Even when you’re trying to embrace nature (and all the dirt that comes with it), it goes without saying that it’s important to keep things clean. Unfortunately, many of our common cleaning habits leave something to be desired when it comes to sustainability. Here are some tips to making your routine cleaning more sustainable. Chores may not be fun, but they can still be green.
Ditch the disposables. Especially when cleaning, it may seem easier to use disposable products like paper towels. But think of all that paper waste! Next time you go to the store, instead of grabbing a big pack of paper towels that will only end up in a landfill, invest in a pack of washcloths. They will probably be about the same price, and you can use them again and again. Other disposable cleaning products are popular too, but all of these perform a function that something reusable can accomplish just as easily.
Whenever possible, sweep instead of vacuuming. Yes, it’s pretty ineffective to sweep a carpet, but for hard surface floors, there’s no need to bring electricity into the equation with an energy-using vacuum. Break out your broom and get down to business Cinderella style.
Use your dishwasher.* When it comes to washing dishes, there’s an ongoing debate over whether hand-washing or using a dishwasher is more sustainable. It seems that based on the average person’s dishwashing habits, using a dishwasher is the better choice—it tends conserve more water and energy than washing by hand. That depends on a several factors, though, including the size and efficiency of your dishwasher, the effectiveness of your dishwasher, and the conservation efforts of the hand-washer. If you tend to leave the water running while washing the dishes, you will probably use more water than your dishwasher.
*You can make hand-washing more sustainable than a dishwasher. Cut down on your water use by filling two sinks (or buckets within a sink)– one with warm soapy water for washing, and one with cool clean water for rinsing– and turning off the faucet. If you do choose to run the water for rinsing, keep the water pressure minimal. If you want to use the dishwasher, make sure to scrape all leftover food that you can into the compost or garbage, and only lightly rinse dishes (if absolutely necessary) before putting them in. Opt for washing large dishes (like pots, pans, and mixing bowls) by hand so you can fit more smaller dishes in the dishwasher and decrease the frequency you need to run it.
In the laundry room resides one of the single-most energy consuming appliances in a house—the dryer. One of the best ways to make a big impact on the sustainability of your laundry is to use the dryer as little as possible. Hang damp clothes from a clothesline, a shower rod (on hangers), or a drying rack instead. (This will also prolong the life of your clothes, because every time you clean out the lint trap from your dryer, the lint you find there is fabric the dryer has eaten away from your clothes. Save your clothes! Hang them to dry!)
Finally, one of the biggest changes you can make is to reevaluate the products you use to clean. So many of the conventional cleaners are full of harsh chemicals that are not only harmful to our environment, but dangerous to our health as well. You can do a little research and see which “green” alternative brands better fit your lifestyle and really live up to their own claims. This site grades them (and thousands of other products) on their environmental impact. (Or if you want an easy list with familiar brands already made up, you can look here.)
The best option, though, is to brew up some of your own cleaners from natural ingredients that won’t harm the environment or threaten your health. Just about anything in a house can be cleaned with some combination of water, white vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, and essential oils. These inexpensive, common household ingredients pack a serious punch when it comes to cleaning, and are easy to combine to make everything from dish detergent to carpet cleaner. (As an added bonus, they are much cheaper than conventional cleaning products.)
The sustainable crowd may have a reputation as a bunch of “dirty hippies,” but with a few simple changes, everyday chores can become part of a clean, green, eco-routine.