Greening Your Spring Cleaning

The days are getting longer, trees are budding, and flowers are blooming – spring! Time to air out the house and scrub away the winter build-up. When living in a smaller space, it’s even more important to avoid harsh fumes and chemicals during your spring cleaning. But how to get the disinfected shine without the chemicals?

Here are my favorite ways to banish stains, clogs, mold and more, with ingredients that are friendly to people and the environment!

Shopping list: you can do most of the tough cleaning with little more some white vinegar (removes scum, disinfects), baking soda (scours and deodorizes), citrus fruit (lemon is a favorite), and water. For the bonus material, add some borax (from the laundry aisle) and cream of tartar.

Windows: Maybe you’ve tried washing with good old vinegar, as green-cleaning tip sheets suggest. Streaks, right? Don’t despair! Try this: 2 cups water, ¼ cup white vinegar, and ½ tsp liquid soap in your spray bottle. Streak free shine!

Microwave: Ever spent hours scrubbing the awkward angles of the your microwave? Here’s a true 3-minute solution with no elbow pain. Fill a microwave-safe bowl with about 1 cup of water. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. The water should boil and the steam you see is actually loosening all the dried gunk so you don’t have to. Use a damp rag to gently wipe the microwave. Done.

Oven: Why use spray cleaners when you can reach for the spice cabinet instead? Just mix a paste from vinegar and cream of tartar. Apply it to the inside of your oven, let it sit for about 3 hours, then wipe with a damp cloth. Safe and shiny!

Carpet, mattress and upholstery smells: Baking soda doesn’t just de-funk the fridge. When it’s time to flip your mattress, help ward off smells by sprinkling about ½-1 cup of baking soda across the mattress (or carpet, or upholstered furniture). Let it sit for several hours. Then use the wand attachment of your vacuum and suck up the baking soda along with any funky odors.

Clogs: This works best if you apply this remover BEFORE the drain is so stuffed that no water drains. Think of it as a maintenance technique – a little check-up. All you need is water, baking soda, and vinegar.

Pour a few cups of hot/boiling water down to clear any “easy” particles. Pour ½ cup baking soda, then ½ cup vinegar into the drain and cover it. If your drain doesn’t have a stopper, just use a damp cloth. This keeps the fizzy “scrubbing bubbles” reaction inside the drain where you want it to be working. Let it sit and work its magic for 5-10 minutes. Pour several cups of hot/boiling water down the drain to flush.

The end! Functional drain. If you buy in bulk, both baking soda and vinegar are very cheap, and not toxic like store-bought drain cleaners!

Grout: Ew, right? Shiny grout makes any home look so fresh and clean, and this technique saves some serious elbow grease and lots of toxins.

Mix equal parts vinegar and water into a spray bottle. Spray the grout with the solution and scrub once with a grout brush (or toothbrush). Rinse. Top layer is done! Now for the deeper stuff.

Mix baking soda and water in a small dish to make a paste. Use your brush to gently work the paste into the grout, being sure to get the sides and corners. Spray with vinegar and watch the fizzy magic for 1-2 minutes. Scrub again with your brush, using a bit more elbow grease. Rinse with water and admire!

Bathtub stains and rust: You’ll need a grapefruit and coarse kosher salt. Yep. Grapefruit. Cool! This is my favorite green cleaning hack. And it really works.

Cut your grapefruit in half. Sprinkle the coarse salt thoroughly on the fleshy part of the grapefruit, and pour about ½ cup of salt into the bottom of the tub for later. Start using the grapefruit in your hand to scrub the salt against the rust, stains, and metal fixtures of the tub. Lift the grapefruit and “dip” it into the salt pile to restock as needed. Use the salt ON the grapefruit – don’t just push it around. The citric acid and salt work together to beat these stains. For the toughest stains, flip the grapefruit and use the rind to work more salt in.

It should take about 1 whole grapefruit to shine up a full tub. If you have extra tough stains, try 2 grapefruit. And your “cleaning waste” can just be put into your compost bin!

Mold: After extensive research and my own trial and error, I have found that vinegar – humble kitchen vinegar – works as well as, or better than, bleach at keeping mold at bay. I mix a small cleaning bucket with equal parts water and vinegar, then apply with a rag on non-porous surfaces, or a scrub brush for wood grain or other porous surfaces.

Other general cleaning: Baking soda is a great scouring cleaner with water or lemon juice. For a non-abrasive all-purpose cleaner, use a paste of vinegar and cream of tartar. This is great for almost any surface in the house!

Spring fresh tip: Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to any liquid or paste solution to make your home smell as fresh as it looks! My favorites are lavender, or a mix of lemon and peppermint.
Even though these sprays and scrubs are much safer than most commercially produced cleaners, it’s still important to label them carefully and keep them locked or on high shelves away from any little hands and mouths.