Author Archives: EdWampleriipwu

3 Natural Bleach Alternatives and How to Use Them

I’ve always been a huge fan of clean, white linens ? towels, sheets, you name it!?But keeping them bright white?is an entirely different story.

When I first became a wife and started managing some of the household duties like washing our linens, I usually turned to chlorine bleach to whiten?and sanitize. However, even when I diluted the substance properly and took precautions to protect myself against the fumes, I still felt a bit woozy after using it.

Truth is, bleach is actually pretty toxic stuff, and the health risks associated with using it are no joke. So, I turned to natural solutions. Looking for a natural way to whiten your laundry? Look no further. I’ve rounded up the best natural?natural bleach alternatives out there, so you can phase out bleach for good!

3 Natural Bleach Alternatives and How to Use Them

1. Hydrogen Peroxide & Lemon Juice Recipe

Hydrogen peroxide is a fantastic sanitizer and disinfectant that you can find at most drugstores. It’s non-toxic and whitens without any harsh chemicals (there’s a reason it’s safe to use on your body), so you don’t have to worry about the same dangers you might find with bleach.

The other part of this recipe, lemon juice, is naturally acidic and has whitening properties as well; plus, it smells absolutely delightful!

Here’s what you’ll need for this DIY natural bleach alternative:

3 cups of water
1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide (3% solution)
2 Tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice

Simply mix together in a quart-sized jar or container. Toss 1 cup of the solution in with your laundry to brighten it, and wash with cold water.?You can also?add another 1/2 cup or so of hydrogen peroxide to the mix to use as a cleaner for?your bathroom or kitchen surfaces.

2. White Distilled Vinegar

Vinegar?works an absolute charm in the home! Just overlook the smell and you’ll find that you have a cure-all liquid on your hands.

The acetic properties of white distilled vinegar will help brighten your clothes and remove any mold residue that may be stuck in your towels. Simply add 1 cup of vinegar to a pot of boiling water and let it?cool for a few minutes. Soak your whites overnight, then wash like normal. Easy!

3. Baking Soda & Vinegar

Baking soda is about as cheap and effective as it gets. And it’s not just great for laundry! Baking soda does a great job of disinfecting and removing stains from the toilet, shining stainless steel, and even remedying acne.

To clean the toilet:

Pour 1/2 cup?of white vinegar into the toilet bowl, and let sit?for 30 minutes. Once your thirty minutes is up, sprinkle baking soda onto your toilet brush and scrub, then flush. That’s it!

To whiten laundry:

Toss 1/2 cup of baking soda with powdered laundry detergent and use normally. The baking soda will cut down greasy stains and residue, ensuring your clothes come out cleaner than ever!


How do you avoid toxic bleach in your home? Any alternatives to share?

Related at Care2

23 Ingenious Uses for White Vinegar
51 Fantastic Uses for Baking Soda
16 Dangerous Sources of Indoor AIr Pollution

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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3 Natural Bleach Alternatives and How to Use Them

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Friday Cat Blogging – 7 February 2014

Mother Jones

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When we watch TV, Domino watches TV. And since Domino has good taste, she almost always curls up with Marian, not me. (I’ll do, but only in a pinch, if Marian isn’t around.) So this was us last night. We were watching the Olympic slopestyle coverage (verdict: meh), and Domino was watching us. Then she fell asleep. Eventually, we did too.

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Friday Cat Blogging – 7 February 2014

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Christie Administration’s Bridge Lane Closure Slowed Search for Missing 4-Year-Old, Says Official

Mother Jones

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Private messages released on Wednesday strongly suggest that a top adviser to Republican Gov. Chris Christie orchestrated a massive traffic jam in Fort Lee, New Jersey, as political retaliation against the city’s Democratic mayor.

READ MORE: Gov. Christie’s bridge scandal, explained. Future-Image/ZUMA

Calling the messages “astonishing” and “unconscionable,” members of the Fort Lee borough council described the mid-September traffic disaster, caused when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey unexpectedly closed two of the town’s access lanes to the George Washington Bridge, as having dire consequences.

“There was a missing child that day. The police had trouble conducting that search because they were tied up directing traffic,” says Jan Goldberg, a Fort Lee councilman who works with local emergency personnel. Police found the missing child, a four-year-old. “But with the streets in the condition they were, I would venture to say that the search took longer,” Goldberg says.

Ila Kasofsky, a Fort Lee councilwoman, tells Mother Jones that ambulances and other emergency vehicles could not get through the gridlock. In the aftermath of the lane closures, Kasofsky says she spoke with a Fort Lee resident who couldn’t get over the bridge to support her husband through major surgery. Another Fort Lee woman was unable to pick up her son after his dialysis session.

Police Chief Keith Bendul cited these problems when he spoke to New Jersey press in September. “On Monday, while all this was going on, we had to contend with a missing four-year-old, a cardiac arrest requiring an ambulance, and a car running up against a building,” he said. “What would happen if there was a very serious accident?”

Christie aides appear to have considered the potential public safety ramifications of the traffic jam. In one exchange released on Wednesday, Port Authority appointee David Wildstein waved away complaints from the Fort Lee mayor that school buses filled with children were stuck in traffic. “Bottom line is he didn’t say safety,” Wildstein wrote.

Goldberg called the messages revealed on Wednesday “outrageous,” saying, “It’s unimaginable that they could stoop to that level.”

“I was furious,” adds Kasofsky. “To affect the lives of thousands and thousands of people, their safety, their basic quality of life—how could anybody do such a horrible thing?”

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Christie Administration’s Bridge Lane Closure Slowed Search for Missing 4-Year-Old, Says Official

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