When it comes to indoor cleaning, you want to be sure you are using the healthiest products for both you and your family. Gone are the days of harsh chemicals and bleach in your arsenal of cleaning supplies. You want to be sure you’re not breathing in dangerous chemicals from these traditional products.
The last thing you need is to be exposed to toxic chemicals in your own home. Switch to natural, simpler ingredients and look forward to an environmentally friendly cleaning routine.
Use All Natural Cleaning Products
Clean with baking soda
Long before there were powerful cleaning chemicals, there were a few simple cleaning ingredients used to clean homes. Make your house shine with baking soda, simply mix baking soda with a small amount of water. This forms a thick type of paste that is great for polishing your stainless steel.
Use lemon juice for a fresh scent
Lemons contain a few extraordinary ingredients that make them excellent options when it comes to cleaning. Lemon juice is very acidic. It can be used to kill bacteria, clean and purify surfaces, with the added benefit of a fresh and natural scent. Lemon rinds have long been used for their natural air freshening properties.
Vinegar for green cleaning
Vinegar is one of the first ingredients in most wholly green cleaning products. Besides being great for cooking, vinegar is a highly acidic product. This makes it an excellent disinfectant. With a PH of 2.0, there are not many microorganisms, forms of bacteria or viruses that can withstand that degree of acidity.
Vinegar is excellent for cleaning everything from floors to sinks to windows and blinds just be sure to avoid natural marble, as the acidity can wear it away. It is great for removing tough stains.
Not Everything Is Garbage
Make it a goal in your home to recycle and compost and repurpose as much discarded material as possible. A key in green cleaning is to limit the number of materials going to a landfill or try to avoid it all together. If you want to de-clutter, it is a good idea to put your old furniture or clothes up for sale.
Place an ad online, or in a local buy and sell group on social media. There is a good chance that people will be interested in your products, and you can end up making some money out of what would have been thrown away. If you are not interested in selling your used items, you can also donate old clothes to local charity organizations.
Read Labels Carefully
If you are buying cleaning ingredients and are looking for green cleaning alternatives, be sure to read the ingredients carefully. When possible, choose fragrance-free products. When a product does not have a naturally pleasing scent, sometimes chemicals are added simply for the smell.
Dispose Of Old Cleaning Products With Caution
If you are switching to a greener cleaning plan in your home, chances are that you still have older, store-bought cleaning materials laying around. You should never simply throw these products out. Old cleaning products are bad for the environment, especially if they end up in the sewage system.
Never pour your cleaning products down the drain, that can affect the sewage system and harm fish and creatures that rely on local water systems. The same goes for old paint and oil from the kitchen. Dispose of unused paint products the right way.
Reduce Your Energy Consumption When Cleaning
Whether you are running the dishwasher to clean your dishes, using the dryer to dry your laundry or cleaning your sink and bathtub with excessive running water, there are ways to cut down on your energy consumption, while cleaning!
Hang your clothes to dry
Cut down on your energy consumption simply by hanging your clothes to dry. Skip the dryer, even doing this once per week can help you cut down on the energy that you use. When it s sunny and warm outside, it is a great way to get your clothes dry and smelling fresh and crisp.
You can buy a clothesline if you have the space for it, but you can also hang clothes on outdoor furniture or railings. Just be sure to check the weather before you hang your clothes out to dry! This is a great option for the summer months when the weather is good.
Re-use your water
Usually, you use water when you are cleaning, especially when you need to rinse a surface. Instead of letting the water run to rinse grime away, try filling a small bucket with water and using a sponge to help rinse materials away. This way, you use less water, and you can control what areas get a thorough rinse.
Try washing dishes by hand
It’s not as hard as you think! It is only recently that automated dishwashers were created and added to households. Dishwashers have many benefits, they let you effortlessly clean large amounts of plates and cooking utensils in a fast and hygienic manner.
If you are washing your dishes by hand, be sure that you fill the sink with water and an eco-friendly soap before you start cleaning. Do not clean your dishes under running water without the plug in your sink up. That is a huge waste of water.
At Green Coast Rubbish, we are committed to creating a greener, more sustainable future. Our junk removal services aim to divert rubbish from local landfills. Go green with us and practice green cleaning habits!
