Green Cleaning – yes or no? Do you have a green cleaning preference? Should we all be using non-toxic, natural, eco-friendly cleaning solutions to clean our homes?
Today on Ask a House Cleaner we learn cleaning advice from Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru.
What do you do when you need a stronger chemical and your green cleaning product isn’t cutting it? Do you use toxic chemicals or just make the healthiest choice?
Whether you’re a DIY Cleaner or a maid service these tips will make you a savvy cleaner.
Listen: Green Cleaning – Yes or No?
Watch: Green Cleaning – Yes or No?
Hey there, I’m Angela Brown, and this is Ask a House Cleaner. This is a show where you get to ask a house cleaning question, and I get to help you find an answer.
Question: Green Cleaning – Yes or No?
Okay, so today’s question comes from a woman who is a homeowner and she wants to know, “Hey, Ange. What is your take on eco-friendly green cleaning products?”
All right. Well, my take on it is if you use them, that’s awesome. If you do not use them and you’re waiting to use them, then whatever you have is better than not using anything at all.
Answer: Toxic Chemicals or Green Cleaning
Now, I’m not a fan of toxic chemicals and I’m not going to point fingers at any particular company. I hear people every day get up on their soapbox. They say, “Well, my product is toxic friendly, green cleaning, eco-friendly, this, that and the other”. 
These same people go out and eat fried foods, drink toxic chemical drinks. The same drinks, that if poured on the outside of your car, it would eat the paint away.
It’s misleading when somebody talks about green cleaning products and they fill their bodies with junk.
Chemicals Are Everywhere
Yet there are so many other chemicals that we come in contact with. You can’t control them all.
You can always do the best that you can, that’s my take on it.
This is not gospel this is not written in any book. I’m not forcing this down your throat. It’s just my opinion. You only get one body in this lifetime. That’s it. My body is not like a car. I don’t get to take it in three years and trade it in for a better model.
I’ve Only Got One Me
Whatever I got going on right here, right now, this is it, until I get old and then I die. It is my responsibility to take care of me. Which means, yeah, use as clean a friendly product as you can. Don’t inhale something that’s going to make your head spin. So, choose something of the healthiest nature.
When it comes to eating, choose the healthiest thing that’s available to you. I’m not saying only eat organic foods but if organic is an option where you live, then eat organic foods, right?
Don’t starve yourself because organic food is not available. The same rule applies to cleaning. You do not clean because you don’t have a spray bottle of eco-friendly vinegar water mixed up, right?
Something is Better Than Nothing
Anything that you’re going to use is better than nothing at all. It’s like eating the food. Whatever you’re going to eat, it’s better than nothing at all, and starving yourself. Eat the healthiest choices you have available to you.
When it comes to cleaning, clean with the cleanest products that you have available to you.
Exceptions to Green Cleaning 
There are a couple of toxic chemicals that I use for some much needed toxic environments. Sometimes, you walk into a house and your head would spin at the things that you see. I’m not pointing any fingers.
I’m not judging but sometimes I think to myself: “Okay, you know what, my vinegar water is not going to clean that. It just isn’t. It’s not going to sanitize it. I need something strong.”
And then, yeah, I’m going for some pretty heavy-duty chemicals. My philosophy is, hey, it may not be eco-friendly. But neither is whatever I’m looking at that has so much mold and bacteria. It all depends on your personal preference.
What Are You Going to Use?
My main go-to product, (and I have a couple that I can use in a yucky bathtub scenario, is a vinegar water solution.) It’s 50% in vinegar 50% water and I have like two drops of Dawn dishwashing soap in it.
It’s in a clear plastic jug and I keep one of those under every bathroom sink in my house.
This allows you to spray down the vanity after brushing your teeth, using mouthwash or shaving.
Voila, you just cleaned up after yourself and now it’s done.
Cleaning Maintenance
If you’re lucky enough to be able to afford a house cleaner or a housekeeper, that’s awesome. They will bring their own cleaning supplies and they will sanitize your house.
But between those cleanings, you’re going to need some regular maintenance. For your kitchen cupboards, cutting boards, dishes, countertops. You’ll want to clean those on a regular basis.
The Daily Chores Are Yours – Not Your Maids
Don’t save your daily chores for your housekeeper when she comes back in 14 days from now. I promise, she will thank you for this. Clean up after yourself every time. When you prepare your vegetables and you use your kitchen sink, scour your sink out every time.
You can use one of those little blue no scratch scrub sponges, with a couple of drops of dish soap on it. It’s so easy to do and some of it, we shouldn’t even be having this conversation. It should just be regular maintenance.
Streamline your Green Cleaning Systems
When you brush your teeth at night, your mouthwash and toothpaste go into your sink. That builds up residue and it gets stuck unless you just rinse it out. I have a little soap dish with a little no scratch scrub sponge on every sink of my house. And I keep a bottle with some dishwashing soap in every single one of my bathrooms.
Cleaning the sink is as easy as a quick wipe down.
You just put a drop of regular dish soap on a little non-scratch scrub sponge – badda boom, badda bang. It’s so easy.
Green Cleaning Is Easy With Maintenance
Heavy chemicals will take a toll on your body. But you don’t need to use heavy chemicals if you maintain your space. Maintenance prevents the build-up of mold and bacteria.
Toxic chemicals add to allergies, itchy and burning eyes and sniffling.
Say no to toxic chemicals. When possible choose green cleaning eco-friendly products.
Do Your Homework
Go on the internet and research. Learn how to make your own cleaning products. Then buy and label your own cleaning bottles, even if it takes you a whole afternoon. Do what you need to be able to maintain your home between your house cleaner’s cleanings.
That’s my take on it. Make the best choice that is available to you under all circumstances. Then don’t belittle yourself. Don’t berate yourself and don’t feel bad if you have to use an over-the-counter product. Sometimes, you just do because the mess demands it.
All right, that’s my tip for today. I hope you enjoyed it and until we meet again, leave the world a cleaner place than when you found it.
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Resources For This Episode
The Naturally Clean Home: 150 Super-Easy Herbal Formulas for Green Cleaning – http://amzn.to/2wG5uo0
Cleaning: All Natural Homemade Cleaning Recipes: A DIY Cleaning Guide to Safe, Environmentally Friendly Money-Saving Recipes – http://amzn.to/2wFDdh8
The Organically Clean Home: 150 Everyday Organic Cleaning Products You Can Make Yourself–The Natural, Chemical-Free Way – http://amzn.to/2ycdv5f
DIY: 365 Days of DIY: A Collection of DIY, DIY Household Hacks, DIY Cleaning and Organizing, DIY Projects, and More DIY Tips to Make Your Life Easier – http://amzn.to/2jIrhdm
REAL CLEVER IDEAS AND SOLUTIONS – Hints and Tips to Save You Time and Money – http://amzn.to/2yoegZZ
Clean My Space: The Secret to Cleaning Better, Faster, and Loving Your Home Every Day – http://amzn.to/2xlt1xZ
Simply Clean: The Proven Method for Keeping Your Home Organized, Clean, and Beautiful in Just 10 Minutes a Day – http://amzn.to/2xve8Ka
The Complete Book of Home Organization: 200+ Tips and Projects – http://amzn.to/2ychIpm
The Complete Book of Clean: Tips & Techniques for Your Home – http://amzn.to/2wFoR0x
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