Amidst the pandemic that the whole world is facing, the need to keep one’s home clean has reached top priority, even for busy people. However, how can you keep your house squeaky clean while going green?
Cleaning your house, regardless of its size and type, is a never-ending process. But due to time and budget constraints, ensuring your place’s upkeep can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there are ways of doing cleaning responsibilities without denting your wallet. All the more, this article will present sustainable cleaning activities that will surely benefit you and the environment.
Let us start!
Come Up With a Green Source
Did you know that most cleaning materials contain harmful chemicals that can affect you, your family, and the surroundings? Good thing, an increasing number of businesses have come up with several non-toxic variants of go-to cleaners. This somehow simplifies the shift from conventional to green products.
How to know if the cleaning supply is green? You can check if the label has EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) or Green Seal Stamp. Still, you should be wary if you see generic assertions like “environmentally friendly” or “eco-safe” because not all products having these labels are true to their claims.
To be sure, avoid cleaning products containing dangerous ingredients, such as phosphates, phthalates, chlorine, ammonia, glycol ethers, and ethanolamines.
Reduce
To donate or not to donate? Let’s face it, not all items we want to declutter have a resale value. This is why some turn to donate their items instead of directly selling them. However, you can try handing your items to a thrift store or even consignment stores if you have high-quality accessories or clothing to donate. Doing this allows you to remove unwanted objects and, at the same time, earn money.
Reuse
Most people know the 3 Rs of waste management –reduce, reuse, recycle. Yet, many of us go directly to the third R. So, before jumping ahead, let us consider the second R.
Reusing means the repeated use of an item or finding a new purpose for that item without treatment. For example, your old drinking glasses in bulk hidden at the corner of your kitchen cabinet can be reused as office supply holders, succulent planters, flower vases, or catch-all bowls. Another, you can reuse your old makeup brushes for crafts, paintings, or dusting electronics with tiny parts.
What’s excellent about repurposing is that instead of tossing your old stuff into the trash, you can still salvage it and have a better use.
Recycle
As you continue your cleaning routine, look around your home and office to see how you can set up things for easy recycling. For instance, is there a place in the bathroom or anywhere around the house where you can place recyclables, such as paper, paper rolls, and plastic containers and bottles? Putting a designated container for your recyclables is a reminder of your green cause. In addition, this will make you eager to recycle disposable things as much as possible.
Use Plants to Get Rid of Pests
Don’t you hate it when small animals and insects are pestering the peace of your home? Luckily, there is an alternative way of getting rid of pests apart from using harmful chemical sprays. A strategic placing of plants around the house can help you get rid of them. This is because just like us, there are scents insects and animals cannot stand.
As proof, you can install a few mint herb pots in places where you have a mice problem. This is because mice don’t like spearmint or peppermint. On the other hand, spiders don’t like citronella, so you can add a few drops of citronella oil to any essential oil burners and place them near where you have an issue.
Have a Minimalism Attitude
Moving forward, try to embrace the concept of minimalism. Buy only the things you need to prevent producing clutter. Why don’t you consider making a wish list? Like when you find something you want to buy on an impulse, simply add it to the list. Then, if some time passes, say about 30 days, and you still like it, allow yourself to purchase it.
Share the Good Practice
Last but the most important tip is to share your cleaning routine success with the people around you. The more people involved in sustainable cleaning, the better. Here are a few ideas to start:
- Remember, sharing is caring, so get your family and friends involved. Also, you can swap reusable and recyclable resources with them.
- You can start organizing stuff swaps in your neighborhood to help rehoming items that were decluttered.
- Set up an annual sustainable spring cleaning challenge in your community.
Conclusion
While staying safe in the comfort of your home, you can learn how to deep clean your indoor space sustainably. Keep in mind that careful planning on the things you need to do and use when cleaning is crucial. This is to ensure that you do not harm your health or the environment in the process.
Did you find the tips helpful? Do you have others to add? Let us know! Leave a comment in the box below. We wish you a stroke of good luck in your sustainable cleaning endeavors!
