Most cleaning products at the store these days rely heavily on toxic chemicals that seriously damage the environment. They often aren't great for your health either.
If you're thinking about not using these unnecessarily harsh products, you could use an equivalent but more environmentally friendly cleaner. There are many ways to clean your home while being gentler on the environment. Here are some ideas to consider:
Simple Green. Simple Green is an excellent industrial strength cleaner that happens to carry the Green Seal certification for environmental responsibility. The Green Seal guarantees that a product meets strict standards of environmental stewardship in the way it’s manufactured and used. It also indicates a product that is easily biodegradable. Simple Green is versatile, extremely effective and will clean the toughest jobs. It’s so strong in concentrated form that you may want to dilute it in one or more parts of water. This has the positive benefit of allowing you to control its strength when cleaning more delicate objects. Use it to clean your kitchen, bathroom, car, or just about anything else. You can be confident of not harming the environment.
Baking Soda. Baking soda is great for deodorizing, cleaning and scrubbing. It's also environmentally friendly. It has a large number of uses, including many you may not have thought about. In addition to its popular use for removing unpleasant odors from the refrigerator, it can be sprinkled on carpets and rugs to deodorize them. You can sprinkle it on a sponge and clean your counters without scratching them. You can dilute it in water to deodorize your mop. It's a wonderfully versatile substance.
Tea Tree Oil. If you’re attacking mold, there are several natural ways to get rid of it. One of the best is tea tree oil, which works great against fungus and bacteria. Mix a teaspoon of it with two cups of water, spray it on the affected area and allow to dry. The scent is strong upon use, but it should dissipate in a day or so.
Going green often requires sacrifice, but not when it comes to cleaning. You shouldn’t have to put up with harsh chemicals while cleaning your home. You can get the job done right with a green cleaner that will spare the environment and won’t put your family’s health at risk.