Zero Waste and Eco Friendly Cleaning Solutions
Everyone has different needs and routines when it comes to cleaning. I try to keep on regular weekly maintenance, while I know others prefer to commit to one or two full days of deep cleaning a month. Whatever your routine may be, there is a lot of opportunity for waste with cleaning products these days.
Most commonly used household cleaners come packaged in disposable plastic spray bottles, filled with strong chemicals that well effectively kill off bacteria, are harmful to our environment and oceans. There are disposable floor pads and dusting sheets that are only good for a handful of uses before they need to be thrown out. A roll of paper towel can be easily used up start to finish with a deep clean of a kitchen or washroom. Needless to say, there are lots of opportunities to minimize your consumption and clean your home while being more conscious of the environmental effects.
How can I clean my home in a more eco-friendly way?
First off, I would recommend that you assess your current routines and make a list of areas that could use improvement. Consider how often you use a product and the waste it produces. Do a deep dive into the ingredient lists to see if what is killing those dust mites is safe to inhale. Once you have a clear picture of your current routine, product rotation, and chemicals used, then you can go ahead and try some of the following tips that best apply to you:
Make your own cleaners
Support ethical brands
Shop at a refill store
Use a steam cleaner
Become a minimalist
Reuse old materials
I have included affiliate and personal shop links throughout this post to help you find what you are looking for. If you choose to make a purchase from one of the links, there is a chance I will receive a small commision in return. As always, I greatly appreciate your support!
Make your own cleaners
Did you know you can recreate a lot of common household cleaners at home? Simple, food-grade, toxic-free ingredients such as citrus, vinegar, baking soda, can be combined as is or with essential oils to cut through household dirt and grime. Other natural low waste homemade cleaner ingredients could include hydrogen peroxide, cornstarch, castile soap, and tea tree oil. The best part about DIY cleaner is that you can experiment to get a balance that works best for you.
If you do plan on adding essential oils, I highly recommend you use an amber glass bottle for storage. It will help prevent UV rays from degrading the oil quality and make the mixed ingredients last longer. If you plan to leave your cleaners in a sunny spot, it is best to use amber glass too. Otherwise, reusing current spray bottles from leftover cleaning products is your best choice for avoiding more waste.
If you even use a homemade concoction some of the time to replace your light cleaning needs, you will reduce the number of times you need to purchase cleaners with waste as well as limit the chemical use within your home. Remember that every bit counts!
Here’s a recipe for an easy multipurpose household cleaner I use:
4 cups of water
1/2 a cup of vinegar
the juice and/or peel of 2 lemons
Combine all ingredients in a large jar or covered bowl for at least 24 hours. After the time as passed, remove the lemon peels and transfer the mixture to a spray bottle of your choice.
Follow me on Instagram for tons more recipes and tips.
Support ethical brands
Dew South Multipurpose Cleaner
If you are unable to make your own cleaners at home due to allergies, time, or personal preference, I recommend that you support ethically focused brands that are taking a stand against harmful ingredients, their impact, and/or wasteful plastic packaging.
This past month, Canadian zero-waste brand Dew South reached out to me in trying their brand new zero waste cleaner made with biodegradable and mild surfactants. There is no bottle involved, just a concentrate you can add to a bottle you have already. I received the product as a gift and I tried it out on different surfaces. It works great and it smells nice. Bonus points for the compostable package and the beautiful design.
ATTITUDE® is another option. It is a Canadian-based 100% vegan company that sells natural household and personal care products. I really like them because most if not all of their products are hypoallergenic and they hold themselves to a high standard from development all the way to product disposal. As for cleaning products, they sell cleaners, laundry detergent, dish soap, air purifiers, and stain removers in both spray bottles and bulk form. Unfortunately, their spray bottles are made from HDPE #2 plastic which is easily recyclable, but still wasteful. Unless you have a purpose to reuse the bottles, I would recommend opting for their bulk options that reduce plastic waste by 80%. You can reuse bottles you already have at home.
A unique suggestion I recommend to check out is Force of Nature. A science-based multipurpose cleaner company that kills 99.99% of germs and is approved for effective use against SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19. This cleaner is really unique in that it combines activated capsules and an electrolyzer appliance to activate the super simple ingredients of salt, vinegar, and water. While the use of power might seem counterintuitive on the environmental side, it in fact gives you the control to only produce the product as you need. Instead of the energy, it takes to produce bottle after bottle of cleaner from the store, you only need one bottle to use time and time again. Technologies like this are so intriguing to me, take a look if you have a chance and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Shop at a refill store
Another way to save on waste is to refill your existing containers at your local refill store. Not only is this zero waste and environmentally friendly, but it supports your community, small businesses and promotes a circular economy. If you are here in PEI, check out my list of eco-friendly, sustainable shops that carry zero-waste products. Otherwise, check Instagram or Google for options near you.
I have started to come across more and more mobile refill station businesses that operate out of vans and travel to local farmers markets and community events. A super convenient option if there is one in your area as you might be able to save on a bit of travel to the store and get a bunch of local and bulk shopping done at once. Don’t forget to consider the weight of stocking up and bring several sturdy reusable bags to carry your purchases!
Use a steam cleaner
I have spoken about this before in my post Functional Low Waste Products for Your Home because my 3-in-1 steam mop has been no joke, one of my favourite purchases in a long time. It gets into all the nooks and crannies in my stove and between tile grout that is oh so satisfying. I want to put together a complete review of the model I picked up soon but for now, I will speak to the general eco-conscious benefits that come from steam cleaning.
You can increase the environmental impact of your cleaning by using a steamer, whether it is for clothes or carpeting. Steam cleaning can be an effective method for reducing your home's need for products and chemical use. Using this technology reduces the amount of chemical waste in our water supply. In addition, steamers eliminate the need to use as many bottled sprays, which are often packaged in plastic.
Become a minimalist
Reducing the amount of stuff you have in your home will inevitably lead to an easier home cleaning process. I have been a minimalist my entire life and the thought process of less has always been easy for me.
Mark and I recently decided to swap our smaller bedroom and larger TV room locations in our home for this very reason. We are now able to have a spacious, zen-like bedroom and contain the entertainment messes to a smaller space. This has made the cleaning process a lot easier for the bigger room and has prevented us from spreading out messes.
Everything in our home has a purpose and a place it should go. A big part of minimalism is developing organizational systems that work with your lifestyle. It is a huge misconception that there is only one right way. Once you have a system down that works for everyone in your household, it makes the clean up process so much easier and less stressful.
If you are interested in a blog post with tips on how to declutter in the future, please let me know in the comments. I think my experience and natural pull towards a simpler life could be of value to those still learning how to reduce.
Reuse old materials
Who still uses paper towels? It is one of the laziest and unnecessary cleaning products in my opinion. Same with disposable Swiffer duster pads. Why create more waste when you can make the most of the reusable materials you already have at home.
If you rely on disposable cloths now, you might need to invest in a set of unpaper towels or cotton cloths, to begin with, but after that, all you need to do is wash and reuse them over and over and over again. I don’t think you can ever have too many rags honestly. To make sure I am never without due to a wash day mixup, I also cut up old towels and worn-out clothing to be used as cleaning rags whenever I can.
I know that donating is another option, but when an item is well-loved, stained, or torn, I much rather put it to use in my own home. Cleaning and dusting rags don’t need to be pretty, they just need to work. I keep a bin of them under my kitchen skin, in my bathroom, and near my laundry area to easily be able to grab one when I need it.
What are your top environmentally friendly cleaning tips? I’d love it if you would share them with me.
Hey, Claudia here
I am a senior graphic designer, a dog mom, an advocate for a zero-waste lifestyle, climate change, and sustainability. My articles are based on personal experience and well researched to give you the best source of information for all things zero-waste.