Recent news regarding indoor air quality highlighted chemicals (VOC’s) and particulates in our homes arising from a variety of sources including furniture and building materials, but also daily activities like cooking and cleaning. Effects of poor indoor air quality range from mild allergy symptoms to much more serious health issues, including thyroid disorders and cancers.
Are Chemicals Necessary for Effective Cleaning?
The FDA and the AMA (American Medical Association) have agreed that using anti-bacterial soaps aren’t any better than plain soap and water, and may promote bacterial resistance to antibiotics. And, did you know that manufacturers are not required by the government to list ingredients for their cleaning products?
It made me pause and consider how many different chemicals I use every day keeping my home clean—especially bathrooms and kitchen. If you have allergen-sensitive loved ones, these chemicals are very probably adding to their symptoms and are generally just bad for your health, as well as the environment.
How Do I Clean Green?
With the advent of spring and the typical spring cleaning frenzy that goes with it, I decided to see what alternative green cleaners I could find. After doing some digging via the internet and some good old-fashioned resources like books, I discovered a number of common household ingredients which can be used in place of the usual cleaners.
Now, I’m a skeptic when it comes to the actual efficacy of using such techniques, so tried a few as a test and was frankly surprised by the results. Not only were they effective, they required no additional sweat equity on my part. In fact, some required less than I normally use. A few did need some time to achieve the desired result, but it only took a little planning to give them plenty of time to work while I moved on to other tasks.
In this first of 3 blog posts I’ll list some green cleaning tools and ingredients that are effective for both general cleaning as well as tougher jobs you usually only have to do once every 3-6 months, or seasonally.
Natural Cleaners
The list is short and most of these you likely already have in your home. Some can be used alone to accomplish the job, while mixtures of others are the better option. I even found a “recipe” for a general cleaner that can be combined and kept in a spray bottle for quick, daily cleaning.
- White Vinegar
- Lemon Juice
- Borax
- Baking Soda
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Salt
- Cream of Tartar
- Olive & Essential Oil
None of these requires a big cash investment, even for large containers, and store brands are fine for cleaning purposes. An essential oil is the most costly, but you’ll only be using it a few drops at a time so it's still cost effective.
Tools for Green Cleaning
- 100% Cotton cloths
- Microfiber cloths
- Cotton or microfiber mop head
- Steam cleaner
The greenest cleaning tool is a cotton cloth you can recycle from old sheets, t-shirts, towels & washcloths, and other sources. This includes a cotton or microfiber mop with a head that you can remove and wash. These can sometimes be found in your supermarket or local home improvement store, and they can also be found online at restaurant supply stores.
Microfiber cloths are great at gathering dust since they are slightly charged, and they can be washed and reused. However, since they are made from polyester and nylon, there is some new evidence that these tiny fibers are contributing to the problem of plastic pollution in our waterways when the cloths are washed, the same being true of synthetic clothing. I have found that they don’t require washing every time they’re used but only about once a month, so you’ll have to have that debate with yourself and decide if cotton or microfiber is the way you should go.
Steam cleaners use only water to clean so they add zero chemicals to your home. They work on most surfaces, although there are some materials which should not be steam cleaned. Steam cleaners, while more costly than the other supplies, do come in smaller models that will certainly get the job done, and are available for under $200, with some steam mops for under $100.
Benefits of Keeping it Green
In short, there are several reason why you should consider cleaning green, and not just for this spring.
- Fewer chemical cocktails in your home is better for you, your family, and the earth.
- Much less expensive than buying the never-ending list of cleaners for every job in your home.
- Without all those chemicals being used in your home, your indoor air quality is going to improve.
In the next post, I’ll have some applications, cleaning techniques, and additional tools you can use for general, regular cleaning tasks. So gather your supplies and stay tuned!
