10 Eco-Friendly Tips and Tricks for Cleaning Your Home

From the Desk of Clearissa’s Command Center – Cleaning

10 Eco-Friendly Tips and Tricks for Cleaning Your Home

Join me in welcoming my blogging buddy Kacey Bradley back for another interesting article. This particular article is one that is close to my heart, because I am currently switching out most of my cleaning products for environmentally friendly ones. And Kacey is sharing great tips on Eco-Friendly cleaning tips. I hope you find these tips helpful. 

There are affiliate links within this post. However, all opinions and ideas are my own. Clicking on and using the links to purchase products does not increase your cost at all. I appreciate your support.

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Once upon a time, cleaning the house meant busting out a cabinet’s worth of manufactured cleaning supplies, taking a deep breath and spraying the chemical-laden products from the tops of your kitchen counters to the bottom of your bathtub. Nowadays, though, there’s more than one route to take when it’s time to tackle your to-do list; namely, there are green alternatives to the cleaning methods of days past.

There are affiliate links within this post. However, all opinions and ideas are my own. Clicking on and using the links to purchase products does not increase your cost at all. See my complete policy here. I appreciate your support.

The only problem is that you’re not entirely sure where to begin in revamping your go-to regimen so that it’s eco-friendly. To make that process easier, here are ten of the best tips to help you clean your home in a way that’s easy on the earth:

1. Stock Up on Lemons

There’s a reason why so many humanmade cleaning products smell like lemons: they have a strong, crisp, clean scent. And that’s not all: the citrus fruit itself contains its own set of antibacterial and antiseptic elements that you can use to your cleaning advantage — no chemicals required.

For starters, you can send used lemon wedges down your garbage disposal to clean it and reduce any lingering scents. Mixing lemon juice with baking soda and slathering it onto stained plastic containers can restore them to their former clear glory. Running a lemon slice across your cutting board can disinfect its surface, too.

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2. Examine Your Pre-Existing Products

Your first instinct might be to trash everything you have on-hand, but that might not be the most economical way to make your home eco-friendlier. Start by examining the bottles of product you already own: do they have warnings about chemicals, toxicity, swallowing or contact with the eye area? If so, this could mean your products contain toxic ingredients, which are in opposition to your new eco-friendly goals — and it may be time to safely dispose of them and move onto more natural options that are better for you.

3. Clean the Air Organically

Rather than pump your home full of air fresheners, you can let nature take care of stale or unclean air. For starters, cracking a window can boost your home’s circulation, thus replacing what’s indoors with the fresh air outside. Year-round, cultivating houseplants can clear the air and make your home healthier overall, to boot. Time to get your green thumbs out!

4. Watch Your Water Usage

Cleaning will require water, no matter what, but you can do your part to reduce the amount you’re using. For example, if you have to run the sink to wet your sponge, then place your mop bucket underneath to catch the excess water so you can use it later. Try sweeping before whipping out the mop. And only run your cleaning appliances — dishwasher, washing machine, etc. — when they’re full, so as not to waste the water they’ll automatically use.

5. Buy Baking Soda

We’ve already mentioned it, but baking soda is an exceptional cleaning agent to have on-hand, especially in fighting stains. Baking soda and water mixed can create a rust-removing paste, while a more liquid version of the ingredients will tackle tough grease. You can even use the aforementioned paste to remove stuck-on food in your oven: just let it sit overnight and scrape it off in the morning to reveal your stain-free appliance.

Wash, dry, repeat: that’s how most household cleaning gets done. And, you might be relying on paper towels to aid you in that to-do list, but, clearly, that’s not a reusable cleaning material.

Go through your drawers and find old t-shirts you no longer wear — those can become your wash-and-dry rags. If you prefer sponges, search out all-natural options as opposed to manufactured ones that might contain antibacterial finishes; throw away any cleaning accouterments from your pre-eco-friendly days, as they might still carry the chemicals you’re trying to purge from your home.

If you have stainless steel appliances, you can also make your own stainless steel appliances using this recipe. 

7. Try Vinegar, Too

A little bit of vinegar goes a long way. White vinegar has just enough acetic acid to make it a powerful cleaner; it can fight bacteria and lingering odors, too. So, for example, if you need to clean a dingy dishwasher, empty it except for two cups of white vinegar on the top rack. Then, run it and see just how well it cleaned your appliance.

A half-and-half blend of water and vinegar can clean out your kettle, too: boil the two, then dump and rinse. You can also use vinegar to clean your windows or combine one part of it with one part carbonated water to create a spray bottle-ready bathroom cleaner.

8. Treat Your Waste Well

Cleaning your home involves more than just the products you use to do it. Cleaning also includes the waste you throw away: the more you get rid of, the more you’re leaving to decompose for countless years in a heaping landfill.

So, get smart with your trash. Recycle as much as possible while doing what you can to create less waste: compostable and reusable products are instrumental in leaving less behind in the future. Gently used items you no longer use can be sold or donated to reduce the amount you toss, too.

9. Block the Drain

Hair, food, and other debris can make their way from your sink or shower right down into the drain. And, to unblock it, most of us will grab a chemically enhanced foaming cleanser to push blockages out. Not anymore.

Instead, cover your drain with a strainer to keep particles out that’ll eventually cause a blockage. And, if you do have a clog, fix it the all-natural way: pour a half-cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by a half-cup of vinegar. Then, cover the pipe, so the bubbles go down through it instead of up and out. Afterward, flush water down the drain to make sure it’s all clear.

10. Use Eco-Friendly Brands

Just in case you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the all-natural DIY options out there, here’s our final tip: don’t turn your back on pre-made products made by eco-friendly brands — just because they’re mass-produced doesn’t mean they’re all bad. And, because of the high demand for these types of products, they won’t break the bank, either.

Make It Gleam With Green

The above ten tips prove you don’t need manufactured, chemical-laden products to clean your home. Instead, you can use earth-friendly products and techniques to for the same shiny result you seek — it’s time to make your home gleam with green.

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Featured Writer: Kacey Bradley is the lifestyle and travel blogger for The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations and cultures, all while portraying her love for the world around her through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts. Along with writing for her blog, she frequently writes for sites like US Travel News, Thought Catalog, Style Me Pretty, Tripping.com, and more! Follow Kacey on Twitter and subscribe to her blog to keep up with her travels and inspiring posts!