Housekeeping and ecological gardening

[Christophe]

Green housekeeping and gardening guide. Published by the City of Montreal.

More than ever, nowadays more and more people are concerned about the quality of the environment. Most want to "do well" but often they simply do not know how to do it.

Every day, as consumers, we make choices.

We can opt for the "chemical" solution of the manufacturer or resort to an ecological alternative. The purpose of this booklet is to inform you about practices
housekeeping and gardening respecting the environment. The recipes and suggestions you will find here are often the old-fashioned version of a modern synthetic product. Not only are these formulas effective, they can save you money. It's up to you !

In this section:

- Basic principles of ecological cleaning.
- The ecological cleaning kit.
- Tips and recipes (bathroom, kitchen, living room and laundry).
- Gardening: principles, where to start ?, in a word, the beginning, environmental management, means of control, homemade pesticides, chemicals.
- Appendices and annexes.

Download here: https://www.econologie.com/une-maison-pr ... -3792.html

[Jerry]

Hello,
Thank you for this guide, it is really very, very good advice! I hallucinate that it is distributed by the city hall of Montreal, I doubt that many French municipalities dare to publish guides so openly hostile to chemicals ...
On the other hand, I encounter a problem: I want to switch to ecological cleaners for my house, it is already the case for a lot of things, but I still have in my cupboards a certain number of toxic cleaning products (detergent for washing - dishes, floor cleaner ...), what do I do with them?
Do I finish the bottle before I switch to ecological cleaners? (no I'm kidding... )
Without laughing, where can I get rid of them but they don't end up in the soil and water anyway?

[Christine]

I still have a number of toxic cleaning products in my closets (dishwasher detergent, floor cleaner, etc.), what do I do with them?
Do I finish the bottle before I switch to ecological cleaners? (no I'm kidding... )
Without laughing, where can I get rid of them but they don't end up in the soil and water anyway?

Nowhere ...

So there's no point in self-flagellating yourself for half a liter of Mister Clean: use them with parsimony to empty them and buy more ecological cleaners as you go.

[fthanron]

For the 2006 version:

http://www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/pls/por ... N_VERT.PDF

@+

[Jerry]

In fact, the answer was in the 2006 guide, page 7 :-)

"If you no longer want to use certain cleaning products, do not throw them in the trash and do not empty them in the sinks. Instead, contact your borough to find out where you can dispose of them."

Go try, the SICTOM in my village is quite effective in general.

Otherwise, for having compared the two versions (2002 and 2006, mixed impression: the 2006 version is prettier with color pages and photos (therefore also greedy when printing ), but a lot of information has disappeared, especially on the risks of the various products. Perhaps more affordable to read for housewives (or housewives, there's no reason) in a hurry, but I find it really less rich. Finally most of the practical advice, recipes for eco-friendly household products are there, that's the main thing.

In short, I think I will stick to the older version, paradoxically more interesting ...

[gina]

Homemade cleaning products


An average family of 20 to 40 liters of cleaning products per year. Some of these products are harmless, but most of them contain toxic substances that can be absorbed through the skin or the respiratory tract during use. In addition, they inevitably end up in our sewers. However, it is simple to clean your house in an ecological way.
Ingredients in the starter kit

Pure soap
It is more ecological since it is made from biodegradable vegetable oil rather than from animal fat and petroleum.
Baking soda
Baking soda is a biodegradable product that is not toxic to the environment or to health. In addition to being slightly abrasive, it has detergent, disinfectant, bleaching and deodorizing properties.
White vinegar
The acidic properties of vinegar make it a useful antiseptic that can be used to dislodge fat as well as dissolve lime deposits.
Essential oils (lemon or eucalyptus)
Lemon and eucalyptus essential oils have natural antiseptic and antibacterial properties.
Lemon juice

Suggested recipes

: arrow: All purpose cleaner
2 liters of water
60 ml of pure soap
3 c. lemon juice
Dish soap
Mix:
3 cups of water
30 ml of pure soap
2 c. tablespoons of vinegar
1 C. tablespoons of baking soda

Disinfectant

Add 10 to 25 ml of lemon or eucalyptus essential oil to a liter of water.
It is important to mix the contents before each use so that the water and oil can mix well.
Air purifier
Dissolve 1c. baking soda in 2 cups of hot water. Add lemon juice or better yet a dozen drops of lemon, lavender or eucalyptus essential oil.

Product for dishwasher.

So I looked in my books at home on the net…. and I found a simple and ecological recipe!
You just have to combine an equal amount of Borax (which I found in pharmacies where you can find sodium borate for 2 to 3 € per 100 grams! There is surely elsewhere!) And baking soda. You will put two tablespoons for an armful in the soap dispenser. For those like me who have hard water, you can fill your rinse aid dispenser compartment with white vinegar. I tested this mixture, and it works well.

A very effective and ecological little tip and tested

to remove stains from wine, fruit juice, etc. on clothes or tablecloths
Soak the stain in a little hot milk. Then wash as usual in the washing machine.
This stuff works for stains from cherries, strawberries, blueberries, wine and even lawn. It is not necessary to soak the garment immediately after staining the garment. Even if it is the next day, no problem. The important thing is not to have washed the garment before trying this thing.

The tub return hose is blocked
Try this completely ecological and effective thing: pour a cup of bicarbonate, a cup of salt and then a cup of vinegar. Leave to act for twenty minutes before pouring a cup of boiling water. There is no risk for the pipes and it's all natural.