From Guest Blogger Eileen O’Shanassy: Six Eco-Friendly Ways to Clean

It is great to care about the environment, especially when so much harm is being done to it already. Making non-wasteful changes to the way you clean and live at home can make a big impact, and it is important to be aware of some of the best ways you can do so on your own. Here are six of the best ways you can help the environment when cleaning.
Reusable Containers & Bags

If you have children you pack a lunch for or if you take lunch to work, it would be good to consider not using sandwich baggies to pack your sandwich and every snack of the day. Every plastic bag creates more waste than necessary. Instead of doing that, it would be good to begin buying reusable containers that you can wash and reuse every day. When you go grocery shopping, having reusable bags you can use for every trip instead of plastic bags eliminates unnecessary waste. You can find tons of plastic, lidded options that make packing your lunch a breeze.

Cleaning Supplies

Cleaning supplies do not have to be full of chemicals to get the job done. Simply replacing chemicals that are harmful to the environment, as well as the plastic bottles they are contained in, can help with waste. You can replace your cleaning supplies with white vinegar and baking soda. You can also use some simple ammonia and water to clean hard stains and to purify without throwing away disposable wipes. Try adding a nice scent like doTERRA oils to your solutions for more aroma and less chemical effect as you make your own supplies.

Food Leftovers

One of the biggest wastes in the world includes food waste. Now there are even food waste apps that allow you to share food with neighbors or other members in the community. There are also people who do “community fridges” which is essentially giving to the homeless and those in need of food, instead of throwing your leftover food away.

http://www.wehatetowaste.com/category/respect-food/
Cloth Over Paper

When cleaning mirrors, windows, or countertops in the house, it is best to not create more waste with paper towels. Paper towels get dirty quickly, so there is a chance you are going to need a lot to get the job done. Having a bulk of cloths allows you to use multiple for different areas in your house. If it gets dirty, you can simply rinse in the sink for fast use and also just throw in the washing machine and use again. The less you spend on paper towels, the less there will be in stores (supply and demand), creating larger impacts for the environment.

Toiletries

Using bars of soap are better than body washing in packaging because every bottle you buy contributes to unnecessary waste. You can find unwrapped bars of soap at stores such as Whole Foods or any other health food store. Even being mindful in the type of toilet paper you buy is essential to help with waste. Bleached toilet paper has bleach and is non-recyclable, whereas toilet paper such as Seventh Generation is not.

Cleaning Kitchen Supplies

Conventional dish soap has been believed to cause health issues and have high levels of preservatives. It is better to buy bulk Castile soap. Also, sponges for dish cleaning are not recyclable or compostable, whereas a dish brush is.

Following a few of these steps when cleaning and going shopping can create major impact for the environment. Unnecessary waste from our cleaning supplies, toiletries, and food leftovers contribute to major environmental concerns. It is easy to be non-wasteful, as well as inexpensive, so there is no reason to not go green.