With springtime warming things up, there is no better time to tidy and spring-clean your living spaces. Doing a deep clean of your home is satisfying and healthy, but there are some downsides for the environment. Typical spring cleaning involves using chemical cleaners, disposable paper towels, plastic products, and a good amount of water and electricity. However, there are ways to reduce your environmental impact and approach your annual spring cleaning in a greener, healthier, and more sustainable way.
Getting your house cleaned and aired out must be good, right? Spring cleaning is indeed beneficial for you, your family, and your guests. A clean home is a healthy home. When you clean surfaces in your home, you eliminate harmful bacteria and viruses that can cause illness in humans and pets. In fact, spring cleaning has several benefits beyond just having a cleaner home. Spring cleaning can reduce allergies, reduce the incidence of illnesses, and decrease stress, anxiety, and depression.
The flip side of these benefits is the harm that our spring cleaning activities do to the environment. You may not realize that the products and techniques you use during spring cleaning have effects that extend outside your home. Spring cleaning involves the use of cleaning products, plastic tools, water, and electricity. These all have an environmental effect.
The good news is that you can reduce your impact on the environment with some simple changes to your spring cleaning routines. You don’t have to sacrifice cleanliness or efficiency either. Check out these easy ways to make your spring cleaning more eco-friendly.
One of the first things you’ll want to do when starting your spring cleaning is open up your windows. The spring fresh air is perfect to help ventilate and air out your home.
As you go through your clutter, recycle what you can. If you have usable items in working order, donate them instead of throwing them out in the trash. Don’t toss hazardous items into your regular trash. Instead, take them to a hazardous household waste facility in your community.
Toxic chemicals will eventually make their way into our water supply. Many have no idea that the harmful chemicals they use daily circulate back into the water supply.
It’s easy to switch to natural cleaners that do less harm. Simple dish soap and water can clean the majority of surfaces in your home. Add some white vinegar to disinfect and cut grease.
Baking soda acts as a natural mild abrasive. Mix baking soda together with tea tree oil as a good cleaner. There are also many non-toxic homemade cleaners on the market today, with many about the same price as typical chemical cleaners. Some lemon juice in a spray bottle can also get rid of tough stains
Using paper towels may seem convenient, but they are wasteful. Instead, consider using reusable cloths or even just old scraps of fabric, towels, or rags. These are easy to launder and reuse.
You can also use crumpled up newspaper to clean your windows. This works better than paper towels or even fabric rags. Using newspaper reduces streaks and will not scratch the glass. Even better, simply use a squeegee. This eliminates all waste from your window cleaning.
Plastic is all around us. You can reduce your use of plastic by switching out some plastic products or simply by purchasing less of it. Many sponges are made of plastic and cannot be recycled. Switch to a natural sponge made of bamboo. When buying cleaning supplies, pick a large bottle to refill your existing smaller bottles. Get concentrated natural cleaning products that you can dilute at home
Many natural cleaners can be purchased in eco-friendly glass or paper packaging.
Cleaning naturally uses water, cut there are some ways to reduce that water usage. Don’t leave the water running while you’re cleaning. Instead, use a bucket to collect water and use that for your cleaning. As you clean, the bucket water will become dirty. This gray water is still safe to pour onto your outdoor and indoor plants.
You can’t avoid using electricity when cleaning, but you can cut back on your usage. Before you run your vacuum cleaner on your area rugs, take them outdoors and beat them with a broomstick or a rug beater. This removes much of the dust.
After a quick vacuum, your rugs will be cleaner than if you only vacuumed them. When laundering your curtains, furniture covers, cleaning rags, and towels, hang them to dry instead of using your dryer.
Typical aerosol air fresheners actually add hazardous pollutants and chemicals to the air. Many contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can cause health problems. They also only provide a temporary solution, as the source of the odors is not address. As you deep clean your home, the source of any smell will be eliminated.
To naturally freshen your home, open the windows to air out your home and reduce indoor pollution. A good air purifier with a HEPA filter can improve the air quality in your home. To add fragrance, place organic essential oils in reed diffusers or soak small pieces of cloth in lavender oil and place on a windowsill.
You don’t have to douse your home in strong pesticides to keep pests away. The best first step is prevention. Keep your home environment clean and free from food scraps and debris. If you do encounter pests, there are some natural repellents that work.
Potted basil plants will repel flies. Use a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water to dispel ants. Borax mixed with sugar is a natural roach killer. Place cinnamon sticks, cedar blocks, lavender sachets, and dried lemon peels in your drawers and closet that experience a moth infestation.
The U.S. Department of Energy reports that water heating accounts for about 18% of your utility bill, making it the second largest home utility expense. You can reduce that usage by turning down your water heater a degree or two. When spring cleaning, try to limit the amount of hot water you use. Don’t let the hot water run unless you are actively using it. Use a bucket for cleaning instead.
Many of the common cleaning tools and equipment we use is made from “virgin plastic,” which is plastic that is created from resin that has been newly processed without any recycled material.
A study by the Association of Plastic Recyclers shows that the production of virgin plastic requires three times as much energy as producing recycled plastic. Further, using recycled plastic resulted in a 50-80% reduction in the environmental impacts of energy, waste, and water runoff effects. Using natural products or those made from recycled plastic is better for the environment.
Harsh cleaning chemicals eventually make their way into our rivers, ponds, and lakes. Making the switch to natural products will cut down on these harmful effects. In addition, typical cleaning products can be harmful to humans and pets, which is why non-toxic cleaning products are important.
Many cleaning products use harmful toxins that can lead to injury or death if ingested. Switching to less harmful products can help, but all cleaning products should be stored out of the reach of children and pets, regardless of the type of product you use.
Discount Dumpster recognizes the importance of protecting the environment. We are proud to partner with the National Forest Foundation as a net-zero carbon company to help protect and enhance our 193 million acre National Forest system.
Each year, trees are planted on behalf of Discount Dumpster clients through the NFF program. A tree gets planted in one of the many U.S. National Forests with each dumpster we rent to our clients. This helps off-set our carbon footprint.
Spring-cleaning your home is the best way to make your home environment clean and healthy. As you visit each part of your home, make some changes to ensure your home is running in an environmentally conscious way. Include these updates, repairs, and changes as you work on your spring cleaning chores:
When all your spring cleaning chores and updates are done, you can take one final step to reduce any air pollution in your home. Place some live houseplants around your home.
Studies show that indoor houseplants improve indoor air and make interior breathing spaces healthier. They also improve your mood and can reduce stress and anxiety. The most effective air-cleaning plants include spider plants, Boston ferns, bamboo palms, and Ficus trees.
After spring cleaning, enjoy your clean and tidy home knowing it is safer and healthier for your family and guests. By using these environmentally-conscious tips and strategies, the world beyond your own home will also benefit and be healthier and cleaner as well.
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