Sustainable living ideas

A comprehensive range of resources is available online at www.sustainableliving.org.nz.

Great ideas for living sustainably can be also be found on the composting and eco-design pages.

Safe alternatives for household chemicals

Please don't pour waste household and garden chemicals into stormwater drains, onto sealed surfaces or into the roof downpipe drains. To help you manage your household's impact on our waterways here are a few alternatives to household chemicals to try.

Safe alternatives
For this...	try this...
Air freshener	Use herbal bouquets, pure vanilla on a cotton ball, or simmer cinnamon and cloves
Ants (in the house)	Red chilli powder at the entrance
Car battery corrosion removal	Baking soda and water
Chrome polish	Apple cider vinegar
Copper cleaner	Rub with a lemon, then rinse and dry
Drain cleaner	Plunger followed by ½ cup baking soda + ½ cup vinegar; wait a few minutes, then follow with 2 litres boiling water. Repeat if needed. If this fails, rent or buy a drain snake
Fertiliser compost	Yard clippings or use organic fertilisers
Fleas (on your pet)	Gradually add brewers yeast to pet's diet (consult your veterinarian first!)
Flies	Well watered bowl of basil
Inkspot remover	Cold water + 1 tablespoon cream of tartar + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Insects on plants	Soapy water on leaves, then rinse
Linoleum cleaner	1 cup white vinegar plus 7.8 litres water
Linoleum floor polish	Skim milk (it doesn't smell, really!). As a test try a small area first
Mildew remover	Equal parts of vinegar and salt. Scrub hard.
Mosquito repellant	Burn citronella candles; citronella oil.
Moth repellant	Cedar chips enclosed in cotton sachets.
Oil stain remover	White chalk rubbed into stain before laundering
Oven cleaner	2 tablespoons liquid soap + 2 teaspoons borax + warm water. As a preventive measure, cover bottom with a sheet of aluminium foil. Clean up spills promptly.
Perspiration stain remover	White vinegar + water.
Pet odour removal	Cider vinegar.
Roach repellant	Chopped bay leaves and cucumber skins.
Rug/carpet cleaner	Baking soda.
Rusty bolt/nut removal	Carbonated beverage (e.g. coke).
Silver polish	In a bowl mix 1 litres warm water + 1 tablespoon baking soda + piece of aluminium foil + 1 tablespoon salt. There should be enough water to cover the silver once it is immersed. Immerse the silver in the bowl. The tarnish will collect on the aluminium foil. Be careful, as tarnish will also collect on any silver sticking out of the solution. Rinse in hot water then dry.
Slugs and snails	Onion and marigold plants.
Stain removal	Club soda, lemon juice, or salt.
Toilet bowl cleaner	Baking soda and castile soap.
Tub and tile cleaner	¼ cup baking soda + ½ cup white vinegar + warm water.
Water softener	¼ cup vinegar.
Window cleaner	2 tablespoons vinegar in 1 litre warm water.
Substitutes for cleaning solvents	Acetic acid - white vinegar straight from the bottle. Citric acid - lemon juice straight from the lemon. Mayonnaise or butter can be used to soften tar and oil.

For more information

For more information contact the Environmental Programmes Advisor on 546 0200 or email karen.lee@ncc.govt.nz.