For some, green cleaning is about using the best natural cleaning ingredients and techniques to clean their home, while others source the best Eco-friendly products that are biodegradable or organically produced. Overall, most people green clean because they want to protect their health and the environment while reducing their carbon footprint.
Switching to Green Cleaning
If you’re looking for a better way to protect the environment and your health, it may be worth switching to green cleaning.
Green cleaning has enormous benefits. Naming a few: healthier home, better air quality, and a reduced allergy tolerance, and let’s not forget that it’s less expensive than buying household cleaning products for the home.
What Cleaning products should I avoid?
Buying and using household cleaning products to clean your home can be expensive and quite toxic according to leading health organisations. Products you should avoid are as follows, but not limited to;
Air fresheners;
Household Bleach;
Detergent - dish-washing liquid;
Rug and upholstery cleaners;
Furniture and floor polish;
Oven cleaners
These products can seriously pose a risk, especially to those with asthma and respiratory conditions. Even for the healthier person, using these kinds of chemicals can also irritate the eyes and throat and cause major headaches. If you’re worried about the side effects of using these kinds of cleaning products, it’s better to avoid them altogether.
What are the best Eco-friendly products to use?
A good place to start is using home cleaning remedies or buying cleaning products that are biodegradable or organically produced. Here is a list of some of the best buys to use for your home;
1. Wilko Eco Cleaning Bundle (£12.99)
2. Ecover Zero Dishwasher Tablets @ Big-Green Smile (£7.49)
3. Koh Universal Cleaner (£19.98) Limited Offer
4. Morag Myerscough Multi-Surface Cleaner @Tesco (£3.00)
5. Bio – D Laundry Bleach – @ Big-Green Smile (£2.10)
6. Organic Bathroom Cleaner by PROBISA @ Amazon (£27.97)
7. Distilled White Vinegar @Sainsburys (all round cleaning) (0.50p)
8. Lemons at any supermarket/grocery’s - (0.20p per lemon)
9. Baking Soda (1kg) (all round cleaning) (£5.17)
Organically and biodegradable products are beneficial to clean your home, and it might be an excellent place to start with your clean green switch.
To use the more natural green methods like the white vinegar, lemons and bicarbonate of soda, here are some home cleaning remedy tips to help you get started.
Cleaning Your Kitchen
Mix 1-part baking soda, with 1-part vinegar or the squeeze of half a lemon. Mix until a smooth paste appears. Apply the paste to a cloth/sponge and scrub;
Kitchen-worktop;
Kitchen Tiles & Grout;
Kitchen-sink;
Grease;
Cooker tops/oven
Chrome/Stainless Steel
Microwave
After scrubbing, gently wipe away with a clean damp cloth. For extra buffing apply a small amount of the white vinegar to the kitchen sink, taps, and even tiles (probably from a spray bottle) and leave for 5 minutes and then rinse lightly with warm water. Then get an old tea-towel and buff until it shines. Amazing results!!!
Cleaning Your Toilet
Instead of using bleach to clean the germs away or other chemicals to get rid of hard watermarks that are visible on the inside of your toilet, try this method instead;
Remove any excess water from your toilet (if you can) if you cannot don’t worry. Measure out a cup of baking soda and place this into the toilet bowl. Then add a cup of white vinegar to the powder and wait for it to fizz. Close the toilet lid and leave it overnight. In the morning, clean around the toilet bowl with a toilet brush and then flush. Repeat the process, if necessary, for hard water stains. Your toilet will be gleaming clean!!
For the outside of your toilet, fill some white vinegar and water in a spray bottle and squirt sparsely. Clean away the grime with a cloth or sponge. The vinegar will also clean any germs and leave a beautiful shine too.
Cleaning your bathtub/sink/taps
For more grimy bathtubs or sinks that are stained or have hard water marks– sprinkle the baking soda into the bathtub and limescale areas, then add the white vinegar to where the baking soda has been applied and leave for around 2-3 hours. Scrub the bathtub and limescale areas (taps/shower-heads) with a gentle brush and watch the grime rinse away. Get an old tea-towel and buff the bath and tap areas. Dazzling results.
For the general bathtub, mix 1-part baking soda with half a lemon – scrub the bath area and rinse. Dry with an old tea-towel, the rougher, the better, and buff until it shines!!!
Cleaning away foul odors (bin, carpet etc.)
Sprinkle some baking soda to affected areas (bin or carpet) and leave for 1 hour. Hoover the foul smell away.
Cleaning stains on your carpet
Mix 2 tablespoons of salt and dissolve in half a cup of white vinegar – apply to the affected area and let it dry naturally, and then hoover it away. For more renowned darker stains – Mix 2 tablespoons of Borax substitute with white vinegar and use the same way.
Cleaning your windows/mirrors
Pre-wash your windows or mirror with soapy water (preferably with a biodegradable product) and then wipe clean from the top down. Next, in a spray bottle, add 50% white vinegar and 50% water. Spray the glass with the solution and use the same motion to wipe clean.
Cleaning Your Floors
To clean your floors – fill your bucket with hot water, add three tablespoons of white vinegar, the juice of one whole lemon and around 4 oz of borax and clean green.
Steam Cleaning your Home
Steam cleaning can clean every surface of your home, down to kitchen and bathrooms, floors, carpets and upholstery, dust mites, mould and fungus and much more. The benefits of steam cleaning are massive. No harmful chemicals, so Eco-friendly. It kills a range of germs and bacteria. The heat disinfects and sanitises every inch of your home, and it can dissolve some of the toughest of stains and grime.
If you’re thinking of steam cleaning your home, bear in mind that it can get boiling and burn your skin, so be careful! Avoid delicate fabric such as silk, cardboard and paper materials, and walls that have water-based paint. I found seven best steam cleaners that you may find useful.
Here you have it; this is what it means to green clean! – Huge benefits for your health, environment, and let’s not forget your pocket.
If you would rather use a Green home cleaning service to tackle your green cleaning, be sure to check us out, or call 020 3633 7218 to find out more!