Practical Green Cleaning Tips with the Maid Brigade green cleaning team
Thanks so much to Lauren Brown for getting us this great information on a green clean for your home! We look forward to seeing some more wonderful posts from you and your team!
No matter where you are on the path to going green, or if you haven’t even started, there are several ways you can implement eco-friendly practices in everyday cleaning tasks.
Here are some examples:
Easiest
• Use a high quality entrance mat to keep out dirt, allergens, and other
contaminated particles
• Or make your home shoes-free
• Get good quality micro fiber cloths to clean better with fewer (maybe no)
chemicals
• Use these cloths in a color-coded fashion, using separate cloths for the kitchen,
bathroom, etc. to prevent cross-contamination of germs throughout the home
• Use micro fiber mops, not brooms, to remove daily traffic dirt and pet hair
without stirring up more allergens
• Use the mildest cleaning solution possible for the job
• Watch the Signal Words on the product labels, avoiding anything stronger than a
Caution! label
• Spray cleaners onto the cleaning cloth, not the surface to be cleaned; overspray is
a leading cause of unnoticed residues and airborne chemicals
• Wear rubber gloves to prevent absorption of chemical solutions and vapors
through the skin
Medium
• Select products designed to work in cold water
• Select products with low or no VOC content
• Find products with a moderate pH, from 4 to 11
• Purchase products that come in recyclable containers
• Purchase green cleaning solutions in concentrated form and dilute into re-useable
spray bottles
• Use a micro fiber mop system
• Avoid products containing pesticides, organochlorines, formaldehyde, or APEs
• Avoid products containing known or suspected carcinogens, neurotoxins,
reproductive toxins, developmental toxins or endocrine disruptors
Hardest
• Get a high filtration vacuum (preferably a HEPA filter) with a closed canister
system to trap and remove 99.7% of particles 1 micron or larger (including dust,
dirt, pollen, dust mites, pet dander, hair and mold – really tiny stuff)
• Go to a chemical-free dry steam vapor system to clean, deodorize, disinfect and
kill mold, mildew and dust mites using water alone
• Purchase a water-ionizing system for a chemical-free portable device that
effectively tackles just about everything (you may need something stronger on
heavy grease and soap scum)
•
Make your own natural cleaning products – like baking soda, lemons, vinegar,
borax and vegetable-based oil soaps for ultimate knowledge and control of what is
in your home
De-clutter your home to make a more enjoyable environment for recharging and
to make routine cleaning easier and faster
Take baby steps! Choose a few items here and there that seem doable and see and feel
the difference.
-Lauren Brown
Contact info:
LBrown@maid-brigade.com
703-823-1726
For a green home cleaning estimate: www.maids.maidbrigade.com
