Cleaning

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In the UK we live in a very sanitised world. It seems to be a crime to do anything vaguely dangerous or fun, which is mirrored in people’s attitudes to health risks in the home: dirt is danger, germs deadly. But are we really that vulnerable? After all, people managed to survive in medieval Paris, which was slightly grimier than the average cesspit.

There has been some research recently into the benefits of bugs, and it turns out that we might actually need some nasties to keep our immune systems busy. When allergy sufferers were given harmless parasites to carry around inside themselves, almost all of them lost almost all of their allergy symptoms. We evolved with these sorts of things, so making our homes ‘hygienically clean’ may not be all that beneficial.

It is worth remembering that anything that kills 99% of all known germs does so because it kills things – germs, fish, us, pink fairy armadillos.  So, do not use anti-bacterial products unless they are really needed. A good wipe with a bit of soap is usually enough.

The problem with traditional cleaning products is their chemical content. This is generally not too bad, but chlorine bleaches, anti-bacterials, phosphates, artificial fragrances and sundry additives can all be a bit nasty. The eco-products available are good at cleaning and kinder to people and the environment, so it seems sensible to use them. There are lots of alternatives, so please visit the Shop area to see if anything takes your fancy.

Bear in mind that most cleaners are basically the same, whether they specialise in baths, sinks, worktops, floors, tiles or just about anything else. So, why not buy one general eco cleaner and use it all over? Sparingly. Not ovens, though – oven cleaner tends to be really nasty so you will still need to buy a separate oven-cleaning product.

Try to cut down on disposables. There are lots of ads for disposable dusters, disposable pre-soaked cloths, diluted ready-to-use floor cleaners and all sorts of outrageous nonsense. These cost comparative fortunes, use resources, need lots of transportation and create excess waste. Instead, use a normal cloth and highly concentrated eco-cleaner that you dilute down with tap water.

Try using brooms and mops a bit more too, rather than specialist gadgets and electrically powered stuff. Carpet sweepers are excellent too.

There are many eco-cloths available, made from a variety of materials and with a variety of claims about their cleaning properties. Some claim to clean everything without the need for detergents: a splash of water and off they go. These claims may or may not be exaggerated, but the few unbiased comments out there are all complimentary. I have a wood fibre dishcloth, which is excellent. Give them a go, I suggest, as they are not expensive and last for ages. Also, how about using your old clothes as rags for washing floors, cars, light aircraft etc.

Packaging is always a bad thing, so try and buy refill packs where available. Worse than standard packaging are aerosols. They may no longer have CFCs, but they take a lot to make and are hugely wasteful.

As for air fresheners, well, just don’t, please. If you really must, try buying essential oils and use them to fragrance your air. A drop or two in a saucer of hot water works wonders, or put the saucer on your radiator to diffuse the aroma around the room.

The tough jobs, such as unblocking drains, can usually be done with eco-bleach or soda crystals (when the SAS are not available). Soda crystals are best used in conjunction with boiling water. In fact, soda crystals are pretty good at cleaning everything. Combine their use with a little vinegar, lemon and tea tree oil, and you have the full spectrum DIY cleaning kit. Perhaps use a cloth too, come to thing of it.

For limescale, soak a cloth in vinegar and wrap it around the offending area. It may take a while and you may need to recharge the vinegar, but it should clear it in the end and is unlikely to damage the underlying enamel etc. Vinegar is also useful for identifying limestone, as it happens, and for all the same reasons: it reacts with it to produce bubbles.

What to do

Do less housework!

• Try buying a bag of eco-cloths, a single all-purpose eco-cleaner and some soda crystals to see whether or not they answer all your cleaning needs.
• Do not use anti-bacterial products for everyday cleaning.
• Do not use artificial air fresheners or things that come in aerosol cans.
• Use as few disposable items as possible.
• Buy concentrated detergents to dilute yourself. 

Good Guide is an interesting American site that is highly rated. It gives 'factory-to-landfill' ratings for various cleaning products from an ethical, ecological and health angle. There are many USA/UK crossover products so this site is worth a quick peek, but it is heavily based on corporate accountability measures and so tends to rate companies more on their management systems than actual performance.  

Bonus tip

I have a small house with small cupboards, so space is at a premium. Instead of having a broom and a mop and sundry paraphernalia, I wash the floors by pushing a large cloth around with the broom. The large cloth is an old sweatshirt, in a rather fetching maroon colour, which also comes in handy for all sorts of other washing jobs.  Multi-tasking magic!

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