Ever wonder how you can spring clean like a boss while reducing your carbon footprint and exposure to toxic chemicals?

Believe it or not, there’s really just a handful of eco-friendly cleaning products and everyday items you’ll need, to get your home sparkling clean! And, without all the chemicals and waste.💚

I want to begin by saying that cleaning and disinfecting should always be a 2-step process. First, you need to thoroughly clean with a soap-based product to remove dirt and the bulk of germs. For areas that also require disinfecting like toilets, light switches, garbage pails and diaper bins, you should follow with a disinfectant such as vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. Be wary that products that say "clean and disinfect" are often used incorrectly, and contribute to the propagation of what we call "super bugs". Most of these products contain awful and very harmful chemicals you want to avoid at all costs, like Triclosan and Toluene. So, ironically, while they make you feel like 'you're avoiding the plague', you should avoid them like the plague.

What you'll need:

1) a surface cleaner in a spray bottle

2) a concentrated product to add to water for when washing with a bucket (floors, etc.)

3) a "scouring powder"

4) a fabric washing detergent for delicates like curtains, pillow covers and wool blankets

5) a deodorizer and disinfectant

6) essential oils to add the "clean" aromatherapy element

7) cleaning tools

Suggested Items:

• For "Spray and Wipe" & General Cleaning Applications (vs when using a bucket of water to heavy-duty clean): “1 CLEANER All in One Cleaner” - A universal surface cleaner to get all surfaces sparkling! ✨ Helps you ditch the toxic clutter and simplify your cleaning routine by replacing up to 10 different other cleaner types. From mirrors to wood, kitchens, walls, cupboards, baseboards, bathrooms to leather, stone, granite, marble and metals, this cleaner does it all. Featured on TV and talk shows quite a bit, because there really is no other cleaner like it! I just love the fact that I can carry around 1 bottle for the whole house.
  
  

• For "water-heavy" applications: "SQUEAK” - An incredible grease-cutting and eco-friendly multipurpose dish soap. It's so darn versatile and ultra concentrated, so you just need a little squirt in a bucket or the sink, when lots of water is required (such as mopping floors, washing the dishes, car, cleaning the toilet, or washing a large area with a rag)

• For fabric - bedding, curtains, cushion covers, wool blankets, pet bed covers: “LOVELY” - an eco-friendly Laundry Wash that is both gentle and effective on all types of fabric, including silk and wool, and pet-friendly!

• For scouring and deodorizing: Baking soda  - fantastic when mixed with a few drops of dish soap or cleaner for great scrubbing power, including tackling stubborn soap scum and blackened pot bottoms. To deodorize carpets, sprinkle a little over your carpet prior and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes, prior to vacuuming. I like to keep a mason jar filled with baking soda and a spoon inside under my sink. :)

• For disinfecting and deodorizing: Vinegar or hydrogen peroxide 3% (do NOT mix them though - leave on surface for up to 30 minutes after first cleaning the surface). I like to carry around a spray bottle of vinegar diluted with water 1:3. Great for spraying in garbage pails, the compost bin and other places where a disinfect and stubborn smell removal is required!

• For a beautiful fresh smell: Essential oils heavily diluted in a spray bottle (20-40 drops to a 16 oz/500 ml bottle of distilled or mineral-free water). I like to spray this on my bath mats, curtains and pillows to leave a beautiful scent behind. Be sure the surface you are spraying it on won't be stained though. Clear in colour essential oils  work best, but best to spot-test first! 
  • ⚠️Caution: MINT and EUCALYPTUS are SUPER toxic to pets
  • Basically, if you have pets, research the safety of the oil you wish to use in any space you share with them, first.

• TOOLS:
  • Clean rags made of natural fibers and lint-free are best for mirrors;
  • An old toothbrush for getting in the cracks around faucets and nooks and crannies;
  • A scrubbing tool (choose biodegradable when you can! Loofa, jute, bamboo and coconut fiber tools work great)
  • An old fabric glove, for dusting picky objects and blinds;
  • Broom and dustpan
  • Mop and bucket
  • Vacuum for carpets

Now, let's get on to a list of tips, nifty tricks and "Zero-Waste Spring Cleaning Hacks":

1. ✔️ DECLUTTERING

    Start here, because clutter attracts more clutter, dust and dirt. But where does that stuff all GO? Try repurposing items or donating give-away items whenever you can, to keep things out of landfills and the trash. If you find yourself giving or throwing away too many things, use this moment to reflect on how much less you may actually need to buy in the future. And don’t forget to compost those biodegradable items!

2. 💡 REPURPOSE♻️

• 👕 Cut up old t-shirts and sheets to turn into reusable cleaning rags. You can use those rags instead of paper towels for dusting, walls, baseboards and cleaning muddy dog paws too.🐾  They’re also great for washing the car, and windows (cotton works best!).

• An old toothbrush 🪥 is fabulous for cleaning those grimy cracks, such as faucets, cupboard doors (you know that annoying spot where the dirt builds up?), tile grout and baseboards. For tile grout, try 1 CLEANER mixed with a bit of baking soda. 

• ​​Instead of buying a special tool for dusting high areas like ceilings and cobwebs, tie an old tshirt or rag around a broom.🧹 Give it a light spritz of 1 CLEANER first, to help attract the dust to the rag. (When dusting light fixtures, make sure the lights are OFF and light bulbs cooled, to prevent exploding!) 

• Use a pastry dough scraper or a painting/wall putty tool to gently scrape tough dried food, grime, gum, tape and glue residue off of counters and floors. (Caution: Do this on scratch-resistant surfaces only!) I love using this trick to loosen dried food (especially flour, tomato sauce and egg) on my kitchen counters, before wiping them down.

• Dust horizontal blind panels using an old (fabric) winter glove. Wear an old glove and use your fingers to get in those difficult to clean blind grooves. Make sure the glove is not too thick and color-fast (if using it wet to wash them too). A glove made of natural fibres such as cotton or wool is ideal.

3. 🌎 REDUCE THE NUMBER OF CLEANING PRODUCTS YOU USE

This helps keep extra plastic bottles and chemical waste out of the environment.​

• Consider switching to a universal surface cleaner like 1 CLEANER. It effectively replaces 6-10 other cleaning products: kitchen and stovetop cleaner, window and glass cleaner, floor cleaner, granite and stone cleaner, stainless cleaner, bathroom cleaner, wood cleaner and is great for cleaning cupboard doors, electronics, baseboards, leather, plastics and toys, antiques too...you name it! All in that one refillable glass bottle. It is pH-balanced, safe and effective on any and absolutely ALL wipeable surfaces. 

• Kitchen: replace your scouring powder with a couple drops of dish soap, mixed with a few teaspoons of baking soda. 🍳 This works great on caked-on pots and pan bottoms, and stained stainless sinks.  

• 🚽 Toilets: you can also replace your toilet bowl cleaner with a couple drops of dish soap, mixed with a few teaspoons of baking soda. If you long for that strong "clean" smell, add a few drops of essential oils to the bowl after cleaning.

• Spot-clean carpets and cushions with a spritz of 1 CLEANER and a sprinkle of baking soda. Brush spot gently with an old toothbrush or hairbrush, and vacuum away the baking soda when dry. (Spot test first for colour-fastness.) 

• Instead of buying another “specialty” cleaner, dust and polish antiques and delicate musical instruments like pianos and guitars with 1 CLEANER. It is pH-balanced to safely protect those delicate finishes and surfaces, and will really bring out the shine! ✨

      4. SWTICH TO REUSABLE ECO CLEANING TOOLS AND SUPPLIES ♻️

 5.🌎 REFILL YOUR BOTTLES

I hope you found this list of cleaning tips towards a more eco-friendly, toxic chemical-free and zero-waste home useful. Happy Spring Cleaning!✨