In recognition of Earth Day and the world coming back to life, we want to celebrate! It is not your typical celebration, but more of an enlightenment towards a greener path. The past 15 years have been an explosion with eco-friendly focus, but we still have a long way to go. We hope this blog helps you add some sustainable cleaning hacks to your routine!
1. Ditch Air Spray. Instead, use nature!
We know you LOVE canned air sprays, but that is a lot of chemicals you do not need in your air. It is also a waste of buying a bottle that might never break down and could end up in the ocean! Instead, open the windows. Fresh air can make all the difference. If that doesn’t suffice, try some other natural tricks, like keeping fresh flowers or baking cookies. Fill your home with broad green leaf plants. They might not have that flowery smell, but they filter the air. Peace Lilies are a great choice. Here is a list of air purifying plants!
2. Natural Solutions for Your Carpet
If there is a smell coming from your carpet, baking soda (among its many brilliant uses) is an exceptional odor eliminator. Just sprinkle liberally on the carpet. Wait a few hours or ideally overnight to let the baking soda absorb the odors. Then just vacuum up! If your carpet still smells, try repeating this method. Look into baking soda for more sustainable cleaning hacks!
If the odor is still there, it is time to get the carpets professionally cleaned! Olmec Reflections uses very little chemicals, which are all environmentally safe. The deep clean is in the hot steam and water extraction. Your carpet particles are penetrated deep down to get a thorough clean as well as removing odors.
3. Choose Green Vendors
Make sure your service vendors use eco-friendly methods. For example, few people realize that some traditional dry-cleaning practices put the earth and our health at risk. Choose a facility that does not use the chemical perchloroethylene (also called perc, tetrachloroethylene, C2Cl4 and Cl2C=CCl2). This chemical has linked to some terrible effects when there is high exposure, such as reduced fertility, skin irritations, and increase risks to different cancers.
You might experience none of the risks yourself, but choosing to give your money to a vendor that is not making responsible changes could lead to the employees risking their health from having high exposure. When we buy products and services, we vote for what practices and solutions will go on into the future to become successful.
4. Avoid Anti-Bacterial Cleaners
By now, we have all had to revisit how to properly wash our hands. We have also learned that anti-bacterial and anti-microbial cleaners make us more susceptible to sickness. When you use these unnecessary chemicals, they cause the surviving bacteria to have resistant offspring, aka super germs. Studies show that children who grow up with pets and often play in the dirt are less susceptible to allergies than those that didn’t. Dirt and germs are everywhere and should be avoided in mass, but a little actually helps. Instead, use sustainable cleaning methods such as vinegar and water for windows and surfaces!
5. Stop Buying So Much Plastic
This is one of the biggest challenges we face today. Most of the plastic we are using is single-use plastics. This means they cannot be recycled, even if they have a recycling symbol on them. Making the choice to ditch plastic isn’t easy, as it is in everything! Start where you can.
Look for greener solutions to everyday purchases, such as garbage bags. Did you know there are compostable ones?! When considering dish cleaning liquid or household cleaners, consider buying in bulk or making your own and reusing bottles. Water and vinegar are a great cleaning solution. Use natural cleaning cloths and scrubbers instead of plastic scrubbers and synthetic sponges. Use natural rubber gloves. The list goes on! Here’s a list of 100 ways to reduce your plastic use, if you are interested in furthering your plastic reduction.
Bottom Line for Sustainable Cleaning Hacks
Our health and the earth’s health are in our hands. Making small efforts can lead to big differences and change perspectives about our place in this world. Some changes will be easier than others. Embrace the ones you can make now and plan for future ones. If you are looking for greener vendors, don’t forget Olmec Reflections! Ask us about our green practices today!