Get Your Home Green and Clean
Just what is in your favorite cleaning products? You may not want to know. Most cleaning product manufacturers would have you believe that you need an arsenal of chemicals in order to get your house clean. But the truth is that not only are those chemicals unnecessary, they could also be putting your health, the planet's health, and the health of your baby at risk.
Why Clean Green?
Many health experts now believe that chemical exposure, even at very low levels, can have adverse impacts on the reproductive system. For growing babies, this exposure can lead to developmental effects, such as birth defects, low birth weight, and behavioral development.
And don't forget that all of these chemicals eventually make their way into the environment as they wash down the drain or are sprayed into the air. Their impact on natural eco-systems can be devastating.
Don't wipe your house down with dangerous chemicals. Instead, choose green cleaners (or make your own) that will not only get our house clean, but make sure its safe for little ones.
No More Waste
Don't forget to reach for a reusable cloth to do your cleaning. Switching from paper products to reusables in your cleaning will save you money and cut back on tons of waste.
Cut up T-shirts that are beyond repair to use as cleaning rags or pick up a few old pre-loved dish towels at the thrift store. If you prefer to clean with a sponge, look for natural sponges that are biodegradable and can even be composted when they are no longer useful as sponges. Just be sure your sponges came from a sponge farm and were not harvested from a natural ecosystem.
If you use a cleaning service, you can get a green clean by asking staff to either use your green products or bring their own. There is not yet a one-stop location for finding a green cleaner in your area. Check with friends for a recommendation or talk with your current cleaning agency to see if they will comply.
At the store, check out Target's line of organic cotton cloths and towels. Method makes microfiber cloths that are specialized for a variety of surfaces such as stainless steel, wood, or windows.
Or, for a new twist on cleaning, try the new line of sponges and cleaning cloths available from Twist. All of their products are biodegradable and packaged in recyclable paper packaging that can be reused for fun craft projects (check out their website for craft ideas).
And don't forget that you can reuse those clean cotton diapers as dust cloths once your baby is potty trained.
