GREEN HOME CLEANERS

You know that using toxic chemicals in your home is bad for you and the environment, but it’s hard to find a good green home cleaners alternative.

So many household chemicals are toxic, and some of them have been linked to cancer and other serious health problems. 

I suffer from dermatitis, I have to use gloves whenever I clean, even if it’s just water so imagine what the chemicals do to your skin!

The Problem With Off The Shelf Green Cleaning Brands

However, the problem with most green home cleaners on the market today is that they don’t work. They are either too expensive or ineffective. I know people rave about the Method brand of cleaners and although they all smell amazing, I find they do not clean as well as chemical brands.

The Problem With Household Cleaning Chemicals

Then we worry about the damage to the environment too, plastic waste has been making headlines recently but not a lot of people talk about marine life damage by chemicals. Sure, that bleach cleaned the toilet really well. But what happens to it after the flush? 

Well, eventually it ends up in our natural water habitats. 

As part of my role running a cleaning company, it is my job to run risk assessments for the chemicals we use, part of the risk assessment is reading Safety Data Sheets. A safety data sheet looks like this: 

Now, the part I want you to pay particular attention to is this:

The hazard label, this label is on every single chemical we use. Some are worse than others, for example, the safety data sheet for bleach is actually terrifying.

But see Warning H412 – Harmful to aquatic life with long-lasting effects. This blows my mind, we’re allowed to use these chemicals and just wash them down the drain. 

I read a study, just now, a quick one, by The Foundation For Water Research. The research they have completed demonstrates the risks to aquatic life and even human life after domestic sewage waste has been treated. 

This means that while we’re innocently disposing of household chemicals down the drain and even after the water has been treated, the risk is still there.

Did you know that in the United States alone, over 1 billion pounds of cleaning chemicals are used every year? 

1 billion pounds of chemicals potentially released into the environment. Staggering, and that’s just 1 country. 

Make Your Own Green Home Cleaners

The great news is that you can make your own for pennies! And the even better news is, you don’t need more than a couple of ingredients.

Although you can choose from a vast array of eco-green cleaners, like the ones I’ve listed below.

Eco All Purpose Cleaner Number 1

Castile soap –  Castile soap is an effective eco cleaner and it’s widely available, I like to buy it in its liquid format but it is also available in a bar if you prefer, now it is a bit expensive initially but a little goes a long way.  

Just as I’ve explained in other posts about how I use dish soap cleaning sprays, Castile soap works on the same principle. Just add half a teaspoon to a spray bottle full of water and off you go. 

Quick side note on Castile Soap, if you do choose to use the bar, there are certain surfaces you can’t clean with it, any shiny surface will leave a residue and the same goes for polished granite and marble. 

However, hot water and a microfiber towel are effective on these surfaces and will leave them sparkling!.

Eco All Purpose Cleaner Number 2

Sage Spray – Just as the name suggests, Sage Spray is an eco green cleaner (literally) made from whole stems of sage, you can add some essential oils if you don’t like the smell of sage. 

Now, I’m not into measuring cups much, I just don’t have the time. But as a general rule, place 2-3 stems of sage into a spray bottle and fill with warm water. For an even more effective clean, you can add a splash of distilled white vinegar.

Eco All Purpose Cleaner number 3

Crema Joe on Unsplash

Lemon and Vinegar – Using lemon and vinegar combined gives you a powerful green cleaning disinfectant. Both lemon and vinegar have natural disinfecting properties.Use about half a cup of lemon juice and 2 cups of vinegar. This eco cleaner will also tackle grease on cookers and cooker hoods. 

Green Home Cleaner Scrub

Baking soda – Baking soda is talked about so much on the internet, you can use this for just about anything. But I use it for scrubbing and deodorising sink stains and smells. Simply sprinkle some in the sink, and using a damp non-abrasive sponge, scrub those pesky stains away. At the same time, you’re deodorising the sink drain so it’s a win-win situation.

The Penultimate Green Cleaner 

pan xiaozhen on Unsplash

And it’s FREE!!! 

Hot water. Yes. Hot water is the ultimate in green home cleaners! I’ve talked about the power of hot water on my microfiber cleaning posts and videos. Sometimes a bit of water is all you need. 

Hot water breaks down solidified dirt, so think, bean juice, tomato ketchup, anything that will become sticky and hard to clean off. Just soak in hot water and wipe away with a good quality microfiber cloth. 

Hot water works really well on dried on soap scum too. If you think about it, that’s how the soap scum got there in the first place. All we’re doing is reverse-engineering the process and wiping the dirt away.

Conclusion

Using green home cleaners is better for your health and it’s also better for the environment. Green cleaning products use natural ingredients like lemon or vinegar to clean away dirt without harming our planet.

Green cleaning products we make at home are more effective like I’ve demonstrated earlier. All we need to do is reverse the dirt accumulating process and we can clean for FREE!!