Enough already!
It’s become quite a chore to listen to the empty promises of traditional house cleaning products. Not only do these cleaning products never live up to the hype, but worse – most of them are bad for our health! According to a report by the Environmental Protection Agency, our indoor environment is generally 2-5 times more polluted than the outdoor environment. This is a big deal, considering that Americans spend, on average, 90 percent of their time indoors. We’re paying the price with headaches, nausea, respiratory illnesses and more! If you don’t know how to clean your house with “green” in mind, don’t sweat it. Keep reading for all the green house cleaning tips you’ll need!
5 Green House Cleaning Tips That Will Change Everything
1. Rethink How You Dust
Dust all your household surfaces from left to right, top to bottom, using dry microfiber cloths. These are great for trapping dust rather than spreading it around (ahem, feather dusters, we’re talking to you). Plus, microfiber cloths leave no streaks and can be used again and again. How’s that for green-friendly? Also, microfiber cloths work better than traditional furniture polish, which is loaded with chemicals.2. Make Your Own Natural Glass Cleaner
Green home cleaning essential: ditch those ammonia-based windows cleaners! To get lovely, clean, streak-free windows, there are several homemade window cleaning recipes you can try. Experiment and find your favorite!
Recipe 1: Mix 4 T lemon juice with half gallon of water in a spray bottle.
Recipe 2: Fill a spray bottle with equal parts white vinegar and water. For a scent-sational smell, add a few drops of your favorite natural essential oil.
Bonus House Cleaning Tip: Looking to reuse your black and white newspapers? Wipe the windows with them for an awesome finishing shine!
3. Stop. Mop. And Roll.
Mopping: it’s the chore that we all love to hate! But green cleaning your floors is sure to take the sting out of this much-loathed chore.
Mopping tricks:
- Prep the floor by doing a light sweep and uprooting spot stains with a damp cloth.
- Mop from the top of the room to the bottom, so that you’re always standing on an un-mopped floor. Mop in straight lines when using a sponge mop, and a figure eight shape for rag mops.
- If your mop bucket gets dirty, time to make another batch so that you’re not mopping the floor with dirty water.
What to mop the floors with? Your basic vinegar and water solution should do it! Mix 1 cup vinegar with 1 gallon warm water. This mixture can be used on all kinds of floor surfaces, from linoleum to hardwood. You won’t have to rinse afterward, which will save both water and time. Important: a little goes a long way. You don’t want to oversaturate your floors, and if you use too much of ANY mopping cleaning solution, you’ll leave residue behind.
Don’t like the smell of vinegar? We get that. Follow the instructions above, substituting the vinegar with 1 T of Oxyfresh Unscented Face & Body Wash.
4. Ditch Harmful Air Fresheners
Don’t let those artificially scented air fresheners fool you! When the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) conducted a study of 14 different household air fresheners, they found that 12 of them contained hormone-disrupting chemicals called phthalates. Dumping this one habit can really save your indoor air quality. Try a natural essential oil diffuser instead, and by all means, don’t be afraid to open the windows and let in some fresh air!5. Make One Cleaning Solution That Does the Job of Many
This is the ultimate house cleaning tip because it keeps you from having to lug around multiple cleaning products from room to room. Just make one solution that cleans everything, from sinks to countertops.
Ingredients: .5 c. water 1 tsp. Oxyfresh Unscented Face and Body Wash1 t. baking soda A couple drops of your favorite essential oil (if desired.)
Directions: Measure baking soda into a spray bottle. Add .5 cup of water and shake until the baking soda dissolves. Add Oxyfresh Unscented Face and Body Wash and essential oil and gently swish to combine. Add the rest of the water if you still have room in your spray bottle.
This is a single-use recipe, it is not meant to be stored for later use. Oxyfresh's key ingredient Oxygene activates upon contact with organic materials, and will become inert after a day or so.
House Cleaning Checklist by Room
Download and print this checklist for easy tracking of your cleaning progress. DOWNLOAD CHECKLIST
Home, Green, Home.
Going green is a house cleaning trend that’s here to stay. So follow these green house cleaning tips, and experiment to try your own favorite natural cleaning recipes. Your health, your pocketbook and the environment will thank you! Psst … We love to hear about our customers’ own secret cleaning recipes! Share yours here!
