It's the second week of May, which means we have 3 full weeks left of Spring Cleaning goodness! (Yes, I said goodness.) For the rest of the month we'll be providing you with a daily Spring Cleaning Tip to help you clean your home efficiently and thoroughly. We begin with an overarching "green clean" theme to keep in mind for the next month: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle...
Spring Cleaning Tip #1: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
You've all heard this one before, but it's good to be reminded of what those words actually mean, and how pertinent they are to your cleaning habits:
Reduce:
• Don't use 10 paper towels to clean your mirror if you could use one. (Better yet, don't use any and switch to cloth.)
• Be conservative with your cleaning supplies. You probably don't need as much to do the job as you're currently squirting out. Start with half as much and see how far it gets you.
• When running the vacuum, try to compensate for the extra energy use by turning off some of your lights.
• Don't spray your shower every day. It's probably not going to help all that much, and you're more likely just wasting money. Better to just do a good cleaning once a week.
Reuse:
• Reusable cleaning cloths! Try and break the disposable habit. (This includes Swiffers, paper towels, Clorox wipes, etc...)
• Have clothing and household goods you want to get rid of? Have a garage sale. Donate them to a thrift store. Sell them through eBay or Craigslist. Do a free exchange/gift through Freecycle. List items online you'd like to give to charities or a non-profit at Throwplace.
• Instead of buying brand new cleaning supplies, use ingredients you already have — like vinegar, baking soda, and vodka — to make your own non-toxic cleaners.
&bull: Got newspaper? Use it to clean your mirror and windows, and also do 80 other things.
Recycle
• You already know about paper and plastic, but for other items check out The Internet Consumer Recycling Guide as well as this comprehensive list of Recycling Resources.
• Don't throw out your dryer lint. Recycle it.
What other 3R cleaning tips do you have?
Further Reading:
• Resources: The Greenest Dollar
• Environmental Tips for Individuals
Comments (4)
Top Tours
- Donna & Riley's Zero Energy Idea House
- Katy and Tighe's Cozy Island Cottage
- Matthew and Emma's Eco Environment
- Green Home Tour: Erica Tanov's Secondhand Beauty
- Monte-Silo House made from Two Corrugated Grain Silos
Top Posts
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Lol, I was going to suggest using newspaper to clean the mirror instead of paper towels! I'm glad that was brought up at the end. Well done!
view bfootnovellista's profile
My mom always recommends just drying off the shower with a towel (using the same one all week) and says that she doesn't need to wash hers nearly as often as she did in the past.
I have never gotten good about doing this myself because I'm almost always rushing in the morning and don't particularly care if my shower gets dirty.
I use baking soda and vinegar to clean almost everything though. I really like not having a bunch of different cleaning products, and I don't have to worry about my pets getting into something and hurting themselves with the chemicals.
view Erica in DC's profile
As far as reusing goes, I don't have any magic tricks up my sleeve: I don't turn water into wine, for instance; but I can indeed turn a wine bottle into a lamp. Fun project:
http://www.SustainableSuppers.com
view Frugalista's profile
\
good list :)
another to the reuse segment:
instead of buying those non-biodegradable plastic liners for our draws an cabinets and shelves...I reuse news paper to line them...also...i made paper bags out of these newspapers to use them to line my trash can...being minimal with wastage, i dont have to worry about leakage and stuff because, whatever minimal liquid drains from the trash i throw in it is absorbed by the paper bag and dries up n its own...so sticky garbage in my house....these and more, I tend do my two cents worth.
view susrith's profile