Cleaning House

I hate cleaning the house, but it has to be done. What is a really great trend lately is the introduction of environment-friendly cleaners and products.

Before recommending those, however, I still have to show you the alternate to save you $$ and hopefully make you life a little bit easier.

Whenever cleaning something, ask yourself if it needs to be sanitizer or more wiped down or dusted off. If it doesn't need to be sanitized, water and a cloth will do just fine!

I've also worked on doing away with paper towels. For most cleaning projects, I have enlisted a separate set of dish towels with the specific purpose of being used for cleaning - making them okay for most surfaces. The only surface paper towels would really be ideal for is the toilet - because that is a pretty nasty surface. But for kitchen countertops, for example, there's not reason why a dish towel cannot be used.

I like to even enlist a separate dish scrubber and use plain dish soap on my countertops, scrub them real good and then wipe them down. It's like washing your hands - they say if you wash your hands for 30 seconds it eliminates germs. Well, think of this as washing your countertops. The great thing about this is that dish soap is dirt cheap, and when bought in bulk, eliminates the packaging and extra cost of buying special cleaners. Realistically, most cleaners are relatively similar. If you're unsure of what you're buying - read the label!

Whenever you're about to pull out that vacuum, WAIT! Ask yourself if a broom will suffice. Most of the time it will, depending on the need. I've used a broom on many carpets, but if your carpet is too plush it might not work. Just think about it!

Lastly, be extremely careful in disposing of any old chemicals or cleaners. We've all had them - the ones that sit under the kitchen sink until you don't want to touch them without gloves. Read carefully through the warning label and even research some of the key ingredients before lumping it in with the rest of your garbage. Is it something you'd be okay with running through a stream?


http://www.thegreenguide.com/home-garden/cleaning