Green Alternatives
Sustainable Choices for a Cleaner Community
Discover easy, sustainable alternatives* that reduce waste and protect the environment in Lancaster and Dauphin Counties.
*DISCLAIMER: The information provided is for general educational purposes only. Homemade cleaning and home-making solutions should be used at your own discretion, and we encourage you to research ingredients and test products carefully before use. LCSWMA is not responsible for any injury, damage, or loss resulting from the use or misuse of suggested recipes or methods.
All-Purpose Cleaner
Baking Soda: Dissolve 4 tablespoons baking soda in 1 quart warm water for a cleaning solution, or use baking soda sprinkled on a damp sponge. Baking soda will clean all kitchen and bathroom surfaces.
Glass/Window Cleaner
Mix ½ cup vinegar and 1 quart warm water. Wipe with newspaper.
Paint
Use water-based instead of oil-based paint.
Drain Cleaner
Baking Soda and Vinegar: Put 1/2 cup baking soda and then 1/2 cup white vinegar down your drain and cover the drain. Let set for a few minutes. Then pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain to flush it.
Aerosol Sprays
Use pump sprays instead of aerosol sprays.
Furniture Polish
Olive Oil and Lemon Juice: Mix 2 parts oil and 1 part lemon juice. Apply and polish with a soft cloth.
Lime and Mineral Deposit Remover
Vinegar: Hard lime deposits around faucets can be softened for easy removal by covering the deposits with vinegar-soaked rags or paper towels. Leave rags or paper towels on for about 1 hour before cleaning. Cleans and shines chrome. To remove deposits that may be clogging metal shower heads, combine 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1 quart water. Completely submerge the shower head and boil for 15 minutes. If you have a plastic shower head, combine 1 pint white vinegar and 1 pint hot water. Completely submerge the shower head and soak for about 1 hour.
Metal Cleaner & Polish
Cream of tartar: To remove stains and discoloration from aluminum cookware, fill cookware with hot water and add 2 tablespoons cream of tartar to each quart of water. Bring solution to a boil and simmer ten minutes.
Wash as usual and dry.
Worcestershire sauce: To clean and polish un-lacquered brass to a shine with a soft cloth dampened with Worcestershire sauce.
Toothpaste: To clean tarnish off gold and silver (not silver plate), use toothpaste and a soft toothbrush or cloth. Rinse with clean warm water and polish dry.
Chemical Fertilizers
Compost vegetable scraps and yard waste into a naturally rich soil additive.
Weed Control
Use agricultural vinegar, available at most hardware stores, to kill weeds in your driveway or sidewalk. (Spray carefully, because it will also kill grass and flowers.)
Ant Control
Cream of Tartar: Sprinkle cream of tartar along ants’ path; they won’t cross over it.
What to do with everything else?We’re here to help.
Find guidance on safely managing materials that don’t fit into typical recycling or composting streams, so you can keep our community clean and green.
