Spring Cleaning - Clean Your House, Green Your Life

The first official day of Spring was March 20th and for a good chunk of the south it was cold and SNOWING! So the first day of Spring has come and gone in a very cold, white blur but it's not too late to start the infamous (and ever dreaded) Spring Cleaning. Spring cleaning is all about starting fresh; out with the old and in with the new. Why not try helping the environment too? Cleaning doesn't have to be about harsh chemicals and spending lots of money of new and improved cleaning products. I've scoured the web and asked around for some of the best tips on how to "Go Green" during your annual rituals.





First things first. Here's a few ideas on some great, eco-friendly DIY cleaning products.
No Streak Glass Cleaner
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

dissolved into 1 quart warm water
Powerful but Friendly Mildew Remover
dissolve 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup Borax into water
Scuff Remover
As simple as using a pencil eraser
DIY Furniture Polish
1/4 cup white distilled vinegar or lemon juice
Few drops of jojoba oil or olive oil
Essential oil for scent (optional)
Good for Anything and Everything
Vinegar and Baking Soda
- Make pastes and distilled sprays for grout cleaning and any other scrubbing and spraying needed.





During my search I found hundreds of websites for environmentally friendly stain removers, cleaners, detergents and anything else you could possibly need to clean your house with little to no impact on the outside world.


I also found quite a few interesting tid-bits on a few small steps you can make inside your home to help better the planet. Here's just a few I found interesting.

• As few as 15 houseplants in an average size home can offer significant reduction in the number of indoor contaminants in your home.


• If a quarter of the households in the US replaced one incandescent with one CFL, it would save as much CO2 as planting 257,215 acres of forest.


• 50% of the average households energy consumption goes to heating and cooling your home. Make sure to seal all edges and cracks with caulk and weatherstripping when possible. You can also hang curtains and drapes to limit heat gains in the summer and losses in the winter.

Spring is a great time to get a fresh start by cleaning and organizing but harsh chemical cleaners and waste can reek havoc on our already fragile environment. So for this years Spring cleaning festivities take a moment to better the environment while restoring your home to its sparkly clean potential. And as always check out http://www.interiormall.com/ for eco-friendly fabrics, wallpapers, rugs, curtain rods and accessories and more.