Cleaning a little more green

I know it’s the holiday season and you’re hyper busy so you may not want to swear off conventional cleaners entirely. Of course in a perfect world you should swear off them and make homemade non-toxic cleaners because most conventional cleaners are really toxic and not safe. However, if you’re too bogged down to contemplate going 100% green, you can make some subtle changes that can help keep your home clean while limiting your family’s exposure to chemicals.

You can choose store bought green cleaners. You’ll pay a little more but it’s worth it to avoid the toxins. Just make sure you choose actual, not fake green store bought cleaners. Some good brands include:

Just about anything from Earth Friendly Products or Biokleen. I personally like…

• Parsley Plus Surface Cleaner
• Orange Plus Surface Cleaner
• Vaska herbatergent
• Wild Orange & Cedar Spice Kitchen Cleaner
• Bi-O-Kleen Laundry Liquid
• Clean Earth Brands Earthworm Family-Safe Drain Cleaner
• Seventh Generation Emerald Cypress & Fir Toilet Bowl Cleaner

You can adjust your cleaning routine. For example, don’t clean areas your child can get to with toxic cleaners. For surfaces your little one may touch substitute a less toxic all purpose cleaner such as one of the above or make your own easy cleaner. Mix a few drops of natural soap, 2 cups water, and 15 drops each of tea tree and lavender essential oil. You can spray this on all surfaces, like cutting boards, counters, toilets, walls, (except it will streak glass). For glass simply use straight up lemon juice or club soda or if you don’t mind the smell use 1/2 cup vinegar mixed with one gallon water.

You can clean more often. A major reason people turn to harsh cleaners is because they’re not keeping up on their cleaning and when they finally get around to it, gunk is super stuck on everything. Wiping down your home frequently means it’s cleaner obviously, but also you can use just plain old natural soap and water on a cloth vs. harsh chemicals on a scrubber.