4 Ways to Green The Way You Clean
Posted on October 2, 2015
As the weather gets cooler, we seal up our homes and a healthy indoors becomes more important than ever. Green cleaning reduces the toxic chemicals we might be breathing in and keeps them out of our waterways and potentially our drinking water. Here are 4 easy ways you can clean a little more green:
1. Make your own Products Make your own all-purpose cleaner from a recipe found on our online Green Cleaning tip sheet. Or you can purchase a recipe book from our EcoStore for just $9 (with recipes we've tried, tested and approved). Or make an all-purpose cleaner, tub-scrub and toilet bowl cleaner to take home at our Green Cleaning Workshop coming up Oct. 8th.
2. Purchase Natural Products There are brands out there, such as Nature Clean and Aspen Clean that make natural and healthy cleaning products. You should be able to find a few green brands at conventional grocery stores (but watch out for green washing!) and local stores such as Community Natural Foods, Amaranth Foods and Sunnyside Market have a great selection.
3. Use a Green Cleaning Service If you have a cleaning service, you can ask them to use natural products. Aspen Clean is a great residential cleaning company that specializes in natural cleaning. Looking for commercial green cleaning services? Contact Swish Maintenance for a list of their commercial customers to whom they supply green commercial cleaners to. They do offer conventional cleaning products, too, so be sure to specify you're looking for green cleaning specifically.
4. Research Labels Did you know manufacturers of cleaning products aren't required by law to list all of a product’s ingredients on the label? You can see what’s in your cleaning supplies, and their effects on your health and the environment, from The EWG’s database of over 2000 products. Or check out our Green Cleaning Workshop to help you figure out what to look for so you don't get bamboozled by pretty marketing!
And finally, if you need to dispose of toxic cleaners that you already have in your home, The City of Calgary has an online map of designated drop off locations. Please don't pour them down the drain where they can end up in waterways, polluting our environment and potentially our drinking water.
The ingredients to make most green cleaning products may already be in your pantry and making your own can be more affordable and fun if you get your family involved on a weekend afternoon. Enjoy breathing the healthy air that comes from cleaning green, and stay tuned for our blog on natural personal care products coming up later this month...
