Earth and Body Friendly

Many people find that the hardest place to reduce their use of chemicals is inside the home. Considering that this is often the place we spend most of our time, it would seem to be paramount that we start here to not only stop exposing ourselves to dangerous toxins, but to cease sending these same toxins into our waterways and oceans everytime we clean the house.

Recipes for more natural, less toxic cleaners abound—a Google search of bicarb soda (baking soda) and vinegar will bring more results than you could ever use—but even when using these concoctions, we’re still putting chemicals (albeit less toxic ones) down our sinks into our water sources which probably shouldn’t be ending up in there.

Clean with only water

There is a way to clean your house, keep it hygienic and free of dirt and harmful bacteria, without using any chemicals at all. Microfibre technology is the way to do this. When cleaning regularly with a good quality microfibre cloth you need only the fibre and water; no soap, no sprays, no chemicals at all.

This is actually a difficult concept for many people to grasp. Over the past 50 years or so (probably not long after the advent of television advertising) we’ve been gradually brainwashed into believing that it’s not clean unless we’ve sprayed something on it (’It’s not clean unless it’s Pine o Cleen!’ Sound familiar?) and it’s especially clean if we’ve wiped it with something anti-bacterial.

Water is a natural solvent

When using microfibre correctly, the water acts as a solvent, allowing the microfibre to reach into the microscopic pores of the surface and lift out the dirt. The dirt gets caught in the fibres and stays there (not just being spread around on the surface you’re trying to clean) until it’s washed away in the next load of washing in your washing machine. The surface is then dried to stop the growth of germs and bacteria. The surface is left cleaner than  than it would be with the use of a chemical because there isn’t any chemical residue left. This also means that none of this residue is going to be transferred onto the sandwich you put into your child’s lunch, or licked by the toddler that insists on tasting everything.

Quality microfibre will last the distance

Good quality microfibre products are not cheap. You can buy cheaper ones, and sometimes they work just as well, but they won’t last as long. Think of it this way: it’s like the difference between a take-away Chinese food container and Tupperware. They both do essentially the same job, but one is built to last. Buying quality fibres will save you buying many of the cheap fibres. (Paying more can also mean that your money may be supporting an ethical company that provides a fair wage and good conditions for its workers.)

Microfibre can be used in every room in your house, and there’s a fibre designed for almost every surface, even upholstery. There is a bit of a learning curve when you first move over to using microfibre, but mostly it’s just a mental adjustment.

‘Clean’ actually smells like nothing

Once you get used to the smell (i.e. the smell of fresh air) and the feel of real clean, then you’ll never want to go back to using sprays and chemicals. I haven’t bought anything from the cleaning aisle at the supermarket for years. If I ever have to walk through it, I hold my breath and walk as fast as I can! Not having to buy these products every few months is a freedom that I enjoy immensely.

Benefits:

• Save money in the long run.
• No need to buy chemicals all the time and never run out of a bottle of cleaner.
• No empty bottles going into landfill.
• Avoid allergies and exposure to toxins.
• Stop washing chemicals into our water sources.

Possibly related posts:

1. Soap nuts work!
2. Chemical cleaners smell terrible
3. Guilt over environmental hostilities
4. How to smell nice without chemicals
5. A short break in communications