In 2018, household cleaner sales totaled around $3.5 billion. It’s clear Americans are obsessed with keeping clean houses. It’s where they spend their spare time and go to sleep in, after all.
But what many fail to realize is even though household cleaners get rid of tough stains and germs, they’re not exactly the best for the environment.
If you’d like to be both green and clean, then keep reading. We’ll tell you all about eco-friendly cleaning!
What Is Eco-Friendly Cleaning?
Eco-friendly cleaning is tidying up your home in a way that doesn’t increase your carbon footprint. It also doesn’t harm the health of you, your pets, and wild animals.
Today, as technology advances, we come up with more efficient cleaners that are filled with toxic chemicals. Sure, they’ll make your house spick and span with little effort and time. But they’ll also fill your air with corrosive fumes.
It doesn’t just affect your household either; our wildlife and their habitats suffer as well.
Think about the bottles of cleaners you use to clean your toilet. They may be great at getting rid of grime and bacteria. But seeing as you have to flush the toilet to rid yourself of the cleaner, all those chemicals end up in lakes, rivers, and oceans.
The problem with many convenient cleaning products is they aren’t biodegradable. For example, companies make easy-to-use cleaning wipes where you clean a surface, then dispose of them in the trash.
But these wipes end up in landfills, where they either take an excessively long time to degrade, or don’t degrade at all.
Real Eco-Friendly Cleaning
We said above that eco-friendly cleaning is being conscious of your carbon footprint. While you may think this is achieved by using cleaners free of harsh chemicals, that’s only part of it.
If you want to be as eco-friendly as possible, you’ll also think about the methods and types of supplies you use. For example, you’d use as little water as possible, use manual labor vs. electric when possible, and choose biodegradable supplies and equipment.
Pros of Eco-Friendly Cleaning
Of course, there are plenty of pros that come with eco-friendly cleaning. We’ll discuss some below.
You Breathe Cleaner Air
Cleaning products usually have things like neurotoxins, carcinogens, teratogens, mutagens, and endocrine disrupters. As you can imagine, breathing these things in can be quite bad for your health.
Green cleaners don’t have any of the above in them. So when you use them, not only do you breathe non-corrosive air, but also don’t risk your health.
You’re Putting Fewer Harmful Chemicals Into the Environment
Again, when you use cleaners, they react and release harmful chemicals into the air. This eventually makes it out of your home, especially if you have your windows and doors cracked open for better airflow.
Plus, when you throw out used-up bottles, there are small amounts of the harmful chemicals left in them. These leftover liquids may then seep into our land when these bottles pile up on landfills.
Con of Eco-Friendly Cleaning
Unfortunately, the pros of eco-friendly cleaning do come with a trade-off.
It Takes Longer to Get the Desired Effects
Again, eco-friendly cleaners tend to be weaker than standard cleaners. This means to get your home to same standards of cleanliness, you’ll have to spend longer scrubbing and soaking.
Considering you have to spend time tidying up, it shouldn’t matter too much in the long-run if that means you can be more eco-conscious. Do keep in mind that if you use a professional cleaning service, they usually charge by the hour, so you may end up paying significantly more.
How to Book an Eco-Friendly Cleaner
Not only will you save money by cleaning your own house, but you’ll also have more control over the products and equipment used.
But not everybody has the time and energy to take on this chore. If this is the case for you, then you may be looking into hiring a cleaner instead.
You may be worried they won’t do a fantastic job and will leave your home smelling like toxic chemicals. But with the right housekeeper, you can get the results you want.
In fact, reputable cleaning providers will let you specify what you want prioritized and what products to use. You can even provide the cleaning products yourself if you don’t want outside products brought into your home.
When you book with Anita’s Housekeeping, make sure to mention that you are looking for a cleaner with experience in and products for eco-friendly or green cleaning. You can indicate what products you want used, and which one you don’t want used in your home. You can even indicate in the booking form that you’ll provide the products so the housekeeper doesn’t have to show up with any of her own. Or, just mention your situation such as newborn arriving or medical requirements and a representative at Anita’s will make sure to match you with the best housekeeper for the job.
Whatever’s your preference, it’s all within your control, so long as you indicate clearly what eco-friendly options you want with your cleaning service.
Keep Your House Green and Clean
Now that you know what eco-friendly cleaning is, you can keep your house green and clean. While you may have to compromise on a little bit of cleaning power, at least you’ll be doing your part in reducing your carbon footprint.
As long as you get your home cleaned regularly, the slight difference in cleaning power shouldn’t make a significant difference. So do your part in making the world a better place and choose eco-friendly products and cleaning methods.
If you’d like an eco-friendly cleaner to come to your home, then book one now! We’ll match you with the right cleaners so your house is not only tidy, but also free of harsh chemicals.
Our registered professional housekeepers are experienced, background-checked, and top-rated. Plus, we can book you a cleaner who will work with your schedule and clean the way you want! Contact our local office in Santa Cruz, San Diego, or San Jose for your personalized housekeeping service.
