Spring is here and I wanted to write a post about Green Friendly Spring Cleaning techniques. As I sat down to write the post I wondered to myself -  “where did Spring cleaning come from anyway?” – And off to Wikipedia I went.

Turns out there are lots of origins for “Spring Cleaning” mostly dating back to a time when the seasons and spiritual practices where much more closely connected than they are now. Here in the US, not surprisingly, it is related to those age-old days before the advent of our faithful cleaning companion… the vacuum cleaner:

“In North America and northern Europe, the custom found an especial practical value due to those regions’ continental and wet climates. During the 19th century in America, prior to the advent of the vacuum cleaner, March was often the best time for dusting because it was getting warm enough to open windows and doors (but not warm enough for insects to be a problem), and the high winds could carry the dust out of the house. For the same reason, modern rural households often use the month of March for cleaning projects involving the use of chemical products which generate fumes.”

And it is just those fumes and harmful chemicals that I want to talk about… with a quick collection of inexpensive items you probably have in your house already you can do some down & dirty cleaning without harming your lungs or the planet.

So here are my top 5 Green Cleaning Tips:

1. Hang a close line outside: Even if you don’t hang everything up to dry and even if you don’t do it all year round… taking advantage of the suns warmth in the spring and summer cuts down on the energy used in the dryer. Bonus is… it saves you money! No cost of energy to run the dryer… no cost of energy to cool the house.  If you are going to use the dryer – be sure to dry loads back to back… the next load takes less energy with the already warmed up dryer.
2. Shiny bathrooms… in between cleans:   Keep a spray bottle of 1 cup water – 1 drop tea tree oil in on hand and spritz any bits of mold or mildew as they crop up.
3. Scrub away safely: Baking soda… baking soda is like a cleaning super hero with a well mannered secret identity as a baked good fluffer-upper.  You can use a mix of water and baking soda or vinegar and baking soda to scrub counters, tile, toilets and all the like.
   1. Bonus Tip: Add ½ cups of baking soda to top loading washers or ¼ cups to front-loading washers with your normal amount of detergent for a clothes cleaning turbo-boost.
4. Furniture Polish: Use a mix of 2 parts olive oil with 1 part lemon juice and apply with soft cloth.
5. Windows and Mirrors: Try a mix of 2 cups water, ¼ cup white distilled vinegar (in the baking or cleaning section of the grocery store) and ½ teaspoon of liquid soap in a spray bottle. Also – use up those newspapers in the recycle bin rather than fresh paper towels.

And finally to all the moms out there… DON’T TRY THESE AT HOME… this weekend.  It’s Mother’s Day – take it easy this weekend. Do something wonderful just for you.

Related posts:

1. Green Living: Kick those chemicals
2. Green Living: Recycling at home for the non-hippie
3. Green Living: Edible Potted Garden
4. Spring Picnic
5. Green Living: Call Me a Bag Lady – No Really!