More small changes: Cleaning

More small changes for the day, this time focused on cleaning:

Change #11 – Banish one chemical

Choose one chore for which you now use a harsh chemical (scrubbing the tub, cleaning the toilet, washing the floor, cleaning the oven) and try it with something healthier. Maybe baking soda will work or vinegar water. Maybe all it takes is dish soap and water. Maybe just water. You could be buying chemicals you don’t need at all, and you’ll never know unless you try. I keep spray bottles of soapy water, vinegar water, and clear water under my sink so that it really takes no more effort to clean this way than it would with chemicals

Change #12 – Ditch disposables

Lately it seems like there’s a disposable version of everything: disposable wipes, dusters, scrubbers, even toilet bowl brushes. You don’t need to give all of these up to make an impact; just try to cut back. In place of paper towels or treated wipes, use cloth rags cut from old clothes or reusable microfiber cloths. I use microfiber in place of the disposable static dusters and the Swiffer mop pads, too. I think they even work better.

Change #13 - Make a clean sweep

I’m not sure where people got the idea that vacuuming is so much easier than sweeping. By the time I’ve lugged out my vacuum and plugged it in, I could have swept my entire kitchen floor, and I think it gets just as clean with a broom, without using any electricity. I still have to vacuum my carpets, but at least it’s reducing the impact a bit.


Check out the first part of the saving money, saving the world series