Green cleaning

September 15, 10:09 AMSF Eco Style ExaminerWendi Goad

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This weekend was the perfect weekend to be out and about enjoying the city, yet somehow all I could think about was cleaning my neglected apartment. It seems that in my running around the city looking for the most fabulous eco fashions and sipping on fantastic direct trade Joe, I had completely forgotten that my humble abode needs some love too.

  So I have a few tips for cleaning in a fun and environmental way… I mean I hate doing the dishes, but if I have a dish soap that will woo me into sudsing a few plates, then I am all for it. I love Mrs. Meyers Basil Scented dish soap, and I use the sponges from Trader Joes that are extra scouring so it makes the job fast and easy. If you are one of the lucky San Franciscans that does have a dishwasher, use it, but use it wisely… make sure it’s full and that unless the dishes are really dirty run it on the lowest cycle possible.

 The right tools are more than half the battle when it comes to eco-cleaning. Here are a few that I won’t try and lift a finger without…

·         Scouring sponge (as mentioned above)

·         A good bucket

·         Sponge mop (it’s my favorite style, you can use whatever you like as long as it isn’t a swiffer)

·         Non-abrasive scrub (bon ami)

·         All Purpose Cleaner

·         Counter top Spray

·         A kick butt cleaning soundtrack (whatever you like, you get to be creative on this one)

You can clean your house top to bottom with these items… some great brands to try are method, Mrs. Meyers, Caldrea, 7^th Generation, Clorox Green Works & Ecover.  You can find most of these at the following locations

Spring (for the first three)

Target (for method and Green Works)

Cole Hardware (Ecover, Green Works and some others)

The best part about the non-toxic cleaners I use is that my house smells good when I am done, not some crazy toxic cloud that hits me with a migraine by the time I am done.  They are all 100% biodegradable, and I don’t have to wear gloves, because when the soap gets on my hands they don’t get dried out. All in all cleaning is almost fun, and in when the results are a sparkly house with a scent of field of lemons, who can complain?