Latest Blog Posts, Uncategorized

How to Green Your Cleaning Routine

Posted on by Kristin Miller

We’re all feeling the cabin fever at this point and I’m sure many of you have been bitten by the ‘I need to clean and rearrange my entire house’ bug by now. So, when the urge resurfaces, why not clean your house and save the environment at the same time? It’s a win -win! 

By switching out your cleaning products for some eco-friendly alternatives you can combat the harm being done to the environment. Instead of opting for cleaning products that annihilate anything in their path, choose more natural products and methods to keep your house looking fresh without the toxic side effects4. 

Here’s how you can get started:

1. Clean your cupboards

Pro tip: Start small and do some research. Don’t ditch all of your cleaning products overnight without a game plan, otherwise you’ll be left wondering how the heck to clean your kitchen the following day. Instead, pick a few products to start with that you can easily replace like dishwashing liquid or general purpose cleaner.

2. Build your greening cleaning kit

Now that you’ve started your green cleaning journey, it’s time to replace some of those products that you’ve parted ways with.

Commercial green-cleaning products

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with buying commercial green cleaning products. It’s no secret that they are much less time intensive as they require no measuring and much less elbow grease! Don’t be fooled by the pretty pictures on the bottles of meadow scenes and flowers when you’re shopping. Instead be sure to read the ingredients to make sure that your product of choice is in fact eco-friendly.

Look for products that are EPA approved, 100% natural, biodegradable, and are non-toxic and non-hazardous. (check out Beyond Green, Faithful to Nature or Checker’s Simple Truth range for some options).

Make your own

If you’re keen to get crafty and make your own green cleaning products then this method is for you! Stock up your cupboards with these 8 items and you’ll be a green cleaning machine2.

  1. White vinegar: This guy is an anti-fungal that also kills germs and bacteria and is an essential to any green cleaning kit.
  2. Baking soda: Helps to eliminate odours, acts as a gentle scourer powder (so it can get your pots and pans sparkling clean!) and reacts with acids like vinegar and lemon.
  3. Pure essential oils: Not only will this add delicious scents to your products but it can also have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, or insect-repelling properties. (Try out eucalyptus, lemongrass, lavender or tea tree oils).
  4. Olive oil: This baby will bring your wooden furniture back to life while cleaning it at the same time.
  5. Lemon juice: Did someone say holy grail? Lemon juice acts as a non-toxic bleach, grease-cutter and stain remover – all well smelling AMAZING.
  6. Liquid Castile soap: This is your all purpose cleaner, grease-cutter and disinfectant.
  7. Washing soda (sodium carbonate): You can be use this as a laundry supplement, caustic cleaner as well as stain remover. Triple threat.
  8. Borax: This will help eliminate odours, remove dirt, and acts as an anti-fungal disinfectant. (Use with care around children and pets, as it can be toxic if swallowed!)3

If you would like to read up a little bit more about the making of home-made cleaners, check out this handy article.

3. Reuse

Besides the cleaning products there are other small changes you can make that will green-ify your cleaning routine.

One being paper towels. These guys are so easily replaced that you won’t even miss them, we promise! Swop out your paper towels for a reusable rag or cloth that can be used numerous times to clean counter tops, dust or wipe mirrors and so on. We suggest that you have different rags for different purposes – you don’t want to be using the same rag to clean your counter tops and mirrors (that mirror would not not be streak-free for sneaky selfies which is very NB).

You can use old clothes or towels that are no longer looking so fresh and cut rags from those to wipe down windows and then invest in some cuter looking ones for other purposes.

Once you are done cleaning you can just put your cloth in the wash or simply rinse it so that it is fresh for the next time you need it!

So there you there you have it! After these steps you’ll have the basics down and the rest will be a piece of (organic) cake. 

References

1. Aguirre, S. (August, 2019). Homemade and Natural Cleaning Products. Retrieved from https://www.thespruce.com/homemade-and-natural-cleaning-products-1900456

2. Green America. (n.d.). Ten Simple Ways to Clean Green. Retrieved from https://www.greenamerica.org/waystocleangreen

3. Lallanilla, M. (June, 2019). 8 Tips for Green Cleaning. Retrieved from https://www.thespruce.com/tips-for-green-cleaning-1708700

4. Pena, A. (March, 2018). Here’s How to (Realistically) Make the Switch to Green Cleaning Products. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-to-switch-to-using-green-cleaning-products_n_5a8b17a2e4b00bc49f474975

5. Rollenhagen, L. (December, 2017).10 Eco-Friendly Tips and Tricks for Cleaning Your Home. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/10-ecofriendly-tips-and-t_b_7192394

Kristin Miller