Household: Top Tips for Eco Cleaning

"If you are trying to clean in a more eco-conscious and sustainable way, then it can be very overwhelming when you first start. The amount of information out there about environmentally friendly cleaning is mind boggling, making it hard to know what works and what doesn’t."

The good news is that making just one or two small swaps can have a big effect. You don’t have to go cold turkey and throw away all of your regular household cleaners right away. It is much better to make one small change at a time, wait for the new habit to form and then if you want to, add in another.

Here are my top tips for anyone who is just starting out and trying to clean in a more eco-friendly way:

If you are a regular user of disposable antibacterial wipes then this is the easiest things to swap out first. Not only will you save yourself money, but you will be saving the planet too. A while ago I stopped using disposable wipes and disposable dishcloths and replaced them with good old fashioned (the type your Nana used to have) dishcloths. I boil wash them to keep them clean.

Open the windows and allow the fresh air to circulate around the rooms (even in the Winter months). This will massively reduce the need to use room perfumes or air fresheners, which can add to the air pollution in our homes.

Damp dusting is really simple and is an effective way to stop the dust from spreading into the air. This makes it perfect if anyone in your home suffers from allergies. To damp dust, take any type of cloth, dampen with water and use it to get the dust off the surfaces. Because the cloth is damp the dust will stick and will lift from the furniture without it travelling into the air.

Another great way to dust in an eco-friendlier way is to use the brush attachment on your vacuum. It is the perfect way to tackle things like your skirting boards, hard to reach cobwebs and your soft furnishings.

If you are fighting a loosing battle with your windows and no matter how hard you try you just can’t seem to get them streak free, the chances are it is because you have got product build up from all of the lotions and potions that you have previously used. The best way to tackle this is to get some hot soapy water and clean the windows really well (you will need to make sure you work hard at this – your arm should ache!) Once you have removed all of the product build up then you can buff them up to a lovely shine using just vinegar and water. I use a one part water and one part white vinegar. If you are worried about the smell of vinegar don’t be, once it is dry it is odourless.

You can drastically reduce the amount of cleaning products that you are using in the kitchen by replacing them with good old fashioned hot soapy water. One of the best ways to cut through grease in the kitchen is to use washing up liquid (after all if it is good enough to cut through the grease on your pots and pans then it stands to reason that it will be fab on your hob!). Not only does this mean that you are cutting down on cleaning products, you will also be freeing up storage space. It is a win win!

Don’t rely purely on products to do all the hard work for you. You can decrease the amount of products you need by ramping up your effort. The more elbow grease you put into your cleaning the cleaner things will be.

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