Baking Soda - An excellent cleaner and deodorizer, available
in supermarkets and health food stores.
Borax - An excellent disinfectant, available in supermarkets
and health food stores.
Distilled White Vinegar - An excellent cleaner, available
in both supermarkets and health food stores.
Essential Oils - Essences distilled from plant oils,
essential oils are less allergenic than synthetic fragrances. They
add a
pleasing fragrance to your cleaning formulas. Available at health
food stores.
Hydrogen peroxide - An alternative to bleach, available at supermarkets
and drugstores.
Lemon juice - An excellent cleaner, available in both
health food stores and supermarkets.
Liquid Soaps - An alternative
to harsher detergents and other
cleaning agents, available in health food stores and supermarkets.
Pumice Stone - Excellent as a stain remover, available
in health food stores, drugstores, and supermarkets.
Sodium Perborate - An alternative to standard bleaches
made with sodium hypochlorite, available from chemical supply companies.
Sodium Percarbonate - Also an alternative to standard
bleaches, available from chemical supply companies.
Trisodium phosphate (TSP) - A powerful cleaning material,
TSP can be irritating and caustic; it does not pose long-term health
hazards
such as carcinogenicity, neurotoxicity, or reproductive effects.
Be aware that some products with the name TSP on their container
do not actually contain Trisodium phosphate. Available at supermarkets,
drugstores, and hardware stores.
Washing Soda (also known as sodium carbonate, soda
ash, and sal soda) - A strong cleaner, available in supermarkets
and health food stores.
Zeolite - This naturally occurring mineral is an excellent deodorizer
and available from G&W Supply, 1441, W. 46th Avenue #31, Denver,
CO 80211, (303) 455-8834.
References:
Steinman, David and Epstein, Samuel, The
Safe Shopper's Bible,
MacMillan: New York, 1995.
CONTACT:
Samuel S. Epstein, M.D.
Chairman, Cancer Prevention Coalition
c/o University of Illinois at Chicago
School of Public Health, M/C 922
2121 W. Taylor Street
Chicago, IL 60612
epstein@uic.edu
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