Cutting down on the harsh chemicals used around your home during cleaning helps not only avoid pollution but will also save you money in the process. How would that happen, you might ask?
Tips to get your cleaning done with a green and eco-friendly twist
Using Multi-Purpose Products
There are some excellent green cleaning products out there that give the results you need for fabrics and all manner of surfaces. They can lift stains from a variety of fabrics, removing bad odours, leaving a lasting fragrance instead. They are great at removing the marks of spilt drinks or something else, freshening beds, mattresses, sofas and more.
Reusing Old Toothbrushes
You should rethink throwing away old nail brushes or toothbrushes. They can be very useful when you’re trying to clean hard to reach areas. Having a few spares for cleaning such awkward areas is a great addition to your cleaning tools. Whether it’s the inside of water bottles, the edges of shoe soles or shower tracks, you’ll have more options on hand.
Utilising Reusable Kitchen Towels
You should keep in mind that kitchen towels can’t be recycled and used long after they have gone past their use. A lot of them are made of virgin wood pulp, or they need to be cleaned through aggressive chemicals so they can be processed. They come in plastic packaging that ends up on garbage dumps and so forth. The list goes on and on. For a more green approach, think about reusable kitchen towels made of bamboo or other materials that can be washed again and again and reused.
Using Baking Soda
Baking soda can be used for far more than just baking. It is one of the most useful, multipurpose substances used in modern households. You can use it to clean your toilet bowl, for example. Put a cup of it into the toilet bowl, let it sit there for an hour. After that, add an equal amount of white vinegar and let it sit there for another hour before you flush. Any discolouration and stains will get washed away, returning your toilet bowl to look much better than before. You can also use baking soda to clean up pongs in your fridge. Just put an opened box of baking soda in the back of the fridge and keep it there. It will work to soak up bad smells. All you have to do is change it every three months or so for optimal results.
Reusing Your Plastic Bottles
Although it may be more difficult at first, you can keep reusing old plastic bottles for refills from zero waste shops for cleaning refills. You can also turn the plastic bottles into containers for seeds or improvised flower pots. If you feel like growing plants, these can be very useful for watering too.
Use Plants to Remove Pests
There are some smells small animals and insects find repellent and unpleasant, so you can use this as a way to keep them out of your home. This can be done without having to use chemicals, instead of having a green cleaning approach to this too.
In the case of spiders, they dislike the scent of citronella oil. Add a few drops to essential oil burners and the spiders will be out of your home in no time.
Mice loathe the scent of spearmint and peppermint, so install herb pots with those in areas with ice issues. Add drops of peppermint oil to cotton wool balls and push them in the holes and cracks they use to enter your home.