Carpets & Flooring
CRI Articles
IEHA Articles
IICRC Articles
Features
It’s easier than ever to make a big impact on the cleanliness of your home without making a big impact on the environment.
1. Choose a cleaner that’s greener. Significant improvements have been made in eco-friendly options, even among some well-known retail brands. Check labels and choose products that are biodegradable and labeled “phosphate free.” Avoid ingredients like EDTA, butoxyethanol, and bisphenol A.
2. Use antibacterials, sanitizers, and disinfectants sparingly. They aren’t needed every time you clean. Many germs can be killed or removed with a good scrubbing and soap and water. Save germ-killers for use in the kitchen after handling meats, raw eggs, and other foods that can carry harmful bacteria, in bathrooms, or after someone in the family has been ill.
3. Forego (or reduce) your use of paper towels, disposable wipes and other products that will be discarded, and opt instead for good quality cloths that you can wash with a phosphate free laundry detergent. (No fabric softener is needed.) To minimize time in the dryer, use the heavy spin cycle to wring out excess water, or line dry.
4. Eliminate chemicals altogether where you can. Specialty microfiber cloths are on the market that can handle everything from dusting to cleaning windows with nothing more than a little water.
5. Be on the look-out for other ways to go green when you clean. In the kitchen, an inexpensive foil liner at the bottom of your oven will catch greasy messes and keep your oven clean longer. For carpeted floors, try a non-electric carpet sweeper between vacuuming sessions.
