{"id":438788,"date":"2010-03-17T12:15:07","date_gmt":"2010-03-17T16:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/blog\/greenpicks\/272\/top-five-green-cleaning-tips.html"},"modified":"2010-03-17T12:15:07","modified_gmt":"2010-03-17T16:15:07","slug":"top-five-green-cleaning-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/438788","title":{"rendered":"Top five green cleaning tips"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\"sponge\"
\n
(Photo: Johan, Wikipedia)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

By now you may have heard the hazards of extreme cleaners
\nthat perform anti-bacterial overkill and the toxic
\npotential of synthetic chemicals such as ammonia and chlorine. <\/p>\n

You do have a
\nchoice when it comes to how you clean your house, and there are a number of
\ngreen-friendly brands on the market. <\/p>\n

I’ve personally tried and tested quite a few of them,
\nlooking for ease of use and affordable price. I really do hate to clean, so
\nanything that makes it easier, faster, cheaper, and better for the planet is a
\nwin. <\/p>\n

Here are some of my favorite options:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Do the earth-friendly
\nlaundry<\/strong><\/p>\n

Everyone wants clean, soft, fresh-smelling clothes and
\nlinens, which may be why eco-friendly laundry detergents have felt they can get
\naway with charging more to do the right thing. I found Ecos Laundry Detergent<\/a> by Earth
\nFriendly Products to be a good detergent at a good price. <\/p>\n

I tried several other brands from Seventh Generation to Trader
\nJoe’s, and Ethos works just as well without charging more. It smells good (with
\nthree scents to choose from), it only takes a couple of ounces to clean a full
\nload, and it includes a coconut-based fabric softener. I was also happy to find
\nit in my local grocery store so I didn’t have to make trip to a specialty
\nboutique. <\/p>\n

Search
\nfor more eco-laundry detergents<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Find
\nan eco-friendly dry cleaner<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wipe up the greens<\/strong><\/p>\n

There’s nothing like a quick wipe-down to make a place feel
\nclean. Save on paper towels with pre-moistened biodegradable wipes. In my
\npersonal test, Clorox
\nGreen Works Natural Cleaning Wipes<\/a> beat out Method’s Flushable
\nBathroom Cleaner Wipes<\/a>, which tended to fall apart while wiping. These are
\ngreat for toilet sets and bathtub basins. <\/p>\n

Countertops that need a little extra help get the natural
\ntreatment with Seventh
\nGeneration All Purpose Cleaner<\/a>. I found that this plant-based, nontoxic
\ncleaner is great for removing counter stains. Spray a bit directly on the spot
\nand let set for a few minutes. <\/p>\n

For simple dusting and cleaning mirrors, I’ve become a big
\nfan of microfiber towels<\/a>. These handy little reusable cloths don’t even require
\na liquid cleaning product to get the job done — just get one cloth damp with
\nwater to wipe away dirt and dust, and then use a dry one to wipe clean. <\/p>\n

The
\nmicro fibers really pick up, and even mirrors and faucets come clean without
\nstreaking. When you’re done, toss them in the laundry to wash and use again. <\/p>\n

Search
\nfor more eco-friendly cleaning wipes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Scrub the nontoxic floors<\/strong><\/p>\n

While you can use Seventh Generation All Purpose Cleaner to
\ndo a quick mop on tiled floors (not wood), I also like Method’s Squirt + Mop Floor
\nCleaner<\/a> in lemon ginger. This nontoxic, biodegradable cleaner contains a
\nhint of baking soda to mop kitchen tiles. It dries fast and leaves no residue. <\/p>\n

Method also makes a similar product for hard wood floors. The
\ncompany’s products for “People Against Dirty” have a huge following for being affordable,
\nhaving nice-looking and eco-friendly packaging, and being easy to find at big
\nchain stores including Target and Bed Bath and Beyond.<\/p>\n

Search
\nfor more eco-friendly floor cleaners<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Make your own
\ncleaners (and save money)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pretty much everything in your house can be cleaned with a
\nfew simple natural ingredients picked up at your next trip to the grocery
\nstore. <\/p>\n

A big $2 jug of white vinegar will go a long way when all you have to do
\nis mix it 50\/50 with water in a spray bottle and make an all-purpose cleaner
\nthat also helps disinfect. \u00a0A few drops of
\norange natural essence, (available at natural food stores such as Whole Foods) will
\nhelp temper the vinegar smell. <\/p>\n

Scrubbing with a little lemon juice and baking soda will
\nremove stains from countertops and inside kitchen sinks. And try olive oil or
\nflaxseed oil to polish wood furniture.<\/p>\n

Get
\ntips for removing stains with natural ingredients<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Search
\nfor more homemade cleaning recipes.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hire green cleaning help<\/strong><\/p>\n

No time or energy to clean? \u00a0Delegate! Eco-friendly maid services are
\nstarting to boom with demand. Most come armed with a host of eco-friendly
\nproducts; others have their own brands they use exclusively. <\/p>\n

Let them do all the wiping and scrubbing while you sit back
\nand enjoy a clean, fresh-smelling home that doesn’t leave any harmful
\nafterthoughts. If you can’t find a green maid in your area, hire a regular one
\nand insist they use the eco-friendly products you provide for them.<\/p>\n

Search
\nfor eco-friendly maid services<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Search
\nfor eco-friendly furniture upholstery and carpet cleaners.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

A clean home shouldn’t be a toxic hazard for you, your
\nchildren, your pets, or the planet. With a host of products on the market or
\nsome easy (and penny-conscious) DIY recipes, there’s no reason to pick up a
\nchemical cleaner again.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Check out Yahoo! Green on Twitter<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Photo: Johan, Wikipedia) By now you may have heard the hazards of extreme cleaners that perform anti-bacterial overkill and the toxic potential of synthetic chemicals such as ammonia and chlorine. You do have a choice when it comes to how you clean your house, and there are a number of green-friendly brands on the market. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6447,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-438788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6447"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438788\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}