Green Cleaning

Even we were sceptical at first of ‘green cleaning!' But hot water and a microfiber cloth, and simple products like Bi-carb soda and white vinegar, really do work just as well as commecial chemical products. And they’re much better for our health, our pockets, and the environment!

For general surface cleaning, a wipe with a microfiber cloth and hot water often does the job, or use plain soap or diluted lemon juice. For more stubborn stains, like on cooktops and baths, we find adding water to bi-carb soda to make a paste, works well. If it’s extra stubborn we leave the bi-carb on to work away for 20 minutes or so, and then come back for a light scrub.

Vinegar’s a really useful disinfectant. To clean the toilet we splash some white vinegar in the bowl and leave it to sit for a while. Then all it needs is a scrub with the good old toilet brush. We also wipe down the toilet exterior with vinegar. Adding just a drop or two of an essential oil in the toilet bowl, or to the cardboard bit in the toilet roll gives the area a nice smell. 

To clean the floorboards we find a wet/dry microfiber mop really handy. It’s easy to move around and attracts all the dust – we just shake it off outside after sweeping each room. For washing the floorboards, we spot clean with a cloth and warm water where neccessary, or mop using 4 litres of warm water with ¼ cup of vinegar.

With laundry, at the moment we’re using Planet Ark’s Aware Eco Choice washing powder. But when that’s finished we’ll switch to a homemade mix of pure soap and washing soda – simple is always best!

For some more good ideas on green cleaning check out http://www.safersolutions.org.au. The free green cleaning workshops at Glengarry Cottage in Wollongong are helpful too – call 4262 5511 to find out when the next one’s on, or keep an eye out in ‘The Advertiser’ newspaper.