If you would love to keep your home hygienic and clean whilst also keeping things eco-friendly, this article is for you.
Whether you want to freshen up your self storage unit, or you love to keep your home sparkling clean, there’s no doubt that there is a cleaning product for every job. The problem is, many of those cleaning habits and products are not very good for the planet. Whether the sponge is plastic or the spray has chemicals that seep into the water system, it is all too easy to keep your home clean whilst harming the planet.
The good news is that if you do want to be more planet friendly when you clean, there is a lot you can do. You can make some crazily easy changes to your cleaning regime to keep everything fresh and hygienic whilst maintaining your own eco-outlook and here are a few suggestions to get you started:
Get Stuck Into Natural Cleaning Solutions
There are so many easy tricks you can try to switch chemical cleaning products out for natural options. Lemon juice, vinegar and baking soda feature heavily in these kinds of recipes so they’re not expensive ingredients either. We love this citrus enzyme cleaner recipe and these DIY homemade natural cleaners as an easy starting point to eco-friendly cleaning.
Use Alternatives To Kitchen Roll
Kitchen roll may seem like the perfect cleaning companion because it is basically paper, right? Kitchen towels can be recycled, can’t they? Unfortunately, this is not correct. Kitchen towels are often made up of chemicals, plastic packaging and wood pulp and are unlikely to be recyclable. Instead, choose recyclable kitchen towels or opt for non-plastic fibre material kitchen towels that can be washed and reused.
Try Natural Fibre Sponges
Sponges are made of plastic and as we tend to throw them away and replace them regularly, by switching them out for eco-friendly options we can instantly lessen our negative impact on the environment. Try natural, biodegradable sponges that are made by reputable companies – you’ll soon get used to them and wonder why you ever used plastic versions.
Try Refill Shops
Zero waste shops are everywhere at the moment, trying to help us reduce the plastic waste we produce when we get through cleaning products. Did you know that in the UK we get through 468 million spray bottles from cleaning alone? You can lessen your impact by choosing to use refill centres. If they are not accessible to you, many brands now offer refill options which are better than purchasing a new cleaning product container every time you run out.
Do All The Usual Things
There are common changes that are recommended when it comes to eco-friendly cleaning. They might seem old hat, but they remain relevant and are an easy way to keep your home green. Using less water, switching off electric items when you aren’t using them, using non-toxic *anything* when you can and recycling everything that is recyclable are all easy steps to take when it comes to keeping things green. Sometimes the simplest changes are the most effective.
Declutter
One of the best ways that you can keep your house clean and protect the environment is by decluttering and buying less stuff moving forward. Consumerism is killing the planet. The more we upcycle, sell and gift and the less that we buy as a household, the less low-quality products we continue to buy, reducing the natural resources used and the amount that goes into landfill overall. Plus, the less you have in your house, the less you have to clean right?
How Will You Make Your Cleaning Regime More Green?
Hopefully, the tips above have inspired you to enjoy a more planet friendly cleaning regime moving forward. Remember, every little helps and the smallest changes can have the biggest impact if we collectively, as a society, do our bit.