HOW TO CLEAN A TOILET

Modern homemakers don’t just need to know how to clean a toilet. They should educate themselves as to the environmentally friendly way to clean tough toilet stains that won’t unnecessarily pollute our water supply or accidentally poison the family pet or even worse, the kids! I'm not the only person whose baby has mistaken the commode for a water park, am I?

TANK CLEANERS

Tank cleaners that come in the form of tablets or hanging capsules were all the rage for awhile. The belief was that if you properly cleaned the reservoir tank that those stubborn toilet rings would never show up in the first place. Now we know that this is wrong thinking in that we found out that this was not the magic cure it was held up to be. Plus, if you had a dog or a cat that enjoyed a refreshing drink from the commode from time to time we realized that toilet cleaner did little to enhance this experience. Even if you don’t have an animal to worry with, why do we think it is a good thing to pour an unending supply of chemicals in our water? We should be more concerned with REMOVING chemicals from water rather than dumping more in.

HOW TO CLEAN A TOILET THE GREEN WAY

The facts are that there is no magic cleaner or tip that I can share with you for how to clean your toilet while never having to go into the bathroom. I CAN tell you how to clean the commode and never get your hands dirty; wear gloves! Ok, I know that was cruel but let’s get real.

NO HARSH CHEMICALS NECESSARY

Cleaning the toilet is an unpleasant task that takes some elbow grease and a cleaner helps. But chemical toilet cleaners are not part of how to clean a toilet in a safe, green and environmentally friendly fashion.

DISINFECTING

Did you know that plain soap and water do a very good job of killing germs? The only problem here is that pesky ring in the toilet bowl. That is a little harder to get rid of so here are some safe toilet cleaners that might make the job a little easier.

(1. Reduce the water level in the bowl and sprinkle it liberally with baking soda. Dash some (cheap) vinegar in the bowl and scrub with one of those green scrub pads or the toilet brush of your choice.

(2. Take one cup of Borax and add enough lemon juice or vinegar to make a paste. (I prefer lemon juice for its safe bleaching properties) Smear the recipe on that ugly toilet bowl ring and let it sit for two hours then scrub.

(3. Drop two denture cleaning tablets in the bowl when you go to bed at night. Scrub the bowl first thing the next morning.


So, that is how to clean a toilet without poisoning the family pet or our planet. If you use any of our green household cleaner recipes, please come back and give us a review as to how they performed.

Return to Home and Baby Parenting and Family Issues to find more tips on how to clean a toilet and green household cleaner recipes.

INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS IMPROVEMENTS

Recently there has been an increased focus of national attention on the improvement of industrial environmental standards. As the USA attempts to rebuild its economy, we must be focused on not only restoring industry, but restore it in such a way that is not environmentally destructive. Perhaps the economic slowdown could give us an opportunity to improve all aspects of industry, including hazards among workers in their place of work and the health hazards affecting citizens residing in the surrounding areas that in the past were all too common.


What many do not realize is that not only does the health of our planet earth depend on improved industrial environmental standards, but the health of humans as well. The far reaching health complications caused by irresponsible industrial practices can essentially be divided into two categories, namely the direct and the indirect.

DIRECT

Direct health conditions have been documents to be on the rise as a direct result of the use of fossil fuels. A perfect example of this may be the increased asthmas rates in areas with high smog indices. Even the mildest case of asthma can deteriorate respiratory capacity over time and leave breathing seriously diminished with unimproved air quality. The continuous release of chlorofluorocarbons into the atmosphere has shown to increase ultraviolet light exposure by lowering our filtered sunlight. And as we are aware, this same ultraviolet light has been conclusively linked to skin cancer. It should come as no surprise that skin cancer cases in countries like South Africa and Australia, where the atmosphere is most affected is much higher than in other areas of our planet.

INDIRECT

Indirect industrial health consequences include those which can be attributed to old industrial infrastructure, including toxin exposure to employees. Workers in oil refineries, for instance, have been proven to have a much higher chance of developing mesothelioma, which is a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure, than those fortunate enough to work in cleaner industries. Even though asbestos was banned in the 1970s for most uses there are several refineries and factories that continue to use equipment manufactured in the pre-ban years which expose workers to cancer causing asbestos fibers.
We see then, that there is a clear advantage to improvement of industrial environmental standards, implementation of sustainable energy policies and healthier environmental attitudes for the health of the planet and of the world’s population.

Return to Oooh Baby Green Living and Parenting Ideas to read more about the need for improvement of industrial environmental standards.