Cleaning Tips #1
July 6, 2009
This past spring, we did an 8 week series on Green Spring Cleaning but since then, I’ve discovered a few more simple cleaning tips I wanted to share.
Rugs – we had 2 wool rugs in our house that I rolled up and stored for the summer. I replaced them with natural fiber rugs ( jute and seagrass ) just to make our house a little ‘lighter’ in the summer. The biggest thing I noticed was a huge decrease in dust on our furniture. We’ve had wool rugs in our house for years and I never realized how much they contributed to the level of dust – they likely will not be coming back in the fall!
DIY Glass Cleaning Solution – I’ve used a vinegar/water combo for years to clean glass and it worked pretty well. I occasionally got some streaking but nothing I was going out to buy Windex for. When we finally got around to cleaning all of our windows, I needed to make a fresh batch of glass cleaner so I decided to see if there were any different recipes ‘on the market’ ( I always like to try something new ). I found an Annie Bond recipe that worked fantastically and wanted to make sure to pass it on! Combine 2 cups of water, 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar, and up to 1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap or detergent in a spray bottle. I have a big spray bottle so I made a double batch, using liquid dish soap and my windows are sparkling, inside and out.
Vacuums - My vacuum and I had a huge “ah ha” moment over the weekend. Who knew vacuums could have 4 filters that need to be cleaned every 3-6 months? Obviously, not me. I have ( very unregularly ) cleaned 3 filters on my vacuum because they are reusable and can be washed in the sink ( love that ! ) but until I read the manual, I didn’t know that the HEPA filter was NOT one of those three. Here I am thinking I’m keeping allergens down in our house with all my crazy vacuuming and then I find out that I haven’t changed the HEPA filter since I got the vacuum ( about 6 years ago ). I finally found the filthy filter, marched myself down to the appliance shop and picked up a new one. My vacuum is SO happy now, and maybe it’s just me but I SWEAR the thing sucks better, literally!
To green and clean homes!
