Green Housecleaning

Cleaning house may not be everyone’s favourite activity, but did you know that some chemicals in household cleaners can be hazardous to your health? Instead of giving up housekeeping, consider using greener cleaning solutions. Green cleaners can often be made easily at home and do the job just as well as commercial alternatives.

Choosing Natural Cleaners

Deciding what chemicals we can eliminate from our homes means making decisions about what it means for something to be clean. Do we really need to kill all bacteria on every surface? In many cases, plain soap or vinegar gets things just as clean and avoids the overuse of antibacterial products, which can contribute to antibiotic resistant bacteria. Here are some suggestions for natural, green household cleaning products.

• Castille soap: great for cleaning surfaces like sinks, tubs, countertops, floors, cars and just about anything with a hard surface. Dr. Bronner’s castille soap is non-toxic and totally biodegrades within 28 days.
• Vinegar and water: an inexpensive and natural alternative to spray cleaners. Leaves a shine on windows, mirrors, chrome doorknobs and taps. If the smell of vinegar turns you off, add a drop or two of of a pleasant-smelling essential oil, like lavendar, orange or lemon.
• Baking soda: a simple paste made of baking soda and a little water is a powerful de-greaser for the area around stovetops, and helps scour away food that has scorched onto pots and baking dishes. Baking soda is also an excellent alternative to cream cleaners, and safely removes stains from porcelain bathtubs and sinks.
• Green laundry and dishwashing soaps: available from organic food markets (and increasingly found in regular supermarkets, too). Look for unscented, biodegradable and high-efficiency products.
• Green Bleach: much safer than chlorine bleach, hydrogen peroxide-based bleaches effectively remove stains from clothing while breaking down into oxygen and water.

Make the Switch

Every chemical we use in our houses and on our gardens goes into the air we breathe and the water we drink, so it’s worth switching over to greener cleaners. Most people already have vinegar and baking soda on hand at home, so it’s easy to give them a try. When purchasing cleaning products in the store, look for trusted brands like Seventh Generation and Ecover.

Websites like Healthy Child, Healthy World are good places to learn more about common household toxins. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember that every small change adds up over time, so try switching one cleaner at a time, and enjoy the fresher atmosphere in your home.

Michelle Carchrae is a freelance writer and homeschooling mom to two girls. With a serious love for Vancouver and an equally serious need to get out of the house with two young kids, Michelle searches out the best kid and parent friendly places to go. Michelle also writes about parenting at her blog, The Parent Vortex.