Green Cleaning Tips for the Environment-Conscious House Owners
You don’t like the smell of chemical cleaners, you don’t like the way they affect your hands – you simply can’t stand synthetics in your home. Should you just stop cleaning? Well, we’re going to disappoint you by saying that green cleaning options do exist. Yes, you don’t have an excuse to stop polishing those floors or making sure that the windows are crystal clear.
The ABCs of Green Cleaning
Green home cleaning starts with a few basics that you need to master before moving into expert territory.
One of the best things you can do to make your house green and keep it clean is to dig out the little notebook of old grandma recipes. The old-school cleaners that your grandmother used to make are actually one of the most environment-friendly options for keeping the surfaces in your home in impeccable condition.
Most green household cleaners are based on a few basic ingredients (plus a few additives). Baking soda and white vinegar are two of the essentials that will enable green cleaning in your home and give you the perfect outcome.
To do green cleaning, you can rely on several other basics. Borax, for example, is great because of its disinfecting qualities. Castile soap is an all-purpose cleaner that will leave surfaces spotless. Finally, you may want to try lemon juice because it’s a de-greaser and it also makes surfaces brighter.
It almost sounds like you’ll be making a salad dressing but you’re not. All of these basics, plus a couple of other great items found in the kitchen pantry can help you keep your home clean without the use of chemicals.
Advanced Green Cleaning Hack #1: Polishing Wooden Surfaces
Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to move on to advanced territories. Polishing wood may seem like mission impossible without a commercial product. This process, however, is very simple to complete without synthetics.
Homemade furniture polish usually brings together a number of oils that have hydrating qualities. In essence, the things that are good for your skin will probably also be good for your favorite wooden chair.
Cold pressed olive oil in combination with freshly-squeezed lemon juice will give you an ideal furniture polisher. Liquid wax and coconut oil are two other popular options for making wooden surfaces shiny. If you’re still not certain that you’ve found the right product, you may want to try good, old mayonnaise. Mayo is one of the best furniture polishes because it contains eggs, vinegar and oil. Just put a little bit on a soft piece of fabric and rub in wooden furniture. Voila – you have beautiful, shiny and perfectly clean wooden surfaces.
Advanced Green Cleaning Hack #2: Streak-Free Glass
Cleaning the windows is probably one of the most challenging cleaning tasks even when using conventional products. How about using things found in the kitchen? You’re probably thinking that this is the worst idea ever but getting streak-free glass surfaces without chemicals is far from challenging.
White vinegar diluted in water is the perfect cleaning solution for windows (half a cup of white vinegar in three cups of water).
The simplest thing you can do is spray the solution on the windows and wipe those clean with… wait for it… old newspapers! The paper that they’re made of is super-absorbent and it leaves streak-free glass windows. On top of being super easy, this glass window cleaning method is also super cheap. It’s a win-win solution!
Advanced Green Cleaning Hack #3: Heavy Duty Cleaner
It’s now time to bring out the heavy artillery. We all struggle with those stubborn stains now and then. In such instances, you may want to have the following heavy duty cleaner nearby.
The simplest thing you can do is cut a lemon in half and dip it in borax. Use the lemon to scrub the stain (rust, grease buildups and even blood). This cleaner is best for getting rid of tough stains on porcelain, enamel and the surfaces in your kitchen. Don’t use on marble.
If you have stubborn carpet stains, use cornstarch or salt to draw out grease. Undiluted vinegar poured directly on the surface is great for tough stains, including blood. You may also want to try beer or vodka – both of these will leave your carpets stain-free. The leftovers can be used to celebrate in the end of the busy day of cleaning.
A Bonus Green Cleaning Hack
If you don’t feel like mixing up all of these cleaning products, you can find green cleaning products in most stores. The market is already diversified enough and it offers a range of commercial products that don’t contain synthetics or harsh chemicals. Always read the label before buying anything. Make sure that the product is as clean as advertised and that it’s safe for use on the particular surface that you’d like to have cleaned.
By Cliff Derksen, Owner of First Impressions Janitorial, a commercial janitorial company in winnipeg (www.firstimpressionsjanitorial.ca)