Environmentally Friendly Alternatives To Regular Cleaning Products
There are many chemical-laden cleaning products that people use in their homes. These cleaners can be unhealthy, and the lack of regulation surrounding VOCs has allowed many manufacturers to not be concerned with how their products may affect us over time.
Cleaning your house regularly with these chemicals is very unhealthy, which leads to a prolonged period of time. Plus, they’re expensive!
There are six alternatives to regular cleaning products that you can use at home – Vinegar, Baking Soda, Borax, The Dish Soap Method, Lemon Juice, and Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products (ECPs). All of these options will work just as well if not better than your typical chemical-laden ones without the side effects or high cost!
Why You Should Switch To Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products
If you’re like most people, you probably use cleaning products to make your house look and smell clean. While the use of these products may remove dirt and grime, they also contain many chemicals that can be harmful to our health when not used properly.
The biggest issue with using chemical-based cleaners is that they are “volatile organic compounds”, or VOCs. This means that they are potentially dangerous to our health and the environment.
VOCs can cause a number of illnesses, among which include certain types of cancer, reproductive system disorders, birth defects, asthma, and neurological damage. These chemicals don’t just disappear after they have been used- in fact, they can take years to break down.
The chemicals continue to affect users and those in the surrounding areas for a prolonged period of time, and the lack of regulation surrounding VOCs has allowed many manufacturers to not be concerned with how their products may affect us over time.
If you are a new parent this should be really alarming to you. Invest in an eco baby detergent, rather than other more traditional detergents. This will be softer on your skin as well as theirs and could prevent a bunch of the issues we mentioned earlier.
Homemade vs. Store-Bought Cleaners
Now that you know why you should be making the switch you’re probably wondering whether it’s more beneficial to make your own cleaners, or if you should simply purchase them from the store.
It really depends on what you’re looking to get out of the process. Homemade cleaners tend to be cheaper, but if you have the budget for it, buying eco-cleaning products sold at a store is certainly fine. If you do opt for making your own cleaners though, there are many recipes online so anyone can give it a try!
All in all, cleaning your house doesn’t have to be a difficult process. There are many alternatives out there for all sorts of surfaces and objects. Let’s look at a few of them below.
1) Vinegar
This one has been around the longest and works by breaking down grease and removing odors. You can either use it diluted with water or full strength. It also kills mold spores when used undiluted on tough stains like blood or ink. Just be sure not to mix it with other cleaners because vinegar breaks down their effectiveness too. Plus, it’s cheap!
2) Baking Soda
Baking soda has a wide variety of uses. It works as a gentle abrasive cleaner that’s safe for all surfaces and is especially good on tubs, sinks, and toilets. You can use it to scrub away stains from your car or appliances too. One thing to keep in mind is that you’ll want to mix it with a little water otherwise the powder can scatter when you try to wipe it up.
3) Borax
Borax is another one that’s been around for quite some time. It was originally developed in the 1800s as an alternative to soap when people started realizing just how bad regular soaps were on their clothes. Borax has antibacterial properties, meaning that if you use it to clean your tub or tiles, it’ll kill all of the germs in those areas!
Another great use for borax is washing laundry – using 1/4 cup per load will eliminate all odors and help with smelliness in clothes. Plus, you can reuse the leftover liquid by spraying down surfaces like toilets and counters to do a quick clean.
4) Lemon Juice
Believe it or not, this one is probably the easiest replacement on our list because it simply requires squeezing lemons into water! The acidic nature of lemons makes them great for cutting through tough stains like dirt or grime.
Some other good uses for lemon juice include polishing chrome surfaces to help get rid of water spots and even cleaning your appliances with it! Just be careful not to use too much on delicate surfaces like Formica, since it can eat away at the finish.
5) The Dish Soap Method
This method is pretty much the same as using dish soap to clean your bathroom mirror. Use a cotton ball or piece of cloth to dampen with dish soap and wipe down surfaces- this will leave them shiny and streak-free! If you don’t have any dish soap on hand, diluted vinegar works well too.
6) Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products
There are many companies that now produce cleaning products that are safe for the environment. These alternatives are often packed full of natural ingredients that leave behind a nice earthy scent instead of harsh chemicals. Unlike regular cleaners, these environmentally friendly ones won’t strip all the oils from your skin after repeated use.
Choosing the correct cleaning product for your home is a decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly especially since there are so many alternatives out there. We hope that you found these six environment-friendly alternatives to regular cleaning products helpful.
There are many household items that can be used in place of your typical cleaners, and most of them will work just as well if not better than the chemical-laden ones. As an added bonus, most of these alternatives are quite inexpensive to buy, especially when you compare them to how expensive some cleaners are!
