7 Small Ways to Green Your Cleaning Routine

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There are few people on this Earth who truly enjoy cleaning. That must be why the cleaning product market is so rife with ways to make cleaning more efficient and convenient — like easy-to-grab disinfecting wipes and disposable mop pads that you can toss instead of rinsing.

If ease-of-use is your number one goal, that’s great. But convenience often comes at a cost to the environment, and if you’re able to shift your priorities, it can have a big impact on the planet.

1. Keep your disposable mop handle, but swap the disposable pads for reusable, washable microfiber ones. These add-ons are designed to use the handle you know and love (and already have at home) but can be washed and repurposed over and over instead of tossing the pad at the end of each clean.
2. Trade your paper towels for sponge cloths, organic unbleached cotton cloths, or microfiber cloths. As a reformed paper-towel-cleaner, I promise you’ll get used to it. Find a place in or near the kitchen to store clean cloths, and keep a “kitchen hamper” to toss dirty ones into every few days. Because I use microfiber, my hamper is a Guppyfriend bag I hang from a hook — I toss the bag into the wash and it also helps keep microplastics from shedding into the wash water.
3. When you’re ready to toss your sponge, consider a dish brush.Cellulose dish sponges are great if you can compost them at the end of their life, but they do need to be replaced frequently, as often as once a week. A sturdy brush is still going to let you lather your dishes as you hand wash, but it can last a year or more with regular cleaning.
4. When you run out of dish detergent, try a dish soap bar.Your cleaners don’t have to come in a plastic bottle. Dish soap bars do the same job, but come packed and shipped in recyclable or compostable paper and cardboard instead. Keep one in a dish by the sink, lather up a brush and get to work.
5. When it’s time to re-up on cleaner, opt for a concentrate.When it comes to nearly any cleaner you use at home — from laundry detergent to dish detergent to granite cleaner — there’s a brand out there trying to make the supply chain smarter and more eco-friendly. Cleaning products are mostly water anyway, which is heavy, and you’re paying to have that shipped to you even though it comes out of a tap at home. These concentrates come in smaller packaging that’s usually recyclable, and allow you to dilute it yourself at home.
6. Trade your fabric softener sheets for wool dryer balls.Wool dryer balls absorb the heat from the dryer, helping to fluff and dry your clothes quickly, so you’re left with softer sheets and towels. If you want to add scent to your laundry, you can also drip some essential oils onto your dryer balls between loads.
7. Or, make your own cleaner! Baking soda, lemon juice, salt, vinegar — they’re pantry staples but also help create some excellent homemade cleaners. Use baking soda to de-grease in the kitchen, vinegar to clean scum in the bathroom, and lemon juice and salt to clean your cookware.

(Source: jetclass.pt.com)