Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Today

Earth Friendly is the right and only way to go today. While keeping your house squeaky clean is everybody’s goal, it is crucial that the environmental needs are observed in the process and the number one rule is preservation. What good is a beach house if the sea is no longer there? What good is a mansion if your front lawn is a desert? Take your time and think about it.

Lots of house cleaning products are also environmentally friendly (also called “eco-friendly”) are now available thanks to advances in scientific studies. The list of eco-friendly products include the commercial product cleaners you can find at the nearest grocery store or supermarket. So far only a handful of manufacturers are able to come up with eco-friendly cleaning products but as any market analysts will tell you, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the competition follows suit.

However, keep a wary eye out for those products claiming to be eco-friendly but not living up to the true standards we all believe in. Constant vigilance and research is unfortunately the only way to weed out those companies who are using eco-friendly terms without truely living up to our requirements. (Learn how to choose a cleaning product)

Home-made Household Cleaners

Aside from eco-friendly commercial cleaning products, there are also a number of other cleaning solutions that are just as, if not more, environmentally friendly than those manufactured products. The good thing is they can be found right inside your house. Yes, we’re talking about natural cleaning materials and that includes vinegar, orange rinds, salt, hot water and many other things you find in a regular kitchen.

Let’s discuss by example. Instead of using a chemical solution to clean your dishwasher, you can also use Tang orange juice to do the same thing. Just pour some Tang solution into the dishwasher’s water supply and turn it on. This should leave the compartment squeaky clean and smelling fresh and fruity. The same goes for fruits as deodorizers. You can use lemon rinds (For other uses of lemon, read 15 alternative uses for lemon) or cinnamon sticks dissolved in water to wipe the tables and the kitchen counter tops . The house smells better and the environment is happy.

Some people think that a vacuum cleaner with a lot of watts means that it’s more powerful and useful. While a high-wattage vacuum cleaner is indeed a very powerful piece of equipment, it also means that it consumes a lot of power. A vacuum cleaner can sometimes consume all the electricity needed to power on every appliance in a small home-theater system.

A vacuum cleaner itself does not pollute the environment, but the fuel from power plants do. Coal, petroleum, and other fossil fuels burned in power plants all contribute to global warming and the greenhouse effect. If everyone turned on a high-powered vacuum cleaner at the same time, you can only imagine how much fuel it takes to keep them running.

When you buy a vacuum cleaner, pay attention to other things aside from the wattage and power. You should consider the following things before you look at the wattage:

• Cleaning attachments

• Motor ratio

• Size

The type of the vacuum cleaner can also play a role in how much power it consumes. Most upright vacuum cleaners have bigger motors, which means that they need a lot of power to operate. Whenever you can, buy a hose-type or canister-type vacuum cleaner, which uses less power but can get to those hard-to-reach places.

Cleaning your home does not have to consume valuable natural resources. All you need in a vacuum cleaner is a way to suck up dust and grime, and you don’t need a lot of power to do that. If you learn from reading this article, might as well read how to vacuum properly.

We all know that a molecule of water is made from two molecules of hydrogen and one molecule of oxygen. The problem is that no two sources of water are the same. Even “pure” water can contain impurities that greatly influence its ability to dissolve substances, such as cleaning liquids. You may have heard of the words “hard” and “soft” used to describe water, but what exactly is “hard water” and “soft water?”

Hard Water

Hard water is a kind of water that is rich in minerals. If your community sources water from an underground aquifer or the water table, chances are that you may have hard water coming from your tap. Hard water has concentrations of calcium and magnesium dissolved in the water, and does not dissolve chemicals very well. Hard water is not harmful, and is used by about 90% of the households in the United States.

Soft Water

Unlike hard water, soft water contains little to no traces of minerals. While soft water is not necessarily more pure than hard water, it does make its way through pipes and the community water system faster than hard water. Not too many places in the United States contain a supply of soft water, although most communities add water-softening agents to water reservoirs that pump water to homes.

How to Test for Hard Water

If you’re not sure as to what kind of water is supplied to your home, here are some ways you can test for hard water:

• Soap, toothpaste, and other liquids do not make a good lather in hard water.

• When water is boiled and allowed to cool, hard water leaves white, chalky deposits at the bottom of the kettle.

• Hard water typically has a sharper, almost stony taste compared to soft water.

• Hard water forms soap scum.

• Tips on how to get rid of hard water

Now that you know the different kinds of water available for you to use in your home with, you may want to ask your community leaders or your Mayor to make the switch from hard to soft water.

Many cleaning products have “fragrance” listed as one of its main ingredients. While it’s a very attractive ingredient and selling point for many cleaning products, most chemicals labeled as “fragrance” are dangerous and harmful to the environment.

Most fragrances in cleaning products, especially cleaning sprays and odor removal sprays, are based on a chemical called toluene. Toluene is a product derived and synthesized from petroleum, which is the same source of gasoline, diesel, and other fuel. Toluene is also an active ingredient in dynamite.

When inhaled in large doses, toluene can cause lung damage, eye irritation, and even suffocation. If you have to use a deodorant spray, use it sparingly. As soon as you can detect the smallest hint of the fragrance, you have sprayed enough. Better yet, hold off on air fresheners altogether. Clean homes don’t need the use of air fresheners at all. If you learn from this article, you’ll surely be interested in learning how to choose a cleaning prodcut.

A rule that any environmentally aware housekeeper should know is that if there are ingredients that you can’t read what’s on the label, then it is not something you should use to clean your home. Ingredients that sound complicated are toxic, and can cause medical complications like allergies and even cancer. While these cleaning agents claim to be more effective at cleaning tough stains, you’re better off sticking with all-natural ingredients.

While you can’t avoid having a few toxic chemicals around, it’s better to restock your cleaning closet with environmentally-friendly products. It pays to read labels carefully, because some manufacturers may claim to have “all-natural” ingredients, but add toxic compounds into the mixture.

For an environmentally-friendly home, you should only stock your cleaning closet with three toxic chemicals:

• Hydrochloric (muriatic) acid

• Chlorine bleach

• Drain cleaner.

Remember to keep these three chemicals sealed and stored properly out of the reach of children. You should also go through your other cleaning chemicals. Remember that if you can’t read an ingredient, chances are that it’s harmful and unsafe for use. You should properly dispose of small bottles of toxic cleaning chemicals that have those long, scientific-sounding names.

Reorganizing your cleaning closet to be more environmentally-friendly is not only good for you, but is also good for the environment. For more information regarding this article, read how to choose a cleaning product and as a bonus here’s a tip on how to make all purpose spray cleaner.

Vinegar is very useful for adding some bite to your dishes, but you can also use it as a very effective cleaning ingredient. The acidity of vinegar makes it a perfect cleaning agent. Besides its effectiveness, it is also natural, which means that it is harmless to the environment and to the people living in your home. Here are some great cleaning ideas that use vinegar:

• To unclog sink drains, pour one cup of baking soda and two cups of vinegar down the clogged drain, and flush it down with hot water afterwards.

• To clean glassware, soak tissue paper in pure distilled white vinegar, and wrap the cloudy glassware with it. Let the glasses stand for half an hour, and clean them with soap and hot water.

• To remove smells from refrigerators and food containers, wash them with a sponge soaked in hot white vinegar.

• To remove tarnish, rub a paste made from equal parts of table salt and distilled white vinegar.

• To deodorize a toilet bowl or a urinal, pour three cups of warm white vinegar in the toilet, and allow it to sit for 45 minutes before you flush it. (More tips on how to get rid of toilet odors)

Vinegar is more than just a way to flavor your dishes or to dip potato chips in. The next time you buy vinegar from the grocery, buy those giant gallon bottles. Not only do you have a great way to add flavor to a meal, but also a great cleaning ingredient at your disposal. For more uses of vinegar, read 25 other uses for vinegar.

Most people waste a lot of water when they clean a car. Water that comes out of a garden hose may not seem like much, but wasted water all adds up. You can save a lot of precious drops of water if you follow a few easy steps:

• Wash your car yourself. Some professional car wash shops waste a lot of water from rinse cycles. You can save yourself a lot of money and save the Earth a lot of water by washing your car at home.
• Use buckets instead of a garden hose. Whenever you rinse your car, make sure to use just enough water. Three or four plastic oil drums full of water are all you need to rinse off the suds.
• Use rinse-less washing products. If you live in an area where water is scarce, you can save a lot of water by using car wash products that do not need water to be rinsed off. Rinse-less products can be bought from auto supply stores.
• More tips on The Guide to car cleaner.

Water is a precious resource that we should all save and preserve. By using less water on your weekly car wash, you can save yourself and the Earth precious drops of life. For more information regarding this article, read how to save the planet.

Oil spills are a major ecological catastrophe. Millions of barrels of crude oil leak from old tanker ships into the oceans of the world. Major oil spills like the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and the 1991 Persian Gulf oil spill made international headlines, calling for a stop to oil spills. (For more information on oil spills, read The Guide to Oil spills)

Before scientists discovered environmentally friendly ways to get rid of oil spills, the only way to get rid of a major spill is to burn the oil. While controlled burning can get rid of oil spills, burning crude oil can result in massive air pollution that can be worse than the oil spill.

Scientists have developed a process called “bioremediation,” which is a safe and environmentally friendly way to get rid of toxic chemical pollution like oil spills. In bioremediation, microorganisms like fungi, bacteria, and algae are used to clean up dangerous oil slicks. These environmentally friendly super-bacteria love to eat chemical contaminants, and restore the polluted environment back to its original clean state.

Bioremediation is not only useful for cleaning up oil slicks. The new innovation is also used to clean underground water reservoirs, polluted soil, and in many other applications involving toxic chemicals.

While most germs can be harmful, good germs like oil-eating bacteria can be a great way to clean the environment. With more scientific discoveries on the horizon, we may very well be cleaning with germs. If you learn from reading this article, you’ll surely learn more from reading how to get rid of oil stains on pavement.

Styrofoam packaging – whether it comes in packing pellets or with your fast-food take-out – is harmful to the environment. Styrofoam is not recyclable, non-biodegradable, and highly toxic. While waste disposal facilities are the best way to dispose of old Styrofoam containers you may have around the house, it is still best to avoid using Styrofoam packaging. Here are some ideas on how you can save the environment by avoiding Styrofoam packages:

• If you place take-out orders over the phone, ask for paper or plastic packaging.

• Whenever you order coffee at a coffee shop, ask for a thick paper cup, or better yet a ceramic mug, instead of the usual Styrofoam cup.

• Ask the courier service to pack a heavy package with shredded newspapers or old rags instead of Styrofoam pellets.

• Do not crush old Styrofoam trays or plates. Instead, pack them whole into a large garbage bag and take them to a waste disposal facility equipped to handle them.

• Do not burn old Styrofoam utensils.

There really is nothing complicated about doing your part in helping the environment. By properly disposing of old Styrofoam packages, you are a step closer to a healthier, cleaner planet. If you learn from this article, you’ll surely get more information by reading how to save the planet.

You may find many “all-natural” cleaning products on the market, but as soon as you read the label, you may find all sorts of chemicals that are hard to spell and even harder to pronounce. Imagine cleaning your home with toxic chemicals like “salicylazosulfapyridine” or “trichlorobiphenyl.” Wouldn’t you want to clean your home with something safe, environmentally friendly, and with a name you can actually pronounce?

All-natural fruit juices are more than just refreshing drinks, they can also be very useful for day to day cleaning. Here are some interesting, harmless, all-natural juices you can use to clean your home:

Lemon Juice

Lemon-scented cleaning products have long been a mainstay for supermarkets. A cup of lemon juice mixed with water and rubbing alcohol makes a very effective window cleaner. (Tips on how to zest a lemon)

Apple Juice

Apples do more than clean and detoxify your digestive system. Apple juice, especially a glass made from Granny Smith apples, can be very effective ways to remove foul odors when you defrost your refrigerator overnight. Leave a glass inside the refrigerator during the defrost cycle. (More tips on how to get rid of refrigerator smells)

Orange Juice

Forget about prepackaged “all-natural” orange juice that comes in a can or from a box. The freshly-squeezed juice of one orange, when mixed in with your laundry before the final rinse cycle, can give your clothes a fresh, summery smell.

One thing good about cleaning with all-natural fruit juices is that you can make a big batch of juice not just for cleaning, but to refresh yourself as well. If you can’t pronounce it, then you certainly don’t want to use it. All-natural juice can be a very effective way to clean your home.