Embrace eco-friendly cleaning with these simple tips for a more sustainable home.
Are you looking for ways to create a green cleaning routine for your home? Whether you’re wanting to cut down on the waste you send to landfill or you want to reduce the amount of harsh chemicals you use that could harm the environment, we’ve put together a list of eco-friendly cleaning ideas to get you started.
Read on to discover our top 10 green cleaning tips for easy, sustainable changes that’ll help you save money and the planet at the same time.
A great place to start is by ditching the plastic containers (recycle them if you can) and replace with glass bottles to store your cleaning supplies in. Many towns and cities now have refill shops where you can take a reusable container and fill it up with washing up liquid or detergent.
Top tip: Many places now have refill shops where you can take a reusable container to fill up with your preferred washing liquid or detergent.
When it comes to eco-friendly cleaning, one of the best tips you can take on is to reuse and recycle. Particularly with cleaning materials, you can swap out disposable paper towels or microfiber cloths that contain microplastics for recycled cleaning cloths or old towels and clothes that you can cut up and reuse.
If you want to continue the eco-friendly theme into the outdoors, check out this blog on our eco-friendly gardening tips.
Instead of traditional air fresheners that contain chemicals and often come in plastic packaging, keep your home smelling fresh with a helping hand from nature. In the warmer months, this is as simple as leaving windows open to air out rooms. Alternatively, you can boil herbs, cinnamon or lemon to create a natural scent that will fill your home.
Think about getting crafty with materials that you would usually throw out. Instead of putting your old toothbrush in the bin, give it a good wash and use it as a tool for cleaning those hard-to-reach spots in your home. Empty bottles, cans and jars can be used to store homemade cleaning solutions - but you don’t have to go all-natural on your own. Many companies have come out with non-toxic versions of their cleaners. All it takes is a bit of thoughtful planning!
Not only are houseplants a beautiful and stylish addition to any home, but they can also help boost your mood and clean the air around you. These little beauties have air-purifying properties that help to remove toxins and carbon dioxide from the air around you by emitting oxygen in return. To really ace a natural cleaning routine, consider purchasing locally grown houseplants which will have a smaller carbon footprint. If possible, you could even propagate the plants yourself - so you don’t have to purchase your houseplants again and again.
Another easy swap when it comes to sustainable cleaning is to switch out your synthetic sponges for ones made from natural, biodegradable materials – like cotton fibres. These will do the job just as well as the traditional synthetic ones, but they can be cut up and added to your compost once they’ve been used enough. Alternatively, you could even use a natural sea sponge with other natural products such as baking soda or vinegar, rather than cleaning chemicals, which we’ll go onto next…
Who knew that baking soda could be such a green cleaning saviour? An incredibly effective cleaning product that you’ll likely already have in your home, baking soda is great for absorbing odours and removing stains, mould and grease. It can be used in various ways; from sprinkling it on the sofa, letting it sit and then vacuuming it up for a quick freshen up, to mixing it with water so that it can be used as a gentle cleaner for your worktops and hobs – the possibilities are endless! You could even combine it with vinegar to create a great toilet bowl cleaner.
Who knew that baking soda could be such a green cleaning saviour? An incredibly effective cleaning product that you’ll likely already have in your home, baking soda is great for absorbing odours and removing stains, mould and grease. It can be used in various ways; from sprinkling it on the sofa, letting it sit and then vacuuming it up for a quick freshen up, to mixing it with water so that it can be used as a gentle cleaner for your worktops and hobs – the possibilities are endless! You could even combine it with vinegar to create a great toilet bowl cleaner.
Using boiling water to clean your clothes and other soft furnishings is another miracle hack. If you don’t have a steam cleaner, fill a large saucepan with water and leave it to boil. Then, add in some eco-friendly laundry detergent or a sprinkling of baking powder. Wrap the lid of the saucepan in a clean, microfiber towel and place it back over the top of the pan. Leave the cloth to absorb the cleansing water droplets, then remove the lid by holding the handle and use it to steam clean your upholstered furniture. Wipe in a circular motion, topping up the cloth with water vapour from the pan as you go.
Finally, the simplest thing you can do is to be more thoughtful and conscious when it comes to the cleaning products that you purchase and the items that you’re throwing away. Where possible, try to remember the repercussions of overconsumption and that harsh chemicals are damaging our planet.
Although it can be easily overwhelming, we can all help to make small changes in our daily lives to be a little kinder to the world around us.
And those are our top 10 eco-friendly cleaning tips! We hope this inspired you to get involved with the green cleaning movement. Incorporating just a few of these sustainable swaps into your routine will make a difference to your household waste and the overall health of your home.
If you’re looking for more home inspiration check out the rest of our blogs, and if you’re interested in a new home, discover our one to five-bedroom homes right here.
Discover more about how Persimmon is working towards a more sustainable future here.
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