Living Green In Your Bathroom Drains
Drains can be kept open, clean and odor-free without the use of corrosive drain cleaners. There are two simple rules: never pour liquid grease down a drain  and always use a drain sieve.
• Use this preventive measure for drains once a week: mix 1-cup baking soda and 1-cup salt.  Pour 1/4 cup of this mixture into the drain. Follow with a pot of boiling water, and flush with cold water.  Done once a week, your drain should remain open and odor free.
• For clogged drains, pour in 1/4-cup baking soda followed by 1/2-cup vinegar.  Close the drain until the fizzing stops and flush with boiling water. As a last resort, use a plumber’s snake, available at most hardware stores, but beware, it can damage pipes.
• Do not wash hair down the drain when it comes loose in the shower.  Just put it at the edge of the drain and throw it out afterwards.
Tub and Tile
Most commercial tile cleaners do more harm than good because many contain chlorine, a serious irritant to the eyes, nose and skin, and one of the most dangerous chemicals found in municipal sewers.
• For bathroom cleaning, use a firm bristled brush with either baking soda or a mild all-purpose cleaner and baking soda. Rinse with hot water.
• For hard-water areas use vinegar or lemon juice to dissolve the mineral build-up.  For tough jobs, saturate a rag and lay it on the problem spot for a few hours before rinsing.
• For mold and mildew, moisten a cloth with vinegar, rub the tiles and grout, and then scrub with an old toothbrush.
Quick Tips
• Use a toilet dam (a plastic bottle filled with water and placed in the tank) or a plastic container filled with water to reduce the amount of water used for each flush.
• Mend any dripping taps or leaking pipes as soon as possible.
• Help save trees, use handkerchiefs instead of disposable tissues (also the cotton will be softer on your nose).
• Install water saving devices for your taps and showers, energy saving showerheads can save up to 20 per cent of hot water usage - and cut your electricity bills. A faucet aerator will reduce the flow without reducing the water pressure.
• While brushing your teeth or shaving do not leave the water tap running.
• Showers that last about 10 minutes use 2/3 the amount of water that a tub bath uses.
• Keep your water heater set to between 120 to 130 degrees F.  This is hot enough and will save energy.
• Flushing garbage wastes water and can cause treatment problems.   For miscellaneous bathroom wastes use your wastebasket.

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