How to Clean Your House without Harming the Environment
August 14, 2010 | Filled Under Green Cleaning
A clean home doesn’t have to be achieved with harsh chemicals that are bad for the environment. Here are some earth-friendly cleaning tips.
If you think back, say, 50 or 60 years ago (or even longer), most cleaning products that are readily available today were not around. Housewives made their own cleaning solutions with what they had available to them, and of course, what they had available to them was pretty natural and harmless. As people got busier, there was less time for making your own cleaning solution, and companies started coming up with chemicals that were ready whenever you wanted to clean, and these chemicals did a better job, too.
Cleaning was faster and more convenient, and no one ever thought to stop and think if it was safe.
Today, we know of the impact that cleaning products can have on the environment. For instance, we have known about the impact of aerosol on the environment for years now, and for the most part people no longer use it. The gas that makes aerosol work contains CFCs, tiny particles that are linked to the deterioration of the ozone layer.
Other chemicals that endanger the environment are still used all the time, though. For instance, phosphates are found in laundry detergent and other household cleaning products. Phosphates are known to kill river and ocean life by causing algae slimes on the surface, which suffocate everything living underneath. Despite this, there is little or no public awareness about phosphates and many people happily go on using their laundry detergent and cleaning products without realizing the harm they are doing to the environment. Ignorance is bliss.
By making a few changes to the products you use, however, you can clean your home just as well without harming the environment. One way is to go back to the way it was decades ago, and make your own cleaning products with everyday ingredients you probably already have in your home. Here are a few suggestions:
Vinegar and water: A solution composed of half vinegar and half water both disinfects and deodorizes when used as a surface cleaner. It also cuts through scum and hard water buildups. This solution can be stored in a clean spray bottle and used to clean a multitude of surfaces, including hardwood floors, linoleum, countertops, sinks, and bathtubs. (Vinegar and water is not safe with all tile — check with the manufacturer first, or test a small inconspicuous spot before use.) You can also pour straight vinegar into the toilet and scrub to get rid of rings.
Want to limit your use of chemicals in the laundry, too? Vinegar can be substituted for fabric softener — just pour a 1/2 cup in the washing machine during the rinse cycle, just as you would do with commercial softener.
When using vinegar, be sure to mix exactly half and half solutions, except where you are told otherwise (such as pouring straight vinegar into the laundry as fabric softener, or into the toilet to clean rings). Otherwise the solution will be too acidic, and could be corrosive. Don’t worry about the smell lingering after you clean — once the cleaning solution or your clothes have dried, the smell will be gone!
Baking soda: Think you need that powdered, abrasive cleanser with bleach? Think again — there is actually a natural alternative. Baking soda can be used much the same way, to scrub tubs, sinks, and anything else that needs an extra kick in the pants to get it clean. As an added bonus, baking soda is a deodorizer, so cleaning with it will help your home smell better, too!
If making your own cleaning solutions with everyday household products sounds like too much work for you, there are a variety of green cleaning products available on the market. Look for products that don’t contain phosphates, are biodegradable, and have low VOC content. You will probably find that these from specialty retailers or natural foods grocery stores.
Vera Mosley is a writer for Vacuum Home. Vacuum Home has quickly become a premier online retailer of residential and industrial Dirt Devil Vacuums.Since our inception, our key objective has been to provide high-quality, competitively-priced vacuums such as Bissell Vacuums that will serve to meet the high demands of our customer base.
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