From The Detroit News | By Ken Calverley and Chuck Breidenstein
DETROIT, October 5, 2023 ~ A few years ago, I had a memorable encounter with a young boy at a convenience store.
As I approached the entrance, the boy and his father beat me to the door. The young boy pulled his sleeve down past his hand before grabbing the door handle. Impressed by his gesture, I asked him if his dad had taught him that. When he replied with a yes, I commended him for having a smart dad.
Encouraging and uplifting young people is something that The Guys always strive to do.
We also believe that it is crucial to prioritize our health and well-being, both inside and outside of our homes.
Items like door handles, gas pumps and elevator buttons are often touched by many people, making them potential breeding grounds for germs.
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October 5, 2023 ~ Chuck “The Inside Guy” Breidenstein and Ken “The Outside Guy” Calverly offer the knowledge and resources you need to make the home of your dreams a reality. Catch them every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon on 760 WJR.
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But what about when you’re at home? Do you take the same level of care to protect your family inside your own house? Maintaining a clean and healthy home is vital for our overall well-being and peace of mind.
The good news is that you don’t need expensive cleaning products to achieve this. Simple and easily accessible household ingredients like baking soda, bleach, dawn dish detergent, lemon, and vinegar can be highly effective cleaning agents.
Have you ever visited a store where spending too much time in the cleaner aisle caused your head to hurt or created sinus blockage? The off gassing of those products is very real.
This holds true inside the house as well. Our culture spends millions of dollars on household cleaning products, many of which end up sitting under sinks or on shelves, releasing potentially harmful chemicals into our homes.
The Guys firmly believe that homeowners can save money and create a healthier environment by using simple household ingredients for cleaning.
Vinegar’s natural acidity makes it an excellent choice for cleaning and deodorizing various surfaces, including glass and mirrors.
When properly diluted, bleach acts as a powerful disinfectant, ensuring a germ-free living space.
Dawn soap is gentle yet effective in tackling grease, stains, and dirt. It can be an ideal choice for various cleaning purposes.
Lemon, with its mild acidity, possesses excellent cleaning and deodorizing properties, making it a valuable ingredient for maintaining a fresh home.
Whether you choose store-bought or homemade cleaning products, it’s crucial to prioritize your safety. Always wear proper eye and hand protection when cleaning with anything other than pure water and use open windows or fans to provide ventilation.
Inexpensive spray bottles can be purchased and used for specific solutions you use frequently, like a water diluted bleach solution in bathroom fixtures and drains.
Baking soda can be an excellent cleaner for many areas around your home. For example, you can mix it into a paste and use it with white vinegar to clean the grout between tiles or use it with a stiff bristle brush to make your toilets look as good as new.
Baking soda is also great for cleaning the inside of your refrigerator and dishwasher and it can be used in its dry form to deodorize the refrigerator.
The kitchen is a gathering place for families where all sorts of goodies are prepared for loved ones.
A clean and hygienic kitchen is essential for food safety. Regularly disinfect countertops, cutting boards, and appliances using diluted bleach, vinegar solutions, or even half a lemon.
Remember to never combine different cleaning ingredients that may create a harmful chemical reaction!
A couple of tablespoons of bleach in a gallon of water can effectively kill most common germs on hard surfaces. You can keep this solution in a spray bottle clearly marked as “bleach and water cleaner.” You can use this solution with damp clothes to clean items like door handles, banisters, remote controls, and cell phones.
To tackle grease in and around stoves and sinks, use Dawn dish soap and water first, then follow up with a bleach and water solution to kill germs.
Bathrooms are prone to bacterial growth and can harbor mold and mildew. It’s important to regularly clean and disinfect toilets, showers, tubs, and sinks using diluted bleach solutions. Adequate ventilation and proactive mold prevention measures are crucial for maintaining a fresh and healthy bathroom.
Avoid using store-bought plug-in air fresheners or burning inexpensive candles, as these can contribute to unhealthy air in your home.
Instead, consider using potpourri or high-quality essential oils to help your home smell clean and fresh. By embracing natural cleaning methods, homeowners can create a clean and healthy living environment.
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For housing advice and more, listen to “The Inside Outside Guys” every Saturday and Sunday on 760 WJR from 10 a.m. to noon, or contact them at InsideOutsideGuys.com.
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