MeanyGoat's New Ideas
Tag: Cleaning
Plants that Clean Air
Get Some Plants that Clean Air!
Have you thought about getting some Plants that Clean Air? Every house or apartment accumulates indoor air pollution as a result of the cleaning products we use and the materials modern furniture are made from, never mind any pollution that comes inside from the passing traffic or nearby factories. The good news is that some of the plants that are best at cleaning and purifying the air are also some of the toughest that withstand low light conditions and at least some neglect!
Indoor Air Quality at Home:
Most of us are aware that green plants are pretty good for the planet since they use the power of the sun to convert carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into energy that they use to grow…and as a bi-product they release oxygen which we need in order to breath. However, what the boffins at NASA discovered was that certain standard house plants are also capable of removing common toxic pollutants that are found in all of our homes. NASA started studying how plants can purify air as part of their ongoing research into space stations for the future. The research was spread over several years, but the final report was published in 1989 by Dr B C Wolverton and describes how plants were tested for their ability to remove the three most commonly occurring pollutants by putting the plants in individual chambers, injecting the pollutants and monitoring the changes over time.
The really interesting outcome for us is that some of the most common, cheapest and most hardy plants can have the biggest cleaning effect on the air
| Trichloroethylene | Used in dry cleaning, printing inks, varnishes and paints. Also used to de-grease metal so residues can be brought into the house via some new items of furniture for example. | Recognized as a potent carcinogen |
| Benzene | Found in petrol, oil, ink, pain, plastics and rubber | Irritates the skin and eyes and has been found to cause cell mutation. Associated with bone marrow diseases. |
| Formaldehyde | The most common indoor pollutant since it is released from Urea insulation foam and from pressed wood products that are the hallmark of modern furniture. Also found in many cleaning products, carpets and cigarette smoke. | Irritates the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and throat and so make asthma worse. Associated with some throat cancers. |
Plants that Clean Air:
The NASA scientists tested many plants and finally identified a list of around 30 common houseplants that had the biggest impact on improving air quality. Plants that clean air turn out to be mostly very easy to grow, with thrive in relatively low light conditions and most will survive some neglect or erratic watering! Great news for those of us who only have vaguely green fingers!
Here is a list of the Top FIVE Plants that Clean Air based on being cheap and easy to grow:
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English Ivy – Hedera Helix | Removes Benzene & Formaldehyde |
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Peace Lily – Spathiphyllum | Removes Tichloroethylene, Benzene & Formaldehyde |
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Spider Plant – Chlorophytum | Removes Formaldehyde |
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Rubber Plant – Ficus elastica | Removes Formaldehyde |
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Bamboo palm – Chamaedorea sefritzii |
Removes Formaldehyde |
Many of these plants are available in supermarkets, but they are all really common houseplants that can be picked up for just a few dollars each from a standard Garden Center. They will all survive in indirect light…but obviously the more light they get the better they will grow. And as for watering…once a week does the job and a good soaking before you go on holiday. Just like the rest of the house they will appreciate dusting…so every so often just wipe down the leaves with a damp cloth. This selection of plants that clean air really are that simple to look after!
How Many Plants That Clean Air Do I Need?
The more plants you have the better will be the air quality…and the more your house will start to resemble a jungle. Just a few plants only take a couple of minutes a week to care for and will last many years. If you invest in more plants then there is more work to do so you need to find a compromise that works well for you. However, there is also some science and NASA did discover the optimum plant density to use…
NASA found that 15 to 18 good-sized houseplants in six- to eight-inch (203 mm) diameter containers are enough for a 1,800-square-foot (170 m2) house
However, don’t forget that you can use fewer plants and concentrate them where you spend most time and where you think there is most pollution!
Take a Frugal Tip from the MeanyGoat and look out for some of these plants that clean air on special offer in the supermarket. Also check with your friends since most of them can be propagated by cuttings...and that way you get the plants for free!!
Click on these links to find out more about this topic:
WIKI List of air Filtering Plants
NASA Indoor Plant Report – Dr Wolverton
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Using Vinegar to Clean
Simple Ways of Using Vinegar to Clean
Vinegar is one of those rare commodities that was not invented by science but arrived naturally. Any sugary liquid that ferments will turn into vinegar and hence it has been known about for over 10,000 years! Using vinegar to clean probably started with the Babylonians and the Ancient Greeks. With such a long history it is strange that in the modern world vinegar is normally confined to the kitchen…and in England is sprinkled liberally over fish and chips. Read on to learn some simple ways of using vinegar to clean and you can save yourself buying those expensive cleaning products….some of which contain vinegar in the first place!
What is Vinegar?
Leave wine, beer or cider in a bowl for a week or so and chances are you will end up with vinegar.
Vinegar is acetic acid and is formed when naturally occurring aerobic bacteria in the air come into contact with alcohol and oxidize it.
It won’t necessarily taste like the product you buy from the shop since the actual flavor is influenced by the strain of bacteria that gobbles up the alcohol. Vinegar is quite a strong acid and has a pH of between 2.4 and 3.4 depending on how much it is distilled. The Heinz Corporation has stated that 5% acetic acid vinegar will kill 80% of germs and viruses, so you can start to see that this special liquid is useful for many other things apart from pickling onions!
The Green Cleaner!
Start using vinegar to clean and you will save plenty of money! Distilled white vinegar is best when you are worried about leaving a stain, but for many other uses any kind will do like this one that cost 30 cents for a liter!
Vinegar really is a GREEN cleaner that is suitable for use throughout your house or apartment. Once you start using vinegar to clean you will soon find that you can do without a lot of the other expensive cleaning products that are constantly advertised on TV. Vinegar is a natural product without additives. It is cheap and versatile. It does not contain toxic chemicals that can harm young children or pets. Not only is vinegar a good “green” cleaner but it is also a great frugal choice since it is so cheap…typically a bottle of vinegar will be up to 10 times cheaper than a bottle of household cleaner!
Using Vinegar as a Cleaner:
Distilled white vinegar is the best kind to use for cleaning purposes since it is often the cheapest and since it has no color there is no danger of it staining anything. However, for many cleaning tasks you can simply use any vinegar that you have in the cupboard.
Here are some simple ways of using vinegar to clean:
- Clean and Deodorize Your Garbage Can - Mix equal parts of hot water and vinegar and slosh it around inside your garbage can. For a really thorough clean add a spoon-full of baking soda
- Use White Vinegar as a Rinse Aid in the Dish Washer - Just stop using that expensive rinse aid and pour in the vinegar instead…you will get sparkling glasses!
- Moldy Tile Grout in the Shower – Vinegar is quite a strong acid so work it well into the grout with an old toothbrush, leave for 10 minutes and rinse off
- De-Scale the Kettle - Yep, pour in just enough vinegar to cover the bottom of the kettle and leave for around half an hour. Give it a swirl from time to time and then rinse thoroughly
- Pre-Treat Dirty Clothes - Dab undiluted vinegar onto stained or stinky sports wear before you put it into the wash. Also good for pre-treating ketchup and other stains
- Loosen Chewing Gum - Use vinegar to help loosen that horrible bit of pink chewing gum you have had stuck to the bottom of your shoe for the last week
- Remove Limescale from the Sink and Plughole – Soak a paper towel in vinegar and leave over the plughole for half an hour. Rinse and polish with a cloth to make the plughole shine like they do in the hotels!
Start Saving Money By Using Vinegar to Clean!
Using vinegar to clean is really easy…just as easy as adding it to your French Fries!
So you have a list of ways to start using vinegar to clean around your house…but once you start you will soon come up with plenty of other uses along the way. You can also use it for killing weeds on the patio or leave a small bowl in the kitchen to catch all those horrid fruit flies in the summer.
Take a Frugal Tip from the Meany Goat and start using vinegar to clean right now…the sooner you start the sooner you will save money. Your home will be a much safer place without all those toxic cleaning products you used to use!
Useful Links:
Click on these links for more information about using vinegar around the house as a cleaner….
How to Remove Limescale from a Sink
History of Vinegar & Other Uses Around the House
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How to Clean Spectacles
How to Clean Spectacles Efficiently!
How to clean spectacles properly and without damaging the expensive lenses is really important to help you see clearly and to save you money. Do you wear spectacles, eyeglasses, reading glasses or sunglasses? Fed up with greasy lenses and expensive cleaning products? Lets review the methods available….the right and wrong ways….the expensive and cheap ways…..lets simply find the out how to clean spectacles most efficiently!
How to Clean Spectacles, Eyeglasses, Reading Glasses or Sun Glasses:
There are plenty of products out there that you can buy to clean your glasses…but there are also things that you can find around the house for free. Some of these are good, some are bad and some will really damage the lenses and coatings. So lets start by reviewing how to clean spectacles….
| Method | Description | Safe? | Free? | Efficient? |
| Lens Cleaning Cloth | You will usually get one of these free when you buy your glasses. Breath on the lenses | Yes | Yes | No, tend to be poor quality and leave smears |
| Specialist Lens Cloth | The sort that you can buy from on opticians. Usually good quality and impregnated with a de-misting agent. Breath on the lenses to clean | Yes | No | Yes, usually work well but require periodic replacement. Some can be washed |
| Pre-Packed Cleaning Cloth | The sort of paper cloth soaked in a solvent based cleaner that is packed in a little sachet | Yes | No | Yes, usually work really well but are single use so work out expensive. Good for traveling |
| Hand Soap and Water | Wash under the tap with hand soap and water | No | Yes | No, normal hand soap will often damage the coatings on your glasses due to the low pH |
| Dish Soap and Water | Wash under the tap with dish soap and water (ie the kind of liquid soap used to wash dishes) | Yes | Yes | Yes, gives good results and is safe to use |
| Saliva | Yes you can use “spit” to clean most things. Then enzymes help dissolve the grease marks! | Yes | Yes | Yes, requires rinsing and not good for polite company! |
So these are the main ways how to clean spectacles…..from the table you can see that best frugal options are the dish soap and saliva. Of the two methods the dish soap gives slightly better results, but saliva is more reliable since it is always available!!!
How to Polish Spectacles:
Once you have cleaned your spectacles you then need to dry and polish them. This stage of the process also has the potential to damage the lenses if you are not careful…Before you polish your spectacles always make sure that any particles or grit have been completely removed from both sides of the lenses otherwise the polishing will grind the grit into the lens and scratch it.
| Method | Description | Safe? | Free? | Efficient? |
| Polish with Paper Towel | Use kitchen towel to dry and polish your spectacles | No | No | No, the high wood fiber content can easily scratch the lenses |
| Polish with Cotton Hanky | Use an old fashioned clean cotton hanky | Yes | Yes | No, tends to leave smears on the lenses |
| Polish with Paper Hanky | Use a regular paper tissue | No | No | No,can also contain a high wood fiber content which can scratch |
| Polish with Soft Toilet Paper | Use nice soft toilet paper | Yes | No | Yes, probably the most reliable method to use regularly |
| Leave to Dry in the Air | Just leave your spectacles to dry naturally | Yes | Yes | No, will leave annoying water drop marks |
| Specialist Cleaning Cloth | The kind sold in an Opticians | Yes | No | Yes, look for one that can be washed |
Avoid the nasty shiny free cloth that you get given with every new pair of spectacles...these normally leave lots of smears!
Roundup of How to Clean Spectacles:
Having done a quick review of how to clean spectacles and then how to polish spectacles lets just review the main points again….
- It is worth investing in a few of the pre-packed on-off cleaning cloths to keep for emergency use or when you are travelling
- Normal day to day cleaning is best done under the tap with dish soap
- Soft toilet paper is the safest material to use for polishing and will give a similar result to a specialist cleaning cloth
Clean your galsses under the tap with a little dish soap on both surfaces. Never use hand soap!
Things to Avoid When Cleaning your Spectacles:
- Make sure your cleaning process is gentle so as not to damage the lenses or the special coatings
- Makes sure that your cleaning process has removed all sand, grit or particles otherwise you will damage the lenses when you polish
- Never clean the glasses with hand soap as this can badly damage the lens coatings
- Never polish your spectacles with any kind of hard paper material…wood fibers are very abrasive
How to Clean Spectacles the MeanyGoat Way:
As you may have guessed I do wear spectacles…and in fact have worn them since the age of four so have had many years of trial and error experiments in order to eventually find our how to clean spectacles efficiently without damaging them….and of course for free if possible! The first thing to remember is that it is worth taking time to learn how to clean spectacles since if you do it correctly the they will really last a long time. Washing under a running tap is always a good idea since this will remove particles which you would otherwise grind into the lenses. If you just use the old fashioned method of breathing on the lenses and then polishing there is a high risk of scratching the lenses.
So, how to clean spectacles the MeanyGoat way? When nobody is looking a bit of “spit and polish” is good providing you are sure that there are no particles of sand or dirt on the lenses…other wise the best method for daily cleaning is to use a small amount of dish soap on both sides of the lenses and wash thoroughly under a running tap…then polish very gently with a single piece of soft toilet paper. like this your spectacles and eyeglasses will last you a very long time and you will always be able to see clearly without any of those annoying spots and smears!
For some really detailed instructions then check the article in WikiHow
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Solar Water Fountain
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