As the weather starts to warm and flowers begin to bloom, it’s natural to feel the need to give your home a thorough cleaning. To get you started, here are 5 easy tips for sustainable spring cleaning.
-
Give your extra stuff a new home. There’s nothing worse than clutter to make a space feel messy. And, not only does clutter make things messy, clutter is stressful. According to Christiane Northrup, M.D., “Piles of stuff in our homes are one of the greatest stress triggers. Clutter literally increases your cortisol level! When we have a lot of clutter in our homes, it has the effect of distracting us and can even cause chronic restlessness. When you reduce the noise of the things around you, you can focus on creating your life.” Systematically go through your house and garage to identify things that you no longer use. Be sure to recycle or donate your unused clutter when possible so it doesn’t end up sitting in your local landfill.
-
Once you’ve reduced your clutter, organize the items that you’ve kept. Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you have heard of the KonMari Method of organizing your home. If you really have no idea what the KonMari Method is, do yourself a favor and either binge watch “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo” on Netflix or check out Ms. Kondo’s blog at https://blog.konmari.com/.
-
Dust and clean your home from top to bottom. Be sure to thoroughly dust your vents and replace your heating and air conditioning filters. This will help to decrease your family’s exposure to pollens and other allergens. Also, be sure to have rugs at entryways in your home and have your family remove shoes in order to keep from tracking toxins and allergens into your home.
-
Revisit how your family recycles. Check with your local recycler to see if there have been any changes in your recycling program. Make sure you have recycling bins in convenient locations throughout your home. Model good recycling habits for your children to ensure they are aware what should and shouldn’t be put in the recycling bins.
-
Use non-toxic cleaners when cleaning your home; it’s healthier for your family and for the environment. Making your own cleaners ensures that you know what ingredients are in them while reducing waste. Check out the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Guide to Healthy Cleaning at https://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners.
