Eco Tutorial: Conscious Cleaning

Happy Earth Day!

Eco Tutorial:
Conscious Cleaning
*first brought to you by me on the TransCanada Etsy Team Blog

Cleanliness might be next to godliness, but overdoing housework won’t do your health any favors. Scientists suspect that our love affair with domestic cleaning products is responsible for sky-rocketing asthma rates, since ultracleanliness and antibacterial cleaners eliminate germs that help children build up healthy immunity.

Here are some tips for keeping it green at home:

• Stick to the basics: the power of simple ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, and salt is amazing. Keep a spray bottle of ½ water and ½ white vinegar around for everyday cleaning- from mirrors, countertops, shining taps, dusting and more, cleanliness is just a spray away.
• Baking soda is a great scourer- to clean sinks, bathtubs, or burnt on food in pots & pans, simply wet the surface with a spray of water, and sprinkle baking soda over generously. Add a few drops of eco-friendly liquid dish detergent, grab a rag, and scrub away! Rinse with hot water.
• For carpet spills, sprinkle table salt or baking soda generously over spill, let dry, and vacuum up.
• Hang your clothes to dry whenever possible. Line-dried clothes have such a fresh, clean smell. If you don’t have a line, an indoor clothes rack or line can be purchased at a low cost. Hang whites in the sun for a day or two to take advantage of the natural bleaching action of the sun. Choose eco-friendly, petroleum-free laundry soaps. My husband used to have a severe case of eczema, since making the switch to a natural laundry soap, he rarely has any flare-ups.
• Save your old cotton t-shirts and transform them into rags for cleaning around the house. You can even sew cool graphic t-shirts into cool little napkins!

Do you have any tips you'd like to share about conscious cleaning or living? I'd love to hear from you- please share your ideas in the comments below!
And remember, everyday can (and should be!) be earth day- by consuming less, shopping local, cutting down on our meat consumption and driving less, and supporting the work of environmental organizations, we can make a big impact!