What goes hand in hand with the return of the mild, sunny weather? You’ve guessed it, it’s time for spring cleaning! Instead of resorting to complex chemicals majority of products on the market are packed with, consider going green for this maintenance project, and future ones too.
Let’s look at the common ingredients found in the washing solutions:
- Ammonium chloride: may cause permanent eye damage
- Crystalline silica: it irritates the skin, eyes and lungs; it may also induce cancer
- Aliphatic petroleum solvent: this ingredient is a neurotoxin and may cause brain damage
Cleaning should invigorate us, not harms us! Avoid the dangerous fumes and join us on an Earth-friendly cleaning adventure.
Essential supplies
We have compiled a list of eco-friendly tools and solutions necessary for your spring cleaning project. You’ll see that they’re not only safe, but cost-effective as well.
- A durable, straw broom: the nature-friendly tool from the olden days
- A cloth or a mop with non-disposable mop head that can be rewashed many times
- An array of old rags and cloths (especially flannel) can be cut into handy shapes that provide excellent absorption and cost you nothing
- A stiff brush is useful for scrubbing of the persistent stains in all areas
- An old toothbrush is a meticulous cleaner of hidden nooks and crevices
- A dependable, sturdy bucket will stay with you for a long time. Keep it clean to avoid bacteria and fungi accumulation; You can reuse some (cleaned) 5 gal containers for it
- A regular or even better, a water vacuum can handle not only rugs, but hard-to-reach spots as well, like fireplaces and door frames
- Of course, you should use some natural, homemade or organic store-bought cleansers that contain no harmful substances
- Essential oils are great, undiscovered polishing masters and outstanding at-work aroma therapy
Keep your spirits up
The whole procedure can sometimes last for hours, and it’s advisable to have something to lighten up your mood and keep you going till the completion. Transform the experience into a fun and memorable activity with some upbeat tunes and silly dance moves. It’s recommendable to get kids on board by decorating the cleaning tools and handling them some cool party hats. You can reward them with the end-of-the-day celebration meal.
Make a personalised checklist
Every household has its own target points and places of high traffic that require a bit more elbow sweat than the others. Write down the section that demand attention, such as nursery, bathroom, master bedroom or kitchen. Follow it by assigning smaller tasks and estimated duration to each section for easier management, like windows cleaning, sheet washing or toilet scrubbing. This way you’ll have a clear picture of what needs to be done and how much time it may take.
The top down method
If you want to clean the house through and through, you can’t avoid this cleaning method. If you don’t want to redo the dusting process, tend to the major dirt spots first. Employing the top down method will save your energy, time and resources by eliminating the task repetition, advise house cleaning experts Urban You. The exception are the walls that ask for a down-up-down technique for complete blotch removal.
Organisation on the go
As you commence with the room decluttering and sorting out of the scattered items, it’s best to apply some method of organisation to the given area. The idea is to put everything on a designated pile and send it forward to a donation society, warehouse, different room (laundry, the basement or the attic, for example) or wherever necessary.
- The dirty laundry pile: divide it into smaller colour/material groups and prioritise.
- Moving out pile: Put here items and objects that need to be transported to a different place, whether is another room in the house, or a warehouse lot.
- The giveaway pile: Gather the donating-worthy items here.
- The throw-away pile: These are to be sent out to the trash ASAP.
It sure feels good to sit down after a major cleaning spree, admire the spotless interior and sip some coffee. With our tips, you can get to this stage quickly and efficiently.