. Gerba found significant numbers of illness-causing bacteria and viruses on telephone receivers, which could easily be spread to your lower lip and then, with a quick lick, into your mouth.
• Indoor garbage cans. Particularly those in the kitchen and bathroom. Emptying them isn't the same as cleaning them. Regularly scrub them to make sure germs aren't germinating.
• Shower curtains. They get wet most every day, and they often stay wet, making them a perfect home for mold.
• Automatic dishwashers. Take a close look at the edges of the door on your dishwasher. Many are breeding grounds for mold and mildew. The same is true of the rubber cushioning that surrounds some refrigerator doors.
• The fireplace. A clogged chimney is not only unhealthy, it can kill you if it ignites or, in the case of a gas fireplace, becomes blocked, sending dangerous carbon monoxide fumes into the house.
• HVAC filters. These filters are designed to filter allergy-causing dust from the air, but if they're clogged, they're more harmful than helpful.

3. Dust with worn-out wool socks or a corner of an old wool blanket or sweater. Wool creates static when rubbed on a surface, says Kim Carlson, who gives earth-friendly advice on the air for the NBC affiliate in Minneapolis/St. Paul. One wipe can keep your furniture dustfree without polishes or sprays.

4. Polish silver with toothpaste. Some silver polishes contain petroleum distillates, ammonia, or other hazardous ingredients. Instead, Carlson recommends dabbing on toothpaste with your finger or rubbing it on with a cloth. Rinse with warm water and polish with a soft cloth. For larger trays and bowls, use a baking soda paste (baking soda mixed with water) on a wet sponge.

5. Open your drains the nontoxic way. Chemical drain cleaners (also called drain openers) are extremely corrosive and dangerous, containing such toxic ingredients as lye or sulfuric acid. Even the vapors are harmful. Instead, pour a pot of boiling water or toss a handful of baking soda followed by 1/2 cup vinegar down the drain weekly. Also effective, particularly in preventing clogs, are many brands of enzymatic cleaners, such as Nature's Miracle (used to clean up pet "accidents"), found in pet stores. Live enzymes "eat" the bacterial matter that clings to the drains.

6. Clean your windows the healthy way. Mary Findley, veteran Oregon cleaning expert and president of Mary Moppins Cleaning System, recommends this homemade solution: Add 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar and a spoonful of dishwasher detergent, or 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol, to a quart of distilled water. If you're using the latter recipe and your windows streak, don't blame the cleaner. You've probably got a wax buildup from the commercial products you were using before. Switch to the vinegar and dishwasher detergent formula. And don't forget these tools and tips:

• Use a sponge wand to soak the window in suds, rather than a spray bottle. Wet the windows thoroughly and let the solution do its work for about five minutes.
• Avoid cleaning your windows on sunny days or in bright sunlight. The sun dries the solution too quickly, which can result in streaks.
• Use a black rubber squeegee to dry the window. Make sure every iota of water comes off; otherwise, you're leaving dirt on the window.
• Use paper towels to dry the squeegee after each pass.
• For serious dirt, try an oversized razor blade wet with soapy water.

7. Forget Formula 409; make this fabulous all-purpose cleaner.
Fll a spray bottle nearly full with water and add a good squirt of Ivory liquid dishwashing detergent, says Findley. Shake just a bit. That's all you need. For some disinfecting oomph for the kitchen and bathroom, add 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol. This is safe to use on Corian counters, sinks and showers, tile and marble.

8. Sanitize your toilet bowl safely. Pity poor Dr. Gerba. He spends his days swiping cotton swabs over every conceivable household surface, then peering at the results under a microscope and identifying the germs and other icky things he finds there. You can only imagine what he finds in the bathroom.

To clean the toilet safely, turn to your vinegar, says Findley. Fill a spray bottle with straight white vinegar. Pour a capful of vinegar into the toilet, then spray the sides of the bowl. Also, sprinkle baking soda in the toilet, wait 15 minutes, and scrub with a bit of baking soda sprinkled on the brush. Once a month pour one cup vinegar into the toilet and leave overnight. The vinegar dissolves any alkali buildup to prevent hard-water rings in the toilet. Whenever you leave for vacation, pour a cup of vinegar into the toilet to prevent buildup while you are gone.

To disinfect the toilet completely, wipe all surfaces with a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol or with some of the alcohol-based hand cleaner available in stores.

9. Clean your kitchen floor the easy way. Don't try to disinfect it, says Findley. "Unless you disinfect your feet, disinfecting your floors serves no purpose." Instead, use these homemade floor cleaners:

• Hardwood and laminated floors. One-quarter cup white vinegar per quart of water. Use only 100 percent cotton terry towels on hardwood floors and don't use self-wringing or microfiber mops. Microfiber is made from 80-85 percent polyester, which is plastic. Plastic scratches and will eventually scratch the sealant off the floor.
• Marble, tile, and granite floors. Just use very hot water. Cleaners of any kind will pit these floors.
• Linoleum floors. Hot water with just a bit of Ivory liquid dish soap if needed.

10. Clean out your washing machine and dryer. You'd think they would be clean, right? Wrong. In a study of 50 homes in Tucson and 50 in Tampa Bay, Florida, Dr. Gerba found high levels of coliform bacteria, an indicator of unsanitary conditions, and diarrhea-causing Escherichia coli in home washing machines. When researchers washed sterile cloths in non-bleach laundry detergent, they found that 40 percent emerged contaminated with E. coli bacteria--with enough extra to contaminate the next load. The greatest risk from the germs comes when transferring wet laundry with your bare hands to the dryer. The solution? Try using rubber gloves when doing your wash, and add a cupful of hydrogen peroxide to your loads instead of bleach.  Also, for germ control, wash your clothes on the hottest water setting.