3 cheap, easy and eco-friendly cleaning tips

This post shares 3 cheap, easy and eco-friendly cleaning tips that you need to incorporate into your daily life.

Cleaning is an unavoidable part of our lives that can create a lot of waste and toxic chemicals that harm the planet. Buying “natural” cleaning products in health stores can leave you strapped for cash and still using harmful products, despite what the marketing says. Companies are not required to disclose all the dangerous ingredients in their products; these compounds are often found during lab tests and studies. As a result, we unknowingly use products that are toxic to you, your family and the environment.

Problems with conventional cleaners

What are some ways that synthetic cleaners can harm us? With prolonged exposure, inhaling cleaning products can cause the exposed individual to develop asthma. Additionally, many cleaning products contain carcinogenic ingredients like 1,4-dioxane or formaldehyde. Expecting mothers exposed to toxic cleaning products have an increased risk of delivering a child with birth defects. Cleaning products can also cause chemical burns, poisoning and skin and eye irritations or allergies.

Many cleaning products contain phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonia. These elements lead to eutrophication of lakes and rivers, which causes asphyxiation (cutting off oxygen), killing everything in and around the water. You can read more about eutrophication in this post I wrote last year. These ingredients are common in dishwasher detergents and sink or toilet cleaners, so we are practically dumping them right into our waterways. Aerosols use chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as propellants, contributing to climate change by creating smog and causing ozone depletion.

These chemicals are mass-produced, cheaply made products are made in far off lands, releasing emissions from their production and transport that further contribute to climate change. While some packaging from these products are recyclable, many of them cannot be recycled if they once held toxic chemicals (like toilet cleaners). Instead, they belong in Household Hazardous Waste because those chemicals can leach into the environment.

Clearly these products are dangerous to our health and the planet’s; but fret not, there are cheap, easy and eco-friendly alternatives out there!

Time to make the switch

There are so many more human and environmental health dangers associated with household cleaning products; this post would go on forever if I tried listing them all. The point is switching to all-natural cleaning products is better for your health, the planet’s health, as well as your wallet and shelf space. We don’t need a specific cleaning product for every single different item or appliance in our house. Instead, you can use simple ingredients you already have to clean your whole house. These ingredients are available everywhere, and extremely cheap and easy to use. I swear by these for my cleaning, as I’m sure you will too! To learn my top three cheap, easy and eco-friendly, cheap and easy cleaning secrets for a spotless home, keep reading!

1. Vinegar

Vinegar is hands-down the best eco-friendly and inexpensive way to clean your home. With this knowledge passed down from my mother, it’s become my holy grail for cleaning. A 1 litre bottle costs only a few dollars (if that). It’s extremely versatile, strong enough to get stains out but weak enough not to damage most surfaces. The acid kills bacteria and strips away mold, leaving your counters and appliances spotless. I always have a bottle of vinegar at home and a pre-mixed solution ready for cleaning.

You will need to dilute the vinegar to make a cleaning solution: for spraying counters, walls, faucets, mirrors and dishes, I follow a 1:3 ratio, so 1/3 cup of vinegar to 1 cup water. I make a big batch of this mixture and put it into a spray bottle, which I can easily use for different cleaning tasks. You can also use it as a produce wash!

To clean something larger like the toilet, pour half a cup of vinegar with a tablespoon of baking soda into the toilet bowl, allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes, and then scrub as you normally would. I also use a 1:2 ratio for de-scaling my tea kettle. Pour the mix into your kettle, leave for 10-15 minutes, then boil the water, swish it around and pour it out.

2. Baking soda

If you like to bake you probably already have a box of baking soda in your kitchen. It’s another all-natural, all-purpose cleaner that is effective at removing grease. You can mix a few tablespoons of baking soda with water until it forms a paste, then scrub surfaces with an old toothbrush. You can also use this paste to clean the bottom of your oven, just leave the paste for a few hours before scrubbing (but don’t turn the oven until its clean!)

For a drain cleaner that packs a punch without dumping toxic chemicals down your drain, try a vinegar-baking soda mix. First, pour 1 cup of boiling water down the drain. Next, pour 1/2 cup dry baking soda down and let it sit for a few minutes. Add 1 cup of vinegar and 1 more cup of boiling water, then cover the drain with a plug or impermeable surface (you know the classic baking soda-vinegar volcano experiment? That’s happening in your drain right now) and let it sit for 10 minutes. Remove the plug, pour another cup of boiling water down the drain and you’re good to go!

3. Lemon

Yet another item you probably already have in your kitchen, lemon is another all-natural, bacteria-killing (hence why you put lemon juice on ceviche) cleaner! It’s also a natural deodorizer. There are multiple uses for lemons, including:

• Getting your copper or brass pots like shiny-new again: dip half a lemon in salt and scrub your pot. This can be used for stubborn food stuck on dishes, too.
• Disinfecting cutting boards: rub a slice of fresh lemon across its surface to kill any lingering bacteria.
• Making your microwave spotless: cut a lemon in half, and squeeze the juice into 1/2-3/4 cup of water in a microwave-safe bowl. Place the halves in the water as well, pop the bowl into the microwave for 3 minutes, then let it stand for 10 minutes without opening the door. All of the icky sauces/food will have loosened up, making it easy to use a cloth to quickly wipe down the inside!
• Wipe away calcium buildup stains on your mirrors or showers by rubbing them with half a lemon, then rinsing with warm water.
• Removing discolouration and stains from reusable food containers. Cut a lemon in half, squeeze a bit of juice into the container, then rub it along the bottom and sides. Leave the container to dry in the sun, then rinse out the juice with warm water.

Final thoughts

Vinegar, baking soda and lemon can be used for just about anything in your home. With these three ingredients, you could definitely buy a few months’ worth of cleaning supplies for less than five dollars! They’re all available in bulk stores, so you could bring your own containers to make your cleaning routine zero-waste. In addition, you can use these products for cooking, making them even more versatile and affordable. Clearly, these 3 cheap, easy and eco-friendly cleaning tips have many benefits!

A clean, healthy home is important, but so is a clean, healthy body and environment. Switching to natural and gentle cleaning products protects your health and the planet’s while keeping your home clean. Every small switch, whether it’s to our diet, clothing choices, beauty products or household cleaning routine helps create a healthier, sustainable environment for future generations to enjoy.

Enjoyed this post on 3 cheap, easy and eco-friendly cleaning tips? For more affordable, eco-friendly swaps for your everyday life, check out these posts:

• 10 zero-waste swaps for everyday life
• My top 3 natural, single-use skin care products
• 10 tips for living sustainably in university
• How to travel sustainably

Do you have any natural cleaning products that you like to use? Do you have any other uses for these products that you’d like to mention? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time!

Image sources:

Vinegar: Getty Images

Baking Soda: Healthline

Lemons: Unsplash