Squeaky Clean: The Ultimate Guide to Cleansing Your Home

Non-Toxic DIY Cleaners

How to create safe and effective house-cleaning solutions for every part of your home.

All Purpose Cleaner
1 part white vinegar
1 part water
Lemon rind
Rosemary sprigs
How to: Combine ingredients together, pour into spray bottle, shake and let it infuse for seven days before using. Perfect for stubborn stains.

Glass/Mirror Cleaner
2 cups water
½ cup white or cider vinegar
¼ cup rubbing alcohol 70 percent concentration
How to: Combine ingredients and pour into a spray bottle. Spray the solution on a paper towel first before wiping.

Kitchen Deodorizer
4 tablespoons baking soda
1 quart warm water
How to: Combine ingredients to make a paste. Use a sponge and wipe counters, the inside of the refrigerator and other appliances.

Cleaning solutions adapted from goodhousekeeping.com.

Don’t be blind. 
Your window blinds are probably dirty if you have never thought about cleaning them. Combine equal parts water and vinegar in a bowl and dip an unused sock in the solution. Run the sock over each slat to remove dirt and dust.

The key to a clean keyboard. 
Use a clean microfiber cloth that’s lightly dampened with water and vinegar and wipe the keyboard. Do not get moisture into any of the openings. To remove debris from between the keys, use a can of compressed air.

Tips & Tricks

De-germify things in your home that are probably dirtier than your toilet. 

Cell Phone 
Two words: filth farm. Even if you never take your phone into the bathroom for toilet time scrolling, it is still covered in bacteria from everything else you touch throughout the day.
De-germify it: Mix a little bit of rubbing alcohol and distilled water together and wipe down your smartphone, stat.

Pet Bowl and Toys
It’s been said that a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s. Doubtful. We brush our teeth twice, daily. Plus, we wash our dishware after each use. Why not do the same for your pet? Pet bowls and toys can become contaminated with bacteria from their mouth and multiply with each use.
De-germify it: Toys should be washed once a week — rubber in the dishwasher and fabric in the washing machine — and Fido’s bowl should be cleaned with soap and water (just like yours) after every meal.

Purse 
You stick your hands in it all the time. Your kids do, too. When you go out to eat it may rest on the floor. Or maybe it sits on the bathroom counter. The surface of a purse can be covered in germs from every spot it has been throughout the day.
De-germify it: If it can be washed, do it often. Otherwise, rub it down with a non-toxic disinfectant wipe inside and out. Test a small corner, first.

Remote Control
Think about how many times per day you fight over the remote with your significant other. You flip channels back and forth, picking it up each time. And often, it hides between the sofa cushions, a cozy, dark habitat where bacteria love to grow.
De-germify it: Wipe it down daily with non-toxic disinfectant wipes (we suggest doing this with hotel room remotes, too).

Reusable Shopping Bag
While great for the environment, these bags carry more than just your groceries. Bacteria from unwashed produce, leaking meat packages and more linger behind on your reusable bag.
De-germify it: Purchase cloth bags that can be easily washed and designate bags for different products (snacks, produce, cleaning products, meat and dairy) to prevent cross-contamination.

Garbage Can 
Here’s the dirty truth: If your trash can is left to its own devices, it will quickly become one of the smelliest and dirtiest spots in your home.
De-germify it (and deodorize it!): Grab a pair of rubber gloves and get to work. Empty the bin, take it outside and hose it down. Then, spray the can — both inside and out — with a disinfectant and scrub with an unused toilet brush. Rinse it off and let it air dry in the sun.

Door Mats Keep the Dirt Out

Kick off your kicks and leave your shoes by the door. According to Dr. Hadeel Zainah, an infectious disease specialist at Kent Hospital, viruses, parasites and bacteria including costridium difficile and E.coli can be tracked in via your shoes. Don’t be alarmed. People with good immune systems are at a decreased risk of contracting these harmful bacteria. However, follow regular precautions and guidelines to minimize your chances of catching any unwelcome house crashers. Zainah suggests keeping a doormat by your door and taking off your shoes right away. Slip on a pair of slippers while walking throughout your home and be sure to clean your doormat and your floors regularly. Plus, avoid eating anything that may have been dropped on the floor (no three-second rule here, folks!).

Check out these local spots for decorative (but dirt-stopping) doormats:

Alexander Nesbitt/Blink Gallery.

Blink Gallery 
This custom-made doormat features original photography by Alexander Nesbitt of the Newport storm drain manhole cover. The doormat is twenty-three inches round, and a quarter-inch thick. It is made with a polyester felt top and a rubberized non-slip underside. 89 Thames St., Newport, 619-3717, blinkgalleryusa.com.

Mystic Knotworks 
The coastal Connecticut town of Mystic is known for far more than Mystic Pizza. For more than fifty years, Mystic Knotworks has created a plethora of woven nautical products that have stood the test of time. The doormats are no exception. Made from natural manila rope, the doormats can be left out in the weather and silver with age like cedar shingles. 25 Cottrell St., Mystic, Conn., 860-889-3793, mysticknotwork.com.

Soy Candles

If you haven’t lit a soy wax candle instead of a traditional paraffin wax candle for your Friday night bubble bath, you might be missing out on a host of benefits for your wallet, your nose and your health. 

Why choose soy? Soy candles are made from soybeans, not only making them a safer and natural alternative to petroleum-based paraffin, but they are also renewable and biodegradable. You breathe in whatever you are burning in your home. “Soy wax is far superior to paraffin wax because it does not produce soot as it burns. Plus, paraffin wax is made from petroleum, which is the same stuff we put in cars,” says Rhode Island-based candlemaker, Samantha Atella, owner of Orange Cat Candle Co.

“So, it is like burning exhaust fumes in your home. Soy is clean-burning and non-toxic to your health.” Soy wax candles are plant-based, making them a vegan product that anyone can get behind. Plus, its burn time is twice as long as a paraffin candle due to a lower melting point.

Photography courtesy of various candle companies.

Check out these locally made, 100 percent soy wax candle makers:

Aster Candle astercandle.com
Cozy Light Candle Co. cozylightcandleco.com   
Orange Cat Candle Co. 688-9181, orangecatcandleco.com
Sea Smith Candle Co. seasmithcandleco.com
Shore Soap Company 302 Thames St., Newport, 846-0305, shoresoapco.com 
Wick-ed Candle Co. Fantastic Umbrella Factory, 4820 Old Post Rd., Charlestown, wickedcandle.shop