Eco-friendly cleaning – is it possible?

Caring for the environment matters to many people

How can home cleaning be eco-friendly? When it comes to cleaning in an environmentally friendly way, a lot comes down to the products you choose. You should also keep in mind that tackling dirt straight away, rather than letting it build up, means you won't need to use large amounts of cleaning products. When thinking about eco-friendly cleaning, it's not just about choosing certified products but also about how you clean. There are plenty of tricks you can use to clean in a more environmentally friendly way, and below you'll find some tips to help you do exactly that.

Cleaning products

Using natural cleaning products helps protect the environment. Some people assume that you need a strong chemical cleaner to tackle tough stains, but the truth is that liquid soap and water work extremely well and are completely natural. On the market today there are all kinds of cleaning products and solutions that you could easily do without.

Many of them contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment, and on top of that, they need to be manufactured and shipped to you, which also has a significant environmental impact. By choosing concentrated products that are diluted with water, you can reduce the number of cleaning products you need to buy and lower your environmental footprint. The right products can make a real difference when it comes to eco-friendly cleaning.

Eco-labelled products

So how do you know which cleaning products and dish soaps to buy? Look for the Nordic Swan Ecolabel or the Good Environmental Choice label, these tell you that the product is a responsible choice for eco-friendly cleaning. Products with these labels don't contain harmful chemicals and are good not just for the environment but for your own health too.

People sometimes assume that eco-labelled products aren't as effective as the big-name brands you see advertised. In fact, an eco-labelled product will perform at least as well, and may even be slightly cheaper, since big brands have to factor in the cost of their advertising. Even if eco-labelled products cost a little more, they're still worth buying given their significantly lower impact on the planet.

So next time you're buying cleaning products, look out for the Swan, Good Environmental Choice, or KRAV labels to make sure you're getting a product that meets the requirements for being environmentally safe. All three labels guarantee that the product has been made to standards that ensure it is not harmful to the environment.

The benefits of liquid soap

Liquid soap is incredibly versatile when it comes to cleaning, it's natural, eco-friendly, and highly effective. Most cleaning tasks around the home can be handled with liquid soap, from the kitchen to the bathroom. It works brilliantly for mopping floors, and it can also help remove burnt-on food from pots and the hob.

For burnt-on residue in a saucepan, bring water and liquid soap to the boil, leave it to sit for a while, then wash as normal.

For cleaning the oven, rub undiluted liquid soap over the inside, turn the oven on to 100°C, then leave it to cool and wipe clean with water. Instead of using toilet rim blocks to keep the toilet smelling fresh, try pouring a little liquid soap onto the toilet brush. Every time you use the brush, the toilet gets cleaned with soap, leaving it clean and fresh.

Bleach

Bleach is considered highly effective for cleaning, but it is very harmful to the environment and should be avoided if you're trying to clean more sustainably. It contains substances that are dangerous to aquatic life. Although bleach converts to harmless salt when it comes into contact with biomass, it is still not recommended to keep in the home, as accidents can happen if it is not handled correctly.

If bleach is mixed with other cleaning products, chlorine gas can form, which is dangerous to people, harmful not only to the eyes and mucous membranes but also to the lungs, and it can cause breathing difficulties. For these reasons, bleach is best avoided unless you are extremely careful with how you use it. If you do choose to use it, keep it well out of reach of children and pets, and never mix it with other cleaning products.

Cleaning windows with dish soap

When it's time to clean your windows, you don't need to buy a specialist window cleaning product. A bucket of warm water, dish soap, a cloth, a squeegee, and a tea towel are all you really need to get your windows clean. There's no need to spend money on a dedicated window cleaner when dish soap does the job just as well. Window cleaning sprays are often harmful to the environment unless they carry an eco-label, but as mentioned, dish soap will do the job without the same environmental impact. Make sure your dish soap is eco-labelled to further reduce your environmental footprint and keep your cleaning as green as possible. If you have a lot of windows and find cleaning them a chore, you can always let Hemfrid take care of it for you.

Dosage and energy-efficient appliances

Using less cleaning product can make a big difference over time, as you won't need to buy replacements as often. As well as reducing how much cleaning product you use, it's worth thinking about how much energy your appliances consume, older machines often use more energy than newer ones, so it may be time to upgrade your vacuum cleaner or other cleaning appliances to improve your eco-friendly cleaning routine.

Vacuuming and mopping

This is something many people already do, vacuuming before wet mopping the floor. Why does it matter? Dust particles in the home can contain toxins from plastic products that are harmful if they reach the water treatment system. Since treatment plants are not equipped to handle these substances, they can end up in the natural environment and cause damage to wildlife and the planet.

By throwing the vacuumed dust in the bin, it will eventually be incinerated rather than ending up in nature. This is why vacuuming before mopping is an important part of eco-friendly cleaning. You can also use microfibre cloths to avoid mixing dust with water that would otherwise be poured down the drain. Read below for more on why microfibre cloths are a great choice for eco-conscious cleaning.

Invest in microfibre cloths

Microfibre cloths are extremely effective cleaning tools. The fibres lift dirt and dust from the surface and hold it within the cloth, even without any cleaning product. Of course, you can use a cleaning product with them too, but if you do, make sure it's an eco-friendly one. After cleaning, simply toss the cloth in the washing machine to clean it. If you want to be extra environmentally conscious, give the cloth a firm shake and vacuum it before putting it in the wash. Remember not to use fabric softener when washing microfibre cloths, as this destroys their effectiveness.

Traditional household remedies

Many people use traditional home remedies such as lemon, baking powder, vinegar, and other pantry staples for cleaning. These can work well in certain situations, but if your goal is eco-friendly cleaning, you're generally better off using a good eco-labelled cleaning product as described above. Pantry ingredients can certainly work, but if you do go down that route, make sure to dilute vinegar properly, it is highly corrosive, and it's a good idea to open a window since the smell is strong.

It's also important to use the right amounts when using pantry products for cleaning. Many people use too much, which can actually create an environmental burden in the long run when you factor in the production and transportation of those products. It's also important to know what type of dirt you're dealing with, lemon, for example, works well on limescale but won't do anything for soap residue in the bathroom. Some pantry ingredients can also be damaging to certain surfaces, so use them with care.

One useful way to think about it: if every household in Sweden cleaned their bathroom every other week with lemon, the demand for imported lemons would rise significantly and that in itself would have an environmental impact. For that reason, using the eco-labelled cleaning products and microfibre cloths described above will make more of a difference environmentally than relying on traditional home remedies.

Tips for eco-friendly cleaning

Other everyday tips for protecting the environment include investing in a small hand brush and dustpan so you can sweep up crumbs and other bits from the floor without pulling out the vacuum cleaner, saving both your own energy and electricity. You can also sort your recycling to help the environment further.

Letting your laundry air dry instead of using the tumble dryer is another easy way to cut electricity use. Hanging laundry indoors can raise the humidity levels in your home, so if you have the option of drying it outside, that's even better, not only will it dry well, but it will smell wonderfully fresh when you bring it in.

These small habits can make a real difference to the environment, so try to work them into your daily routine to help preserve the planet for the future. When it comes to eco-friendly cleaning, use the right amount of product, avoid overdosing, and always try to buy eco-labelled cleaning products.

If you're planning a more thorough clean such as a deep clean or end-of-tenancy clean and are thinking of hiring a cleaning company, make sure to choose one that carries the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and ask them which products they use to ensure you're making a green choice. If you're considering hiring a cleaning company for weekly or fortnightly cleaning, it's also worth checking whether they use eco-labelled products.

Book a cleaning with Hemfrid today

For a stress-free and efficient cleaning experience, book with Hemfrid and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with a clean, well-kept home. Our professional cleaning specialists are dedicated to delivering the highest quality service to keep your home spotless.

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