Using chemical based cleaning products has its disadvantages ‒ they're expensive, they trigger health issues, and upon disposal, they can even harm the environment. So, this upcoming spring cleaning of your home this year, why not switch to eco-friendly alternatives?
The good news is, you can still reduce your impact on the planet, just by doing your household chores. Green cleaning products and natural cleaners are an excellent way to clean your home.
Read on as we walk you through with six practical, eco-friendly tips in cleaning your home:
1. Use Green Cleaning Products
Traditional cleaning products have numerous health and environmental impacts. That's why, more and more brands these days are introducing green, healthy and effective cleaning products. Most of these are non-toxic, biodegradable, and are commonly sourced renewable resources.
If you're not too fond of buying labeled brands, it's still possible to use home-mixed cleaners to get the job done. For instance, baking soda and vinegar can clean almost anything. Just add warm water to any of these, and you already have an all-purpose cleaner.
Here are some natural cleaning products that are less costly, and toxic than most commercial cleaners:
Baking soda - Great for scrubbing, and usually reacts with acids like lemon and vinegar.
Borax - Actively whitens, disinfects, and deodorizes.
White vinegar - Disinfects and removes dirt.
Lemon juice - Disinfects and removes grease.
Olive oil - Removes dirt and polishes wood.
Castile soap - Serves as an all-purpose foaming cleaner.
Washing soda - Can be a laundry supplement, removes stains.
2. Avoid Poor Indoor Air Quality
More often than not, the air inside homes is more toxic than the air outside. It's mostly due to the substances and chemicals people surround their homes.
Having an excellent indoor air quality is one of the essential attributes in maintaining your home. That's why buildings and homes should have better insulation, keeping windows open as possible to let the fresh air in, and the toxins from flowing out.
If you want to clean your indoor air naturally, skip those air fresheners that you have bought from the store and boil cloves, cinnamon, and other herbs instead. Chocolate chip cookies can also create a friendlier aroma at home. Alternatively, you can try natural odor eaters like baking soda and vinegar.
Indoor plants can also make your home smell different as it does an excellent job if filtering the indoor air. Any broad, green leafy plant will do.
3. Prevent Clogged Drains
To avoid clogged drains, you can use a strainer to keep excessive food, hair, and other objects from building up in the drain and clogging it. If you're using a lot of oils when cooking, pour over boiling water over the drain at least once a week to flush out all the excess fat and oils away.
When unclogging, try to use a plunger first because it often works quicker and better than most chemicals. If it doesn't work out, try a combination of 1/2 cup of baking soda, putting 1/2 cup of white vinegar afterward. Then, cover the drain, and let the foaming pressure do its work.
4. Quit Using Paper Towels
If you want to avoid landfill waste and save more trees and cash, then you should avoid buying paper towels.
An excellent alternative is buying washable cleaning and dusting cloths. These are made out from all types of fabrics, from microfiber to cotton.
You can also recycle those stained towels, old sheets, and pillowcases, by cutting them into smaller squares. Simply pop them in the washing machine while doing the laundry and you can use them again and again.
5. Green Clean Wood Surfaces
You can do green cleaning in the wood surfaces of your home by using a combination of vinegar and olive oil. Usually, the ratio between the water, vinegar, and olive oil would have to depend on the type of wood that you have, as well as the finish that you applied on top of it.
For instance, if you have wooden floors, try putting 1/4 cup of vinegar on a gallon of hot water. For furniture made of wood, place a cup of vinegar with a teaspoon of oil.
6. Hire a Green House Cleaning Service
To ensure that your home is clean, and safe to live in, then you should consider hiring a professional Eco Friendly Cleaning NYC service. Doing so saves you a lot of time and effort since you don't have to spend all your weekends cleaning baseboards, dusting off ceiling fans, vacuuming carpets, and scrubbing floors and surfaces.
Green cleaning professionals use the most effective green cleaning products that are gentler than average cleaners. It's safe to use as it doesn't impact one's health. They're also keen on implementing sustainable methods in saving the environment as much as possible by conserving water, reducing waste, and recycling bottles.
To Wrap It Up
Keeping your home clean and implementing these green practices don't take a lot of work. By actively putting these ideas into action, and using green cleaning products, you're sure that it will benefit your body, home, and the planet. Although many of these changes might initially be small ones, the impact that it creates to your health and in the environment can make a significant difference in the long run.
About the Author
Jacky Xu is the Chief Operating Officer for MaidSailors.com, the # 1 NYC cleaning service. Maid Sailors take pride in providing unparalleled cleaning services at affordable prices. Maid Sailors help transform your house into a home.