Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Spring Cleaning

Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Spring Cleaning

As you know, we like to keep things non-toxic and chemical-free over here at A1, so we thought we’d put together a guide on eco-friendly cleaning to help you take your spring cleaning to the next level. It always feels great to do a good deep clean of your home but for many of us, the idea of using toxic and chemical-laden cleaning products is less than ideal.

 

Luckily, there are so many simple and effective ways to clean your home using items found right in your kitchen. Keep reading for cleaning tips and DIY recipes to leave your home feeling fresh without any harmful chemicals.

Declutter

Before we get into the cleaning itself, take some time to declutter your home. Even if you keep your home sparkling clean, it will feel cluttered and messy if you’re holding on to too many items. Go room by room and sort out anything that you no longer want or need.

Wash your bedding (without chemicals)

While there are recipes out there for DIY laundry detergent, we find that this item is one that’s much easier to buy store bought, as the DIY recipes can be a bit tricky to get right. To find an eco-friendly option, look for plant-based detergents that don’t contain bleach, fragrances, phthalates, brighteners, phosphates & EDTA, Petroleum distillates, NPE, or Formaldehyde. A great resource to check out for all home and personal products is the Environmental Working Group (EWG), which rate the toxicity of thousands of products. You can find their cleaning products database here.

In your dryer, go for wool dryer balls rather than dryer sheets, which are filled with chemicals. Or, skip the dryer all together and air dry!

For more tips on how to properly wash your bedding, check out our post here.

Make an all-purpose cleaning spray

There are tons of great and effective DIY all-purpose cleaning products out there, but we love this one because it is just so simple and works great. All you need to do is add a ratio of 1 tbsp of castile soap per 1 cup of water to a spray bottle. Then add in 5-10 drops of essential oils (peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, and lemon are all great for cleaning), shake, and you’re good to go. Castile soap is a great option because it works on almost every surface, even marble and granite. Do a quick google search to make sure the essential oils you’re using are safe for your surfaces.

Make a DIY window cleaner

It doesn’t get much easier than this one! To make a super effective and chemical free cleaner for all of your glass surfaces, just mix equal parts vodka and water into a spray bottle and you’re good to go! You can also add a couple of drops of an essential oil, like peppermint or eucalyptus if you want an extra fresh scent.

This spray can also double as a disinfectant- just make sure to check that the surface you’re spraying it on won’t be damaged by the vodka.

Open the windows

After a long winter, our homes can really use a good airing out to get rid of stale air! While you’re cleaning (and if the weather allows, of course), turn off the heat and open up all of the windows in your home to get rid of all of that stale air and breathe some fresh life into your home! This one simple step alone can make your home feel brand new.

If you’re as passionate as we are about keeping harmful chemicals out of your home, check out our collection of organic home goods. From bedsheets to comforters to throw blankets and more, we have home décor that you can feel good about.

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