Are you sick of feeling like you need to wear a mask so you don’t breathe in the chemicals from your cleaning products? Are you sick of spending money on expensive cleaners? Are you sick of using products and chemicals that can negatively affect the environment and the health of you and your family?
Then this is the guide for you.
Having the desire to switch to green cleaning is one thing, but it can feel overwhelming. The good thing is- you don’t have to do it all at once. That’s I wanted to write a guide that could hopefully break down green cleaning into easy baby steps to make the switch as easy as possible.
And let me tell you- green doesn’t just mean good for the environment. It means good for your wallet too. I save at least $20 a month making my own cleaners instead of buying them from a store. Double score.
So, here are 5 easy steps for you to switch to green (environmentally and financially!) cleaning:
1. Acquire basic supplies
The good thing about green cleaning is that it is pretty simple- and you only need a few basic things. Most cleaning recipes use the same 4 or 5 ingredients. So the first step in a gradual switch to green cleaning is to just acquire the basic supplies. You probably already have most of them in the house, and the rest you can just add to a grocery list or get on amazon. Easy peasy.
So here are the absolute basic supplies you will want to start:
- Baking Soda
- White Distilled Vinegar
- Liquid Castile Soap
- Microfiber towels
- Empty spray bottles (reuse if you can!)
If you want to go a little more than basic, you might also want:
- Essential oils (recommended: lemon, peppermint, and lavender)
- Borax
- Washing Soda (you can buy it or make your own from baking soda)
- Lemons or lemon juice
- Olive oil
- A refillable spray mop
- Kosher salt
Once you have the basics on hand, you will be ready for step number two!
2. Make one cleaner at a time
Switching to green cleaning can feel daunting. But it’s not an all-or-nothing thing. You only have to work on one recipe at a time.
I got started with green cleaning with my all natural hardwood floor cleaner recipe. And I’ve been switching one cleaner at a time since then.
Don’t make yourself feel bad if you don’t have time to make a new green cleaner every time you clean something new in the house. It might be good to start out making an all purpose green cleaner so you can do all your basic jobs with it. But if you have to fall back on a commercial cleaner when you are starting out, that’s totally ok. It’s a gradual switch.
Which brings us to the next step:
Selene Galindo says
I absolutely love this post!!! I started making my own green cleaners over a year ago and I agree it saves a lot of money! And I love them so much more than the one’s at the store!
Pinned!
Kathleen @ Fearlessly Creative Mammas says
Great tips. This is something that has been on my mind and something that I would love to start. I was reminded of this again today, as I inhaled fumes from my no fume oven cleaner. Yuck!
Rachel says
This is a great post! I tried switching to homemade green cleaners awhile back but just felt overwhelmed. It was easier to just buy stuff. But now that we are on a super strict budget, this will help us save money while avoiding harsh chemicals. Thanks!