The following is a guest post by Bethany from The Ivy Twines.
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I won’t claim to be a super cleaner, or even a good one, but I do have to clean. I’ve found some easy ways to implement the greener lifestyle into my spring cleaning this year.
1. Less stuff, less stuff to clean.
This one might not seem very green on the outside, but I’ll explain. Decluttering seems to be all the rage, but to me, this isn’t just a trendy topic. It can truly change lives and make the home a much easier place to enjoy. As I’ve gone from room to room doing my deep cleaning, I’ve had 3 boxes: to give, to sell, to throw. Because my goal isn’t to fill our trash with things I probably shouldn’t have brought into our home in the first place {decor items found on clearance at Target?!?} I approached my unwanted items in a way to reuse them or find them a new home. And now I aim to be a little more mindful as a consumer in the future, too.
2. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
There are so many options to sell your unwanted items: Craigslist, eBay, garage sales, consignment, and my personal favorite — a local Facebook group whose purpose is to Buy, Sell, or Trade. In my small community, I’m always amazed at how easily items sell, from big items like couches, to smaller, like kitchen gadgets. If you’d rather not bother with selling, a local resell store like Goodwill is a great option, or you can always call your local shelters or charities to see what items they may need. Specifically, my local homeless shelter is always looking for silverware. You might be amazed at their high needs that may be collecting dust at your house.
3. Ditch the Paper Towel.
So I might be late to the no paper towel party, but I always blamed it on my cowboy husband tracking whoknowswhat from the calving shed, two little girls who enjoy the mud, and cats who love to bring in mice. I finally realized that there were so many other greener options. I cut up old tshirts for rags, and if it’s an icky mess, I don’t really mind throwing the whole thing out. I’ve also invested in microfiber cleaning cloths, which have made it easy to wash windows, clean off countertops, and scrub the bathroom, without using a whole roll of paper towels.
4. Try Homemade Cleaners.
I have really enjoyed trying homemade cleaners and tweaking recipes to fit my own cleaning routines. Once you have the basics, vinegar and baking soda, you may find that some cleaners are much easier to make yourself! Because we tend to have hard well water, I’ve had to adjust some cleaners, but that’s the beauty of diy. You will be able to find so many different options, the goal is to find what works for you. I would recommend testing on a small area first, to make sure it won’t have an adverse reaction. Here are some of my tried and true favorite homemade cleaners:
Power Scrub:
1/4 cup Baking Soda and enough Hydrogen Peroxide to make paste. I use this on EVERYTHING. It is an abrasive scrub that shines up my sink, toilet, tub, and tile just like Comet would, a perfect scrub on baking dishes, cookie sheets, and pans, and even cleaned my rings! I sometimes let it sit in my sink for a few hours, as it is a natural whitener too.
All-Purpose Cleaner:
Equal parts vinegar and water. If the vinegar smell is overwhelming to you, try adding lavender essential oil {like a homemade Mrs. Meyers!}, or infusing your own vinegar with orange peels.
Drain and Toilet Cleaner:
Sprinkle baking soda in the drain, then flush with vinegar. It will bubble up so be prepared! Then follow with hot water. For a toilet cleaner, I simply add both to toilet bowl, let sit and scrub a few times.
5. Small steps at a time equal big change.
I’ve also included some free printable labels for your new handmade cleaners! There is a blank version and one that includes the above handmade cleaners plus my other tested and approved green cleaners!
click here to download blank version via Google Docsclick here to download handmade cleaners version via Google Docs
Thanks so much for having me at i Dream of Clean, and happy cleaning, all!
Bethany lives in beautiful Big Sky Country with her two daughter, ages 2 and 4, and her cowboy of a husband, working and living as fourth generation cattle ranchers. A former middle school teacher, she keeps herself busy by operating a co-op preschool, cooking and baking, coaching volleyball, and fulfilling duties as a blessed rancher’s wife, like bottle feeding baby calves in the spring. She writes at The Ivy Twines, a place to share her love of diy design, photography, handmade, and anything inspiring. If you’d like to guest post, you can view the guidelines here.
iDreamOfClean
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
“Green cleaning” posts often leave me feeling guilty and “less than”. I LOVE that your post made me feel like I actually AM making progress in my “greener” living.
I had never thought of reselling items and decluttering as “being green”!
Now if I could use remember to use the vinegar…
:)
Lisa
Very cute printable labels, and I absolutely love that you included the recipes on them so it’s easy to make refills. Off to print them now. Thank you!