that little bit greener wednesday ~ green cleaning

for this week's ‘that little bit greener’ we have been asked to post about green cleaning.

though i am no expert on this subject I do use environmentally friendly products in my home and i am very interested in learning more about this subject. I welcome any ideas for good cleaning tips… and any ‘green’ product recommendations.

 i am very aware that many conventional cleaning products contain harmful chemicals which are bad for the environment and I do not wish to release chemicals into the water system not to mention have the residues against our skin or breathe them in….folk seem obsessed about cleaning these days… I have always been suspicious about antibacterial cleaners…and homes which are super clean too… I have always been under the impression that a bit of dirt is good for us… a good way for our bodies to build up antibodies…

i am no anthea turner when it comes to cleaning but do like to keep the basic areas (kitchen and bathroom) clean.  I have always opted for natural products as the chemical ones scare me… it seems absurd to introduce harsh chemicals into our homes in order to clean them in an effort to create a healthy environment to live in… quite absurd.  In my opinion harsh chemicals and a healthy environment do not go together.

so today i would like to share a few of our cleaning tips  and also link to somes great sites for  further reading, recipes and research.

in the sweetmyrtle houshold we generally use a combination of natural (bicarbonate of soda, vinegar and lemon juice) and green products (ecover range of washing up, laundry liquid, multipurpose cleaners etc) … with the husband occasionally buying something I completely disapprove of and will not use.(does anyone else have this problem?)

i have used ecover products for many years, but appreciate these are not the cheapest or may even be the best. I am interested in trying some alternatives and would welcome your recommendations. the friends of the earth website show how conscientious cleaning need not be expensive… 

what we do at home:

•  use cut lemons to clean and disinfect the bread board… a good tutorial here.

•  use vinegar in the loo  ~ great for removing limescale (husbands job!)

•  sprinkle bicarb of soda at the bottom of the bin to deodorize it. bicarbonate of soda is also good for deodorizing the fridge too.

•  mix bicarbonate of soda with a little water and a bit of ‘elbow grease’ to remove caked on food on pans and on the oven .

not forgetting cleaning materials we also: 

• cut up old t shirts to make cleaning cloth which are particularly  good for greasy dirty outside jobs where they can be thrown away after use.

• save old toothbrushes for cleaning awkward areas such as around taps.
  

• make knitted cotton dishcloths ~ after seeing a lovely hand knitted cotton dish cloth onthis lovely blog I decided to make one… there are many tutorials for these on line in interesting stitch patterns, but a basic garter stitch in a rectangular shape is easy peasy to make… i am no professional knitter but I now have 6 of these and use them for all my surfaces. they are reusable and washable.

Two  great books which I often refer to are,  natural stain remover  and Home hints and tips.

 

 for further information...

•  low impact living ~ fact sheet on cleaning products 

• down - to - earth blog ~ green cleaning recipes
  

•  herbs and garden health online store ~ more cleaning tips and products

• julia's brilliant post about natural cleaning at marmalade kiss

my final green tip to save power for those of you with carpets is to invest in a carpet sweeper!…

I loved  mine. (i now have mainly wooden floors and no need for one).  they are tricky on stair carpets though but a good stiff brush works well instead ... and you get a good workout !

 so traditional cleaning maybe more physical but then you don’t have to worry about  polluting the planet or buying a gym membership!

x

Comments

[marie]

What a great post ~ I have happy memories of running around my Grandmother's house as a little girl with her carpet sweeper...
I love lemon juice for the cutting boards and always save old toothbrushes for those nooks and crannies.

I like Ecover, but it is even more expensive here because it is imported. I do try to stay away from nasty chemicals and I'm always amazed at the awful smell whenever I venture into the laundry aisle of the local supermarket.

Marie x

[Nina - Tabiboo]

I'm not that brilliant with cleaning products thought I do try to do my bit with vinegar, lemon juice and biocarbonate, but I did read a very interesting post yesterday on the same subject here's the link which may be of interest to you.

http://marmaladekiss.blogspot.com/2009/09/its-only-natural.html

Have a lovely day,

Nina x

[The Curious Cat]

Brilliant tips - thanks so much for sharing! :) xxx

[Tracy]

Wonderful post, Ginny! I've been cleaning greener a long time--by making up my own cleaning solutions and using kitchen basics to keep things in shape here. Eco cleaners are hard to come my in regular supermarkets here, and health food shop prices are outrageous, so making one's cleaners can be cost effective too, and longer lasting than mass-produced commercial products. I love the fresh smells of vinegar, lemon, soda and tea tree and lavender essential oils I use too...mmm...lovely... Thanks for promoting chemical free living and cleaning and great links. :o) Happy Day ((HUGS))

[georgia]

wow. this is such a thorough and informative post. it's so helpful. some of these thing i already practice. but many are new methods to m--ones i absolutely want to incorporate to my daily living and cleaning. thank you.

also, thank you so much for your very thoughtful and heartfelt comment on my "late blooms..." post. i feel blessed to have found such honest and encouraging people like you in the blogosphere--people who enjoy coming to visit, and won't be turned off by my openness and honesty. people who are there to give a word of hope when you need it. thank you so much for taking the time to say what you did--and also for stopping by and reading in the first place.

blessings,
~georgia

[cathleen]

Thank you for this really interesting post, Ginny. I have quite a few bottles of essential oils I add to homemade products for cleaning. The smells are heavenly. And I know what you mean about knitted cotton dishcloths. They make washing dishes almost a pleasure, so you get twice the fun, knitting them and actually using them.

[Florence]

Yes, I have that problem too...only it's me that does the buying. Our little local shop doesn't sell Ecover and so when I run out of Ecover washing up liquid I'm forced to buy a bottle of Fairy. The minute I can replenish my Ecover supply, the Fairy is put in the drawer beneath the kitchen sink and then sits there like a dirty secret...there's something about even owning a bottle of it that I find mortifying (eco snobbism...it's an awful thing!).

Someone I know uses her husband's old underpants to mop up spills... I have to admit to finding it slightly odd to have been dabbing at her carpet with them one day when one of the children had spilt something...and even stranger when her husband walked in and saw me doing it. Eeek - what to say? T-shirts seem a much better idea. (I hope I haven't given you any ideas).

Thank you for a lovely and most useful post x