Friday, July 31, 2020

How to Stay Green When Keeping Your Home Clean




Many conventional cleaning products contain aerosols and toxic chemicals that can harm people, pets and the environment. 

We all know the importance of keeping our homes clean and sanitary, and the good news is that it just takes a few small changes to turn your cleaning routine green. Here are 10 eco-friendly tips and tricks for keeping your home fresh, clean and toxin-free. 



1. Combine simple ingredients to make a green cleaning kit

You can clean just about any surface of your home with a few basic essentials:

  • Baking soda – a great scrubbing cleanser that reacts with lemon or vinegar for and extra clean
  • White vinegar – a natural disinfectant
  • Borax – whitens fabrics, deodorizes, and disinfects
  • Lemon juice – disinfects and cuts through greasy messes
  • Castile soap – a foaming cleanser
  • Olive oil – protects and polishes wood surfaces
2. Use strainers and tin foil to limit cleanser use in the kitchen

You can keep your drain clean and clear by using a strainer to catch food from building up. Flush it regularly with hot water to clear out build up from oils. Lining your oven with tin foil can keep you from having to use cleaning products as often if your oven doesn’t have a self-cleaning function.

3. Sanitize the bathroom with baking soda and vinegar
You don’t need harsh cleaners to keep your bathroom germ-free and sparkling. Baking soda and vinegar are great for cleaning and disinfecting the toilet and borax does wonders as a scrubber for tubs and tile.

4. Freshen carpets with cornstarch or baking soda


To remove odors from carpets:
  1. Vacuum first
  2. Sprinkle them with baking soda or cornstarch
  3. Leave for about an hour
  4. Vacuum again. 
For spills and stains try blotting with soda water and a rag. For really deep stains, use a bristle brush to scrub with soap, water, and vinegar.

5. Get a streak-free shine with vinegar

For a streak-free window cleaning solution, mix:

  • ¼ cup of vinegar 
  • 2 or 3 cups of water
You can use the same solution on appliances or other surfaces without leaving any residue.



6. Bring out wood’s natural shine with olive oil

Olive oil and vinegar isn’t just great on a salad, it also cleans and conditions wood floors and furniture. For floors, mix:
  • ¼ cup of vinegar 
  • 1 gallon of hot water 
  • 1 teaspoon of oil
For furniture, mix:
  • 1 cup of vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon of oil 
You may need to adjust the ratios depending on the type of wood and finish.

7. Leave your shoes at the door

Our shoes protect our feet from all sorts of things including oil and chemicals from vehicles and animal waste. But if you wouldn’t want it on your feet, why bring it into your house?

Leaving your shoes at the door can prevent chemicals, germs, pollen, and more from entering your home. Just a simple change to your routine can help keep crawling kids or pets safer and keep you from having to clean as often.


Stock photography (Licensed via Canva)
8. Try commercial green cleaning products

While you can make a number of DIY cleaners from the items in your green cleaning kit, some messes require a little something extra. There are a number of commercial green cleaners that get the job done without using harsh chemicals. It’s nice to have a good all-purpose green cleaner on hand when you don’t have the time or energy to mix and measure your own.

9. Use green, leafy plants to purify the air indoors

You don’t need toxic chemical air fresheners to keep your house smelling clean and fresh. The easiest way to freshen stale air in your home is to open the windows and let the breeze do its thing. Green, leafy plants like peace lilies can also help to purify the air. To fill your house with pleasing aromas, simply add extracts or plants like citrus or lavender to a pot of boiling water.

10. Design green

Keep your space clean and clear by being strategic with your design. Consider window treatments, furnishings, or other surfaces that collect less dust, stay cleaner longer, or don’t take as much energy or effort to maintain.

There’s no need to hang onto the old, toxic, petroleum-based cleaning products of the past. With natural commercial products, DIY solutions, and a few small changes you can be cleaning green and breathing easy!

30 comments:

  1. This is awesome! I have been trying to ditch as much faux fragrance as possible. There is a lot of gross stuff out there!

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  2. Those are all good suggestions. I use a lot of homemade cleaners myself. Works just as well, better for the environment, and saves money.

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  3. So many natural and easy ways to clean with products you have around the house. I need to get Borax it seems like a product to have on hand.

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  4. These are some great tips it is amazing the ingredients we actually can have around the home which can be used for green cleaning.

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  5. Normally I like to clean with green products but right now with corona virus - these times call for chemicals! lol.

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  6. We definitely need articles like this to remind us of how we can contribute to conserving our environment.

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  7. We try and clean with green products. I love using essential oils along with vinegar and baking soda.

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  8. I try to stay away from chemicals when possible. I love these ideas and will have to try some of your natural cleaning recipes.

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  9. I use vinegar in cleaning around the kitchen like countertops and even the microwave and oven. I use baking soda in cleaning the oven too. -LYNNDEE

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  10. I have been trying to be more green when cleaning my home. I'm glad to have seen this. I think it's a great idea to make some of your own products too.

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  11. Wow! This is a great way to stay green in our house. I didnt know that we can use this in cleaning. Thanks for sharing.

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  12. wow! Love these tips. I will definitely try olive oil for the wood! Thanks for these great ideas!

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  13. I never thought of half of these items for keeping your home clean. I definitely need to polish my furniture with olive oil!

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  14. I really need to give this one a try. It's time that I learn to be more green.

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  15. Actually I use some of the tricks I use. But yes there are many like this olive wood ones and freshen carpets with cornstarch or baking soda. These hacks are really good. I'll try them out!

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  16. These are some great tips! I already use the foil in my oven, but will have to implement some more of these into my cleaning routine. Especially curious to use borax on our kitchen tile.

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  17. These are all such wonderful tips. I actually use baking soda and also lemon juice in cleaning! Same with cleaning vinegar too!

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  18. It really amazes me how some basic kitchen items like baking soda and vinegar can do wonders! :) Thanks for sharing these helpful tips, Agnes!

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  19. I love using green products to clean with, you can clean so much with so little.

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  20. Great tips! Green products are so much needed and I am never enough of various options to try

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  21. I love using baking soda and vinegar for cleaning. Thanks for mentioning. ��

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  22. I absolutely love this list. I saved it to Pinterest to refer back to. Thanks so much!

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  23. glad you shared these ways with us..really needed them especially this time..they seems to be very interesting and helpful one..great work though..

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  24. I LOVE this post. Baking soda has so many uses, it's amazing. I will definitely try a few cleaning tips.

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  25. These are great suggestions for natural cleaners. Better for the environment for sure!

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  26. Love this. Too many chemical nowadays. Good idea with sprinkling baking soda on the carpet!

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  27. Using baking soda, and white vinegar are both my favorite alternative cleaning agents. They are cheap and eco-friendly!

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  28. I'm all about staying Green while making my home clean! great tips and recipes for certain cleaning types in the home. I use baking soda on my carpet a few times a month because I love the clean smell ; )

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  29. I've been slowly converting all of my cleaning supplies to "green" products! Thanks so much for sharing this info!

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  30. Thank you for the tips! I am slowly converting to being green and is using baking soda now more than ever.

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