Green Cleaning Products » eco friendly cleaning tips

Why Make Cleaning Eco Friendly?

Admin — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:20:08 +0000

We are bombarded with ideas, guidelines and instructions to make our lives Greener and reduce our Carbon Footprint. But should we be making our Cleaning Eco Friendly, and if so, why?

Green Cleaners Use Fewer Resources

It makes no difference whether you are a believer in climate change or not. There is simply no denying that the fact that there are far too many souls on our little planet to allow all of us to use resources at the rate the developed world has been doing so for the last fifty years. Now, we are used to having certain things, and using certain products it is difficult to give them all up. The realm of housework and domestic cleaning is something that has come a long way over the last century. I doubt there are many who would be happy to revert back to the days when looking after the home was a full time job, not just for the wife of the family, but also her daughters or staff. But, all that being said there is still plenty that could be done, if not to eradicate our impact on the planet, then certainly to reduce it.

Switch to Safer Greener Cleaners

Turning to Eco Friendly Cleaning Products and Methods is just one part of reducing the load our family is on the environment. But, there is a more immediate gain too. Many conventional cleaners are full of allergens, poisons and toxic chemicals. These are all problematic to store and dangerous to use. Read the instructions on any conventional cleaning product and you will see how we should use them in well ventilated rooms, not in conjunction with anything else, and avoid breathing in the fumes. This is all much easier said than done, particularly for the busy house husband or wife. Most accidental poisonings affecting American children are related to chemical cleaning products. In addition, many scientists now blame the surge in cases of childhood asthma, allergies and other respiratory problems on the chemical cocktail in the average home. Even if you are not trying to save the planet, switching to less toxic cleaners is a great way to help save your kids.

Now of course, the average Eco Friendly Cleaning Product is unlikely to be suitable for human consumption. But, the key thing is overall they give off fewer dangerous fumes and contain less toxic chemicals. Still reading the labels is a must. Simple things such as citrus extracts are often used in both green and conventional cleaning products. They cut through grease and give a wonderful perfume. But, be warned many of us are allergic to these citrus oils, so even though they are natural and obviously less dangerous than a bottle of bleach, they can still be a concern.

Avoiding Petrochemicals with Green Cleaning Products

In addition many are composed of petrochemicals. While I know not many of us wish to give up our cars just yet, using less oil is something we all need to try before it is too late. It is not just that oil is hugely polluting as both an industry and in itself, there simply is not enough of it to go around. Pretty soon we really will need to prioritize its use, and surely an oil based detergent is a whole lot less important than keeping emergency vehicles running?

Detergents are often the cause of many sensitivities and allergies to things such as laundry products. Switching to palm oil derived detergents or better still natural vegetable oil based soaps is far kinder to your skin and the environment.

So Why Make Cleaning Eco Friendly?

We should all make Cleaning Eco Friendly because it is one small thing we are all capable of achieving. Our household cleaners account for a huge volume of the pollutants our family is responsible for. Change those and we change a big part of our problematic behavior. Moving to less toxic products keeps ourselves and our families safer too. Avoiding petrochemicals is something we simply must do whenever possible as there are so many alternatives that are not finite resources.

Eco Friendly Cleaning

Admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:14:31 +0000

Making Cleaning Eco Friendly should be something we all strive for. There are so many new Green Cleaners to choose from that reducing the number of chemicals we use in the home is far from difficult. Exposure to toxic products is a real threat to the health of our homes and families and should be something to be avoided at all costs.

Simple Green Cleaning

Rushing out to buy a whole new range of cleaning products is not usually necessary though. Reducing what you already use is a good step towards greener cleaning. Simple things like using a little less laundry detergent can make a big difference to the pollutants caused by your household and it will certainly improve your budget over the longer term. Get used to using a little less of whatever you use and you will be surprised at how much you can save. Remember the manufacturers want you to keep buying more products, so it makes sense they would recommend that you use a lot, in fact far too much in many cases.

Greener Cleaning with Less Waste

Another key point is to consider your water usage too. Okay, water is not a pollutant, but its use does lead to pollutants and indeed to waste on all levels. That water streaming from your tap reaches you via chemical processing, electrical pumps, filters and so on. Use a little less to rinse your dishes and you are helping reduce all these negative points.

When you use a little less soap or detergent it means you can easily also use less water as you have less scum that needs rinsing. Its so obvious its one of those things many of us are guilty of neglecting.

Green Microfiber Cloths

I know one of the key green cleaning products I keep banging on a bout are microfiber cloths. These are something I came to only in the last few years, and I have to say I am still pretty evangelical about them. A wash cloth that lasts years and can be put in the washing machine is definitely a winner. Add to that the fact they clean an awful lot, perfectly well with only a touch of water and no products at all make them pretty near perfect for frugal green cleaning advocates like myself.

Green Clean Habits

Eco Friendly Cleaning has to be a full spectrum approach to housework. Using vast quantities of inefficient cleaning products no matter how environmentally friendly they are may be more polluting than using a little of something more conventional, followed by using less water.

Being less wasteful needs thought too. It is all too easy to get into the habit of always reaching for the same manufactured products when confronted with a spill or stain. But using some ingenuity and elbow grease can often get the job done in a much greener way. Simply rubbing in a little soft or liquid soap and leaving items to soak overnight is often just as effective as a ‘Vanish’ type stain remover. But, importantly that soap is cheaper for you and far less damaging to the environment.

Relearning old habits can take a while, and there is no need to be disappointed when you do automatically reach for the bleach, just try to reduce those times. Every time you do remember to get a little more hands on with the dirt in your home will help. You cannot expect yourself or your family to suddenly ditch old habits and become the Greenest of the Green Brigade. Small steps are the ones that work because they last, they will become the habits of your future.

Aim to for Eco Friendly Cleaning by using Simple Green Cleaning Products.

Simple Green Cleaning Products #1

Admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:56:17 +0000

Not all Environmentally Friendly Cleaning needs to be complicated. Simple Green Cleaning Products make reducing your impact on the Earth AND saving a few dollars pretty simple really. Concentrated and powerful cleaners can really reduce the number of toxins you expose yourself too, never mind the planet.

There are endless Simple Green Cleaners sat in your kitchen cabinets already, it’s just a matter of digging them out and finding out what jobs each suits best.

Store cupboard cleaning ingredients do not need to be difficult to use, and you really don’t need to create million concoctions – though of course you can. In fact there are hundreds of cleaning tips and recipe ideas included in Clean House Clean Planet. There are hundreds of uses for things you have laying around the home.

Keep things simple by incorporating just three multi-purpose products into your Simple Green Cleaning repertoire. First up is the ultimate Simple Green Cleaning Product - a Basic, Green Scouring Powder.

Simple Green Scouring Powder

We all need a Simple Green Scourer. There are times when greasy grime really needs that tough action of a scouring powder to tackle it. The primary culprit has to be grimy kids and bath-tubs. If that bath tub is fiberglass or plastic things are even worse. Your green scouring powder needs to be extremely gentle not to scratch the surface of the tub. But, it still must be tough as nothing is worth than a dirty ring around the bath. Not inviting for the next occupant at all!

Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (01170)

Overall Rating:

Total Customer Reviews: (7)

Seller: Amazon

Read what customers had to say....

The easiest product to use has to be baking soda. The fine particles in bicarbonate of soda are wonderful for getting through grease and grime. But they are extremely gentle on plastics. In fact, I’ve found the only way to keep plastic bottles and bowls properly clean AND scratch free is with baking soda. There simply is no green scouring powder which can beat it.

Best of all this Simple Green Cleaner is cheap, really cheap. Buy the biggest bag you can (forget the big brand, why bother paying more for a prettier box), and it will last you months.

Simple Green Cleaning Products don’t need to be difficult to find or difficult to use. This scourer can be made into a paste with a little water and rubbed on just about anything. For a thorough yet gentle clean. Battles it’s way through soap scum, grease, it even soaks up smells – what more could you ask of a Cheap Environmentally Friendly Cleaner?

June’s Eco Friendly Cleaning Tips

Admin — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:38:07 +0000

As part of our Eco Friendly Cleaning Tips series here are our Top five tips for June:

For all hard surfaces use long-lasting Microfiber Cloths with just a little water.
Always choose biodegradable Eco cleaners.
Multi-task. Don’t buy three products when one will do. Opt for mild Eco detergent or soap which can be used for nearly all the general cleaning.
Save water. Before the hose-pipe bans kick in for summer, get used to cleaning with buckets of water rather than hoses. Water treatment is hugely expensive and polluting so don’t use more than you need.
Use Eco wash-balls in your washing machine and you can safely use all that waste-water to keep your plants moist all summer long.

Most importantly spend more time outdoors enjoying the sunshine and worry about the chores next month! No time in the house… no need for any Eco friendly cleaning!