Cleaning the house is not our favorite thing to do. Ever. But we like living in a clean home, and it doesn’t clean itself. Here are a few ways we make it easier on ourselves, because every little bit helps.

1. Welcome mats! Place mats outside and rugs inside your doors to help remove particles and pollutants carried inside on shoes―one of the key ways toxins and dirt enter our homes. Clean these mats and rugs regularly. Consider asking friends and family to remove their shoes when they come in – you may want to keep some slippers or indoor shoes by the door, for people who like to keep shoes on. Remember: if it isn’t tracked into your home, you won’t have to clean it!
2. Open your windows! Every house has its own smell. You want yours to be a good smell, or at least a neutral smell – but air fresheners are generally not a healthy option. Bonus – EPA research has found that the air inside the average home is typically two to five times more polluted than the surrounding air outside thanks to tight energy-efficient construction that over time concentrates the toxins entering our homes. Flushing out those hazards with fresh air now and then will do a lot to keep your home healthier.
3. Use microfiber! Compared to rags and disposable options, microfiber cleaning cloths do a much better job of trapping and removing household soils and dust, the final resting place for many of the toxins that enter our home. With microfiber, you won’t kick that stuff back into the air, and you won’t need as much cleaning product either! Tip – never use fabric softener or dryer sheets with microfiber; they ruin the trapping property of the fabric.
4. Clean your bathrooms daily! Clean it while you’re in there – it’s really not much work to spray the toilet bowl after you flush, and swish it out after you shower. Squeegee or spray the shower just before you get out. Wipe the vanity and sink just before you leave the bathroom. Do a quick swipe of the floor sometime in there and you’re done. It’s an extra minute or two for an always clean bathroom. This is all work that’s easy for anyone over age 10, so delegate bathrooms to their primary users, and you’re good to go.

* and our favorite Marilu housekeeping tip *


5. Never leave a room empty-handed! Before you leave any room, do a quick scan – is there anything that belongs where you’re going? Does your jacket need to go back to the closet? Can that book you finished last night go back on the shelf in the family room? Everyone in the house should be trained (yes, sometimes that’s exactly the right word) to return all dishes to the kitchen, and to be rinsed or loaded in the dishwasher, and all recyclables to the recycling bag/box/barrel. If you put things on the stairs to go up or down, don’t leave them there – take them on your next trip up/down stairs.

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 17th, 2010 at 2:55 am and is filed under Chemicals, Additives & Preservatives, Family friendly activities, food, tips, Green living, Home, Organizational tips for home and life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.