Solid Waste/Recycling Services

Drain Openers/Cleaners

Corrosive & toxic.
Can cause blindness.

Do not use chlorine bleach, ammonia or drain cleaners together.

Mix ½ cup baking soda with by ½ cup vinegar. Let sit in drain for 15 minutes, then flush with boiling water. Pour boiling water directly down the drain, not into the basin, twice weekly to prevent clogs. Use a drain/trap strainer to catch food and hair. To clear a clogged drain, use a metal snake or plunger.

Oven Cleaners

Corrosive & toxic.
Irritating vapors.
Can cause eye damage.

Rub gently with steel wool. Use oven liners (aluminum foil) to catch spills. A small dish of ammonia left in the oven overnight will soften burned-on spills. It can be reused. Sprinkle salt on an oven spill when warm and clean.

Chlorine Bleach

Fumes irritate eyes.

Corrosive & poisonous.

Do not use chlorine bleach and ammonia together.

Use dry bleach, borax, or washing soda to whiten. Borax is a good grease cutter. Never mix with ammonia.

Window Cleaner

For windows and mirrors, use 2 tsp. vinegar to 1 qt. water, or try ½ cup vinegar, 1 qt. water and 1 tbsp. rubbing alcohol. Let dry and polish with newspaper.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Corrosive.
May be fatal if swallowed.

Do not use toilet bowl cleaners and chlorine bleach together.

Drop in 1 denture tablet, allow to foam for 5 minutes, brush, then flush. Clean with baking soda or coat bowl with paste of lemon juice and borax; let stand, scrub.

Surface Cleaner

Corrosive.
Eye irritant.

Do not use chlorine bleach, drain cleaners or tile cleaners together.

Mix 1 tsp. liquid soap and 1 tsp. borax with 1 qt. water. For tile and bathroom fixtures, use baking soda dissolved in water or ½ lemon dipped in borax. Use toothpaste for light stains.

Upholstery /Rug Cleaner

Clean immediately with soda water or baking soda paste, then vacuum. Club soda will remove red wine stains. Sprinkle baking soda to remove odors, then vacuum.

Floor Cleaner/Wax

Toxic & flammable.
Fumes irritating to eyes.

Skin and eye irritant.

Do not place in trash or rinse down the drain.

Mop linoleum or no wax floors with 1 cup white vinegar mixed with 2 gallons of water. For dull grease film, use a mixture of ½ vinegar and ½ water. Polish with club soda. For wood floors, use 1-to-1 ratio of vegetable oil and vinegar; apply thin coat, rub into floor.

Furniture Polish

Toxic & flammable.

Do not place in trash or rinse down drain.

Polish with 1 tsp. lemon oil or almond oil dissolved into 1 pint mineral oil. Wash with oil soap or Castille soap and water. Rub toothpaste on furniture to remove water marks. Use the oil from crushed walnuts to conceal nicks and scratches.

Shoe Polish

Toxic & flammable.

Do not place in trash or rinse down drain.

Avoid polishes which contain trichloroethylene, methylene chloride, or nitrobenzene. Rub with lemon juice and buff with soft cloth.

Metal Polish
May be flammable.

Soak silver in 1 quart boiling water with 1 tsp. baking soda (or cream of tarter), 1 tsp. salt and a piece of aluminum foil. Polish with tooth paste and rinse. Pour lemon juice or vinegar and salt over copper and rub. For brass, use ½ tsp. salt and ½ cup white vinegar with enough flour to make paste, let sit 25 minute to 1 hour. Wipe clean. Soak aluminum in 1 quart boiling water with 2 tsp. cream of tarter.

Spot Removers

Toxic & flammable.

Do not place in trash or rinse down drain.

Use club soda for fruit juice, tea, gravy, ketchup, mud; immediate cold water for blood; lemon juice for ink or perspiration; beaten egg whites for leather. For grease stains apply a paste of cornstarch and water, let dry and brush or scrub with toothpaste. For chocolate or coffee, soak in cold water, rub with soap and mild borax solution, rinse and wash in warmest water allowable.

Paint Thinners

Flammable.
Skin & eye irritant.

Do not buy more than needed.

Do not place in trash or rinse down drain.

Let turpentine or brush cleaner sit in a closed jar until paint particles settle, then pour off the clear liquid and reuse. Wrap the settled particles and discard in the trash.

Paint Removers

Flammable.
Skin & eye irritant.

Do not buy more than needed.

Do not place in trash or rinse down drain.

Use sparingly. Provide adequate ventilation. Keep container lids on tight (often contains methylene chloride). Look for commercially produced nontoxic paint removers or use sandpaper, heat gun, or steel wool.

Wood Preservatives

Toxic & flammable.

Do not buy more than needed.

Do not place in trash or rinse down drain.

No alternatives. Follow product instructions precisely. DO NOT use preservatives containing pentachlorophenol, creosote or arsenic.

Adhesives & Art Paints

Toxic & flammable.

Do not buy more than needed.

Do not place in trash or rinse down drain.

Use nontoxic glues. Use adequate ventilation and exercise caution. For booklet listing less hazardous products and ones to avoid write:
Art and Craft Materials Institute.
1280 Main Street, 2nd Floor (Shipping & Delivery) P. O. Box 479 (Mail)
Hanson, MA 02341-0479
www.acminet.org

Paints
Toxic & flammable.

For unused LATEX paint, remove lid and allow to solidify with proper ventilation. Replace lid and place in trash. For larger quantities, pour in tray and allow to dry in layers, then place in trash.

Use latex or water-based paints.

Aerosol Sprays

Sprayed particles are small enough to be inhaled.
Cans may explode.

Flammable.

Only empty cans should be placed in the trash. Never place them in a trash compactor or the fireplace.

No alternative. Follow product instructions precisely. Look for non-aerosol substitutes, such as pump sprays.

Air Fresheners

May contain nerve deadening agent.

Do not place in trash or rinse down drain.

Set out vinegar in an open dish. Use an open box of baking soda in enclosed areas such as refrigerators or closets. Add cloves and cinnamon to boiling water and let simmer. Potpourri (a mixture of dried flowers treated with scented oils) is available at many bath shops, and works well in a sachet or simmered on the stove. Scented candles also do the trick, but beware of fire hazards.

Photographic Chemicals

Toxic, caustic, irritant, and flammable.

Give unused chemicals in original containers to an institution that can use them.

No alternative known. Provide adequate ventilation when mixing chemicals. Buy only the amount needed. Date mixed solutions and use until end of useful life. Follow product recommendations for proper storage to prolong useful life.