Spring Cleaning the Eco Way

With spring now here, for many of us it's time to open the windows, take down the curtains and give the house a thorough clean. Spring cleaning is as old a custom as there is, but there is nothing better than getting the house spick-and-span for summer.

But spring cleaning can be damaging to the environment for a couple of reasons. Firstly, all that washing and drying of linen and vacuuming is very energy consuming, leading to more emissions and high bills.

Secondly, the cleaners, detergents, polishes and bleaches used in scrubbing the home and washing fabrics can be very damaging to the environment, especially as a lot of it gets thrown down the drain.

But there are a fair few eco-friendly methods of getting the same results while using less energy and fewer chemical cleaners:

One sure-fire way of reducing energy consumption when cleaning is to ensure you are using energy efficient products, Energy efficient washers, driers and even vacuums are available and can make a big difference throughout the year. Look out for their star ratings.

For washers, this also means reducing the amount of water they use, another important environmental factor.

Apart from the energy efficiency ensuring you only do a full load will help reduce the energy and water consumption by ensuring you are washing more efficiently. Keep the temperature down too, the higher it is the more expensive it'll cost and the more energy it will use. May washing fabrics recommend 30 degrees now and still claim to get clothes just as clean.

There could, however, be a downside to these washing detergents, many of which contain powerful detergents and enzymes. Eco balls will get clothes clean without using any chemicals at all. They can also be reused many times over and use magnetism and ionisation to remove stains.

You can also use magnetic balls to prevent limescale from building up in the machine, and the dishwasher. Preventing the need and expensive of buying chemical limescale removers.

When drying clothes, avoid tumble driers whenever possible; even energy efficient ones consume an awful amount of power. Clothes lines will get your clothes just as dry and make them smell fresh without fabric conditioners. And on a rainy day, avoid draping things over radiators and wasting energy unnecessarily. Clothes horses and clothes airers use zero energy and prevent the smells caused by damp clothes drying on radiators.

Natural alternatives are available for many of the cleaning products we use around the home. Vinegar makes a great stain remover, brass cleaner and de-scaler, while salt, soap and hot water can get most things clean without the need of chemical detergents.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/6262772

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