With spring in full bloom, along with green gardening [www.sundancechannel.com], it’s time for many of us to do a little spring cleaning. As with just about anything that you do at home, there are lots of strategies and ideas for cleaning up without “dirtying” your home (and the planet) with toxic chemicals and substances.
Before getting into which cleaners are good, a few words about why conventional cleaners are not good: many conventional cleaning products are petroleum-based and have unhealthy and downright unsafe health and environmental implications. They contain toxic chemicals that are not good for the air quality in your home (and not good for your lungs), not good for your skin, and harmful for pets and children that can get into them when you aren’t looking (or just lick the floor when your back is turned). Think of it this way: you don’t put toxic substances on your plates & dishes to eat, so why do it when you’re cleaning up?
Thankfully, there are a growing number of companies that make effective non-toxic cleaners that will zap any and all dirt in your home, from windows to counters and dishes to floors. Seventh Generation [www.treehugger.com] has one of the widest selections of products, from cleaners to tissues and paper towels that are all non-toxic and safe. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day produces an assortment of great-smelling, non-toxic cleaners of as well; their dishwashing liquid [www.treehugger.com] and general cleaners [www.treehugger.com] have both appeared on our pages. When it comes to packaging design, nobody beats method [www.treehugger.com], whose hip cleaning product lines are getting bigger all the time. Ecover [www.treehugger.com] has been around since 1979, offering their wide range of cleaning products to an international audience (they started in Belgium). They all clean without using toxic substances, and, between the different companies’ products, there isn’t anything in your home that you can’t clean.
If you find yourself without the time to do a little spring cleaning, don’t fret. Cleaning services like
ZENhome [www.treehugger.com] in New York City will clean your home for you, using 100% non-toxic and earth-friendly cleaning products, and will even leave an organic chocolate on your pillow as part of their turn-down service. Though we all may not have the luxury of having someone else clean up after us, there are lots of resources for learning more about how to effectively do it yourself; books like Clean Green: The Environmentally Sound Guide to Cleaning Your Home [www.treehugger.com] and Clean Sweep: The Ultimate Guide to Decluttering, Detoxing and Destressing Your Home [www.treehugger.com] are great sources for getting started down a greener, cleaner path. To really dig in to cleaning green, there’s a ton of information and resources for learning more in our How to Green Your Cleaning [www.treehugger.com] guide. Happy spring cleaning!
