Spring cleaning is a great time to start incorporating healthier products and habits into your home’s environment. Instead of overwhelming yourself with all these tasks at one time, try completing one task per week. In 8 weeks, your home will be cleaner and you can relax, breathing in fresher, cleaner air!
Click on each week to get more detailed tips on non toxic cleaning methods for that week!
The Steps
WEEK 1 – Green your cleaning products. Replace run of the mill cleaning products with non toxic, environmentally friendly cleaning products. Seventh Generation is one of the easiest brands to find, they are sold at Target, natural food stores, many grocery stores and online. BonAmi is a great replacement for Comet/Ajax and costs the same. You can find BonAmi at natural food stores or online. For glass cleaning, a spray bottle of vinegar and water will do the trick.
WEEK 2 – Clean the oven, refrigerator, and dishwasher. Oven cleaner is one of the worst cleaning products on the market – so make your own. Sprinkle baking soda all over the oven, spray it with water and let it sit overnight. Also, after cleaning the refrigerator, if you can find help, move it away from the wall and clean the floor underneath and vacuum the coils ( after unplugging it ). This will improve the efficiency of the refrigerator, saving energy. To clean the dishwasher, run it empty with a cup of magic : white vinegar.
WEEK 3 – Dust EVERYTHING. House dust is a main culprit in triggering allergies. Dust light fixtures, ceiling fans, ceiling corners, baseboards, clocks, lamps, framed photos and art, decorative accessories and books.
WEEK 4 – Clean your window treatments. Start by vacuuming your drapes or blinds with special attachments that come with your vacuum. Vinyl blinds can be wiped down with a damp cloth. If your drapes still look dirty, take them down and wash them. If they are dry clean only, dry cleaning typically involves heavy chemicals, so find an environmentally friendly dry cleaners near you at www.greenearthcleaning.com.
WEEK 5 – Wash all your windows, inside and out. Get a bucket of warm water, two rags, and a spray bottle with white vinegar. First, clean your window with a wet rag. Then, spray the window with the vinegar and wipe down with the dry rag.
WEEK 6 – Touch up scratched walls or old nail holes with non toxic, zero VOC paint. VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are toxins released from paint in the home for years. Most paint manufacturers now have a line of zero VOC paint – make sure to ask for it.
WEEK 7 – Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If you don’t have a carbon monoxide detector, pick one up for $20-30 at your local home improvement store.
WEEK 8 – Replace the air filter in your home. If your home was built in the last 10-15 years, you likely have an air system that requires air filter replacement every 3-6 months ( check the system’s paperwork or call your local HVAC company for questions ). You can pick up replacement filters at your local home improvement store and look for reusable filters – they are slightly more expensive than the disposable ones but it will pay off quickly. It’s fairly quick and easy to change it out ( I am able to do this myself with our unit ). This will improve the air in your home and save you energy as your system doesn’t have to work as hard to move air in your house.
