Organic Housekeeping Chapter 6

Woo hoo, General Cleaning for the well-tempered house.

"Sick Building Syndrome" Indoor air pollution is worse than outdoor pollution. SBS is when the building actually causes people to be sick. "We can no longer act as if interior decoration is frivolous and irrelevant" Choose low-emissions furniture, carpeting, paints and varnishes, cleaning products and personal care products. So, here we will go through different products and give suggestions of low-emissions products.

Floor
Recycled wood, bamboo, natural cork, linoleum, slate, granite, brick, ceramic tile, concrete, natural rubber.
Best Carpet- wool, rugmark label means no child weavers. Or choose a low-emissions carpet that meets the Carpet and Rug Institute's Green Label criteria for indoor air quality or recycled or reconditioned carpet. Padding underneath should have a moisture barrier and made of 100% recycled material, (1) multicolored synthetic pad or (2) felted recycled (nonvirgin) wool or odor-eaters carpet cushions. Highly suggested is refurbished carpet tiles, you can replace a single tile after a bad stain, not the whole thing. Recommended manufacturers: Milliken Floorcovering, Earth Squares; C & A Floorcoverings; Green Floors; J&J Industries; Lees Carpets; Mannington Mills.
Work baking soda into carpet with a broom before vacuuming
Work salt into the carpet to keep away fleas and moth eggs
Rain wash knitted wool rugs
For bad carpet stains: spray with vinegar and wipe with dutch rubber broom and cloth
Homemade foam cleaner for spot treatment: 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 tsp dish soap in an electric mixer to foam
Easiest is prevention: no eating in carpeted rooms

Windows
Insulated window covering, Reflectix
Self-cleaning windows
     www.activglass.com
     www.ppg.com
     www.afgglass.com
Clean with vinegar as suggested in earlier chapters

Furniture
Solid wood or ten year old furniture
Go for natural plant-based fabrics and stuffing materials
Med-dark fabrics and carpets will hide stains best
White and light colors for the bathroom
Natural Fibers and tightly woven fabrics
Felt on furniture feet 
For water rings on wood: 1 tablespoon white vinegar in a cup of olive oil, clean cloth to apply, let it sit for a few minutes,  then rub with a clean cloth, polish the rest of the wood with the used rag to even out the color.

Kitchen
smooth, shiny, light colored finishes
faucet- white, gun-metal or satin

The Whole House
smooth and washable paints- water-based (latex) paint with low VOC
Reflective insulated paints (at least for the bathrooms)
     www.hytechsales.com
     www. heatshield-r20.com
     www.koolcoat.com
Large rubber backed mats at all entrances
Keep a shoes off policy
Dusting- use a few drops of oil in a 1/4 cup of vinegar