Green Your House with 5 Green Cleaning Tips

Most conventional cleaning products are petroleum-based and have health and environmental implications.

Here are five green tips that work as well as conventional cleaning products and even better.

1- Vinegar for tub and sink

I’m sure you’ve heard about vinegar’s ability to disinfect and clean by now. (Check my 20 Tricks to Remove Stains post, especially #12.) This natural and magical cooking ingredient is good for cleaning tiles in the house, the tub, the sink and glass. A common way of use is to add a cup of vinegar to a cup of water. You can also mix one drop of eco-friendly dish liquid for a more potent solution.

2- Upholstery

Speaking of eco-friendly dish soap, it is the best solution to clean your upholstery, especially if you have children or very active pets in the house. You can mix it with Hydrogen Peroxide for tough stains (red wine, blood, etc.)

3- Floor

Make your floors shine by boiling up some tea. Make it strong. Dampen a cloth in the strong tea and wash the floors. Thanks to the tea’s tannic acid, the floors will sparkle.

4- Indoor air quality

Open the windows. Seriously. The air inside a home (or office) can be more toxic than the air outside. Instead of using synthetic air fresheners, boil some cinnamon, cloves or any herb you have in the house. Also make sure to have indoor plants as they purify the air.

5- Leave dirt outside

Make it a habit to leave sandals outside the front (and back) door for outside use. You may also want to get in the habit of leaving a shoe rack by the front door for guests. This will translate into less sweeping, less cleaning and fresher environment. It is hard to strictly adhere to a no-shoes policy inside the house, especially if you have active pets as I do, but it is doable.

♦ Let me know how you fare. If you have any more green ideas, make sure you send them my way by leaving a comment below. Have a green and healthy summer.