In this article, we will share 10 eco-friendly cleaning tips from our residential cleaning services in Toronto so you can do your part to help save the planet.
1. Create your own multi-purpose cleaner
This truly is the easiest and, might we add, most affordable option to tackle house cleaning with a clean conscience! DIY cleaning products are easy to make and use with items you likely have in your pantry. Some common environmentally-friendly DIY cleaning ingredients include lemons, baking soda, and vinegar.
You can make your own multipurpose solution by combining 1 cup of white vinegar, 1 cup of water, and 30 drops of your essential oil of choice to create a cleaner that smells like your idea of heaven. Feel free to experiment with different oil blends to make your own signature fragrance!
2. Choose reusable cleaning tools
Reusable cleaning tools such as wet mops with microfiber cloths help reduce waste produced from house cleaning. Stop throwing out single-use items for tools like wet mops.
Instead, you can ace your cleaning with the power of microfiber cloths that can be tossed in the laundry instead of the trash and, ultimately, the local landfill site. Choosing microfiber cloths over sponges and paper towels makes a big difference.
3. Use products with eco-friendly containers
Although plastic can be recycled, you can find eco-friendly containers, with emerging “boutique” cleaning brands filling the gaps of the eco-friendly niche. Although they often cost a little more, specialty cleaning brands are gaining attention in the cleaning industry.
Products made for use in reusable spray bottles take a unique approach to packaging. For example, you can buy tablets you drop into a spray bottle filled with water or vinegar. The tablets come in paper packaging that goes into your recycle bin.
4. Use natural laundry products
House cleaning flushes contaminated water into our local sewage systems, contributing to issues with local wildlife and drinking water. Laundry products containing harsh chemicals like bleach are a perfect example.
Choosing phosphate, bleach, and fragrance-free laundry products helps reduce pollutants. Keep in mind that reducing harsh chemicals in laundry detergents also decreases exposure to certain chemicals that stay in your body forever, contributing to health issues over time.
5. Avoid materials from non-renewable resources
Non-renewable resources like petroleum-based plastics are used in many cleaning tools like mops. Along with those washable mop heads, choosing tools that are made of wood or bamboo are much better for the environment. Sustainable materials, like straw for brooms and bamboo used on handles, have a far less negative impact on the planet.
6. If it isn’t broken, don’t toss it
We get it. You see the latest wet mop product, or some ultra-tough scrubbing brush, and you think, “Wow, that would make my life so much easier!” The next thing you know, you’re tossing out all kinds of cleaning tools that are in fine condition. The materialistic lifestyle is the number one enemy when it comes to landfill sites.
The longer you use something, the less you throw away, and the less impact your carbon footprint has on the environment. So, as the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, and as a green warrior, if it ain’t broke, don’t toss it!
7. Discover the cleaning power of vinegar and baking soda
Yes, we did already mention the benefits of vinegar, but this is a different recipe. Vinegar and baking soda make a powerful cleaning solution for tackling tough, caked-on messes that call for something abrasive.
A sprinkle of baking soda spritzed with vinegar can tackle grease, scum, and crusty build-up while removing odours, along with germs and bacteria. Miraculous? We like to think so.
8. Lemony fresh cleaning magic
There’s a reason so many cleaning products claim to be “lemony fresh.” People have been using lemons to keep their homes clean and fresh for centuries. You can tackle the following cleaning jobs using these lemony-fresh tips:
- Sprinkle salt on your cutting board and scrub it with half a lemon as a food-safe cleaner.
- Put some lemon slices in a suitable container with water and place it in your oven or microwave on medium-high heat to create steam to loosen gunk and grease.
- Feed some lemon slices into your food disposal system as a powerful deodorizer.
- Ditto for removing odours from your kitchen drain with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
- Scrub bathroom surfaces with a sprinkle of baking soda and a spritz of fresh lemon juice to deodorize and sanitize your bathroom.
9. Remove odours with essential oils
Instead of depending on store-bought odour-removing products like sprays, create your own home-refreshing scents using essential oils. As mentioned above, essential oils can be mixed into your DIY cleaning products, creating mood-changing scents that keep your Toronto home smelling wonderful and your mood relaxed or invigorated, depending on what oils you choose.
Use your essential oil signature fragrance to create a linen spray with equal parts distilled water, witch hazel, and up to 30 drops of your essential oil. You can spritz linens and soft surfaces lightly to remove odours.
You can also create a dry cleaning powder to refresh extra-stinky carpets and soft furnishings (think of pet odours) with 1 cup of baking soda combined with 1–30 drops of essential oil. Be sure to let the powder dry and shake it well to avoid clumping. Vacuum the powder up after letting it sit for at least 20 minutes.
10. Invest in a steam cleaner
Steam defeats just about any caked-on, greasy, stubborn mess you can think of. Investing in a steam cleaner is worth it as you’ll also reduce the amount of cleaning products and tools you need. As a result, you save money in the long run. Steam cleaners can be used on a long list of cleaning woes, including:
- Killing bacteria and germs in the bathroom on all surfaces.
- Loosening gunk so it can be wiped away.
- Cleaning baked-on food on the stove, in the oven, and in the microwave.
- Disinfecting countertops.
- Cleaning and disinfecting tile floors and walls.
- Cleaning your dishwasher.
- Removing calcium build-up from faucets, shower heads, water/ice dispensers, etc.
- Cleaning the toilet.
- Cleaning window and sliding door tracks.
- Removing wallpaper or old shelving paper.
Contact the Toronto Cleaning Professionals
These cleaning tips will help keep your home clean, germ-free, and smelling heavenly.
If this all sounds like way too much work, enlist our residential cleaning services in Toronto to tackle the cleaning for you. Click here to learn more about our services at Maid4Condos. You can call us at 647-822-0601 or contact us online.
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