Green Cleaning Products

by Ruth Soukup

I don’t know how it is for you, but with every box of stuff I get rid of I feel like another little load has been lifted off my shoulders.  We are still going to take some time in the next week for more weeding and purging, but in the meantime I thought it would be a good idea to also start gathering some of the necessary tools you’ll need to get your space spic & span.

I have always had a bad habit of thinking that more cleaning solutions would result in a cleaner house.  At one point we had so many mops and brooms in our broom closet that my husband finally exploded in exasperation: “You do realize that none of them actually clean the floor for you, right?” he snapped.
The thing is, until he said that, I actually thought they might.

As hard as it was to finally accept the sad reality that there are no magic mops, I am happy to report that we are now down to one broom, one dustpan, and one mop in our broom closet, and that is just exactly enough.

A key component of The Big Spring Clean is to STOP bringing in more things, so I am going to challenge you to use the supplies you have on hand as you complete this challenge.   If you–like me–have accumulated mass quantities of cleaning supplies, use those up before you run out and buy something new.  Using what you already have is about as green & thrifty as you can get.

For anything you do still need, you might be surprised to discover that you probably already have the right ingredients right in your own kitchen or laundry cabinet.   I have been amazed to find that a combination of just a few common household products that can tackle almost every cleaning task.  In fact I’ve discovered that just 10 different products–most of which I already have on hand–can be combined in 10 different ways to make 10 different awesome, green, & super thrifty cleaners.  10x10x10….how cool is that?

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Green Solutions for Wood Problems

When you spend the money to have wood floors in your house, its no doubt you want to keep them in great shape so they last a long time. Along with keeping our floors in good shape, we want them to stay clean!  The best cleaning solutions are the ones you can make yourself out of products you know will not harm anyone in your home.  We like to think of these as 'Eco-friendly' cleaning products. 

Here is a list of recipes you can make at home to help keep your wood floors in excellent shape:

Burns: For wood burns that have not fully penetrated the wood surface, rub with thin paste of rottenstone, linseed oil and 2 or 3 drops of peppermint essential oil.  If the burn has penetrated the wood surface, you may have to refinish the area and re-stain.

Black Shoe Marks: These can be removed by rubbing 2 or 3 drops of cedar or eucalyptus essential oil over the mark with a soft cloth.

Crayon: Wipe crayon marks with a few drops of cedar or peppermint essential oil mixed with a dab of toothpaste.  Wipe clean with a cloth moistened with vinegar.

Grease: If you have grease on your wood floors you will want to act immediately. Place ice cubes on top of the spill to harden and prevent the grease from seeping further into the wood. If a grease layer forms, it can be scraped off with a blunt object such as a popsicle stick. If you're wood is unfinished, squirt some vegetable oil soap and  few drops of your favorite essential oil over the spill. Use a paper towel and blot repeatedly.

How to Clean Floors Using Green Cleaning Products

My Denver cleaning company says that a clean floor is essential especially in a home with young children. The best way to ensure your floor stays clean, make sure you clean spills as they occur. Sweeping daily and cleaning spills as they occur will lessen dirt and grime on the floor and make a deep clean necessary only monthly. Mopping weekly or biweekly will really keep things clean. Always avoid using cleaning products with VOCs and other hazardous chemicals. You can use nontoxic homemade cleaning solutions that will effectively clean any type of flooring.

You should try to mop with a damp mop weekly or bi-weekly depending on the rate at which dirt gathers on your floor. Always sweep before mopping. For most floor surfaces, you can use a homemade basic, gentle floor cleaner or a store bought non-toxic cleaner. Another great floor cleaner is a solution of 1/4 cup of castile soap in two gallons of warm water. If your floor is greasy, you should add a quarter cup of vinegar to the cleaning solution. Soak the mop fully in a bucket of the solution and wring it out in a sink or empty bucket. The best method of cleaning with a mop is to start at one end of the room and move to the other, without mopping yourself into a corner or ending up on the end of the room without a door. Wring and re-soak the mop as necessary while mopping. If your floor isn't waxed and looks dull, it could be because of soap buildup. The best way to bring brilliance back to a floor like this is to mop with a solution of half cup of white vinegar and two gallons of water. 

Add sweeping to your daily routine will not only rid your home of dust bunnies it can also help you take a moment out of your day for active meditation. Daily sweeping protects floors from abrasive dirt and soil that could scratch the surface of the floor. The best way to sweep the floor of a room is to start in a corner and work your way around the room's edges while being sure to hit the floorboards. Sweep towards the center of the room and pick up the debris with a dustpan as you go. This method also works when cleaning with a vacuum cleaner.

What Makes Housegreening Different from other Cleaning Companies?

In this video, House greening owner - Michael Eck describes why their cleaning company is different from others in the area.  Housegreening offers Eco-friendly cleaning services for Denver and Boulder homes.

Tips for Spring Cleaning

Many people decide to perform a deep cleaning on their home or living space during the Spring. Spring brings in warmer days, blooming flowers, open windows and more house guests. To get your home ready for this warmer time the year, it is necessary to start cleaning. Annual deep cleaning is a little more complicated than your everyday cleaning projects. It may require some painting, fixing and storing. Spend some extra time to make your house ready for Spring, and it is only really necessary once a year. To make your deep Spring cleaning project simple, and quick follow these tips.

Involve the entire family.
Depending on the age of your family member, some may be able to handle lager chores than others, but all should be included. Boulder house cleaning experts say bringing the family together will teach everyone about the what it takes to keep the home clean. Young kids can help put their toys away and older children can help by cleaning their rooms and organizing areas they spend the most time. Don't forget about cleaning outside your home too. Making Spring-cleaning a family activity will speed up the process.

Use natural cleaning products. 
Natural cleaning products are not only better for the Earth, they are also better for your family. Using natural products can also help spare the family budget from any big dings. Simple products like baking soda, water, vinegar and lemon juice to clean most surfaces in the home. In most cases a simple combination of soap and water is one of the best cleaning solutions you can use.

Tips for Cleaning Your Windows

Let us be honest, we hardly manage to clear the outside of our windows once or twice a year because it is so much of a hassle. No matter how many times during the year we would have been cleaning the inside of the windows, we procrastinate when it comes to the outer side. It is generally better if you give a cleaning touch to your window once or twice a month as it will help you to maintain the quality of your window. So if you have finally decided to do this house cleaning task, here are some guidelines on how you can easily get the job done.

Remove the window screen
Before you start the job, you need to remove the window screens from the frames. This is the only step in the entire procedure that will take much of your time. If the windows go up to the ceiling so you would need a ladder to do the needful. Make the way to the ladder in the room and climb up to remove the windows. Its safe and advised to have someone hold the ladder while you climb and pass the window screen to your partner to safely lay it down. While you are taking out each window screen, remember to mark it accordingly so later you know which screen belongs to the frame.

Gather your equipments
The next step is to gather all the things that you will need to clean the window screens. Most important of all, you will need a window cleaning agent. You can easily get one from the departmental store, but most of them do not give the result as they claim. They tend to leave streaks over the windows. You can make one at your home by using a tablespoon of dishwashing detergent with a gallon of water. Make sure you do not add too much of detergent as it will result in leaving marks.

Tips for Cleaning Your Garage

By Ronnie L Green 

Many people send hours keeping the insides of their homes neat & clean. However, their garage is a different matter, often neglected until cleaning is absolutely necessary. The garage often becomes a kind of a catch-all for the stuff that gets kicked out of the house. It also becomes a storage area for large, bulky items such as sporting & camping items, tools, unused chemicals, lawn care equipment or other things. The garage is also exposed to outdoor elements such as rodents, insects & mold. Because of this it's not a friendly environment and people really don't like being out there for long. As a result, many people often put off cleaning and organizing their garage.

Organize
Organization is a great place to start when tackling a large cleaning project. It's always a good idea to sort through your stuff and divide it into piles according to usage. Keep all of your holiday items in one pile, your sporting goods in another pile, etc. Be methodical, as the more things that you can place together in related groups, the easier it will be to see what you want to keep, what you have in duplicate and what you no longer want or need.

Throw Out What You Can
Discarding old or unnecessary items is one of the most important steps in the cleaning process. While we think that VCR, excess wallpaper or that stack of old magazines might come in useful one day, chances are they will not. Keeping these items, as small as they might seem, can take up valuable space in your garage and make things appear cluttered. As you organize your items into piles, make sure you have a garbage pile and add to it. Be aggressive in your decisions to throw things out, remembering a good rule of thumb is to throw out anything you haven't used in over 18 months. If you're throwing out any paperwork that might have personal information, it's a good idea to shred this before tossing.