Green Cleaning You Can Do: Walls

Keeping your home clean can help you and your families stay healthy. Using natural cleaners can improve it even further. One major area of a home that is often cleaned the least is the walls. Walls are often a tedious task, due to the sheer volume of materials that need cleaning. If you have pets and children, grab some easy to find items and get the elbow grease out! We have a job to do!

For light cleaning, which I recommend you do regularly, add one cup apple cider vinegar to one gallon of water. Simply wipe down the walls with this solution and let them air dry. This works well on painted walls, or walls covered in washable wallpaper. You can store the remainder in a squirt bottle for about six months. I use the squirt bottled solution for when the kids get handprints on the walls, or the dog rubs his wet body on it. This is great for touch ups.

If your walls need a little bit more love, it is time to get out the big guns! Add three tablespoons of trisodium phosphate (found at the pharmacy!) to one gallon of water. I recommend rubber gloves for this one to prevent "dish hands." Again, this is suitable for painted or washable wallpaper covered walls. I like to clean my walls with this solution prior to painting to make sure I have gotten all the "gunk" off and the paint will adhere nicely.

"What about wood paneling?" you ask. Good question. Use a gentle wood cleaner for this job! Combine ½ cup canola oil, ¼ cup liquid soap blend, and ¼ cup water. Make your liquid soap blend by combining ¼ cup glycerin soap flakes and ¾ cup boiling water. For soap flakes, use a cheese grater to grate a bar of gentle glycerin soap. Make sure you shake the solution well right before you use it. Apply it with a soft cloth using circular motions and then buff it with a dry cloth. If you are really looking to impress, follow up the cleaning and buffing with some basic furniture polish. You can make this polish by combining ½ cup sweet almond oil, 1 tablespoon wheat germ oil, 1 tablespoon melted beeswax, 2 tablespoons red turkey oil and finish off with 3 to 5 drops of your favorite essential oil. I use lemon or cedar essential oils regularly, but you could also use balsam, rosemary, or juniper.

Some kitchens have tile backsplashes, or tile countertops that will often need a good scrubbing. Make your job easier by using this liquid tile cleaner. Combine ½ cup ammonia, ½ cup white vinegar, ¼ cup baking soda, and 1 teaspoon borax. This solution is good for about 6 months when stored in a cool, dry place. Make sure you keep it out of reach of children.

Cleaning walls is never a fun job, but with these easy to make cleaners you can do it while helping our environment. Don't keep spending your hard earned money buying plastic bottles full of harsh chemicals. Make your home healthy and your family happy by using these homemade cleaners.

Kellar, Casey. Natural Cleaning for Your Home. Ashville, NC: Lark Books, 1998.