With every new year comes a heavy cleaning. Green cleaning is a cleaning method that uses environmentally-friendly products and ingredients to disinfect, deodorize and polish household items and surfaces. In addition to sanitizing, green cleaning also encompasses decluttering, recycling and organizing belongings in the most eco-friendly way. Here are 25 ways to green clean your home for the new year:
Clean
Green cleaning begins with all-natural cleansers and household products that are kind to the earth and safe for your health.
  1. Salt: Salt is one of the most handy seasonings to have on hand for green cleaning. Regular ol' table salt can be used to polish brass and copper items, clean greasy pans, scrub away stains and much more.
  2. White Distilled Vinegar: White distilled vinegar is one of the best natural household cleansers. The acidic liquid is perfect for killing mold, bacteria and germs, as well as deodorizing stinky areas and removing stains in an environmentally friendly way.
  3. Baking Soda: Baking soda is a natural do-it-all powder with tons of household uses. Baking soda is an excellent tool for cleaning and deodorizing appliances and surfaces, boosting your detergent and can even extinguish fires.
  4. Lemons: Lemons can be used for various household chores. The acid in lemon juice can remove dirt, grease and rust stains, as well as disinfect cutting boards and countertops while leaving a fresh, citrusy scent.
  5. Olive Oil: Next time you need to shine stainless steel and brass or polish wood furniture, reach for a bottle of olive oil instead of your harsh cleansers or polishers. The oily liquid penetrates deep into surfaces and conditions wood, leather and other porous materials to give it luster and life again.
  6. Borax: Borax may sound like a harsh substance, but this powder is actually a naturally-occurring solution that is perfect for green cleaning. Borax can be used as a general deodorizer, disinfectant and laundry detergent for removing stains and boosting cleansing power.
  7. Tea Tree Oil: Tea tree oil can be used for several household chores by adding it to laundry to disinfect and freshen clothes, as well as adding it to other all-purpose cleansers to boost antibacterial benefits. Tea tree oil can be used to freshen up a smelly garbage can and prevent mildew and mold from forming on surfaces.
  8. Baking Powder: Baking powder isn't just for baking. This powder can scour kitchen countertops, freshen the air, disinfect vinyl floors and shine stainless steel when mixed with water.
  9. Make Your Own Green Cleansers: Natural cleaning products are the best thing for the environment and your health. With these simple recipes, you'll have the tools to clean and freshen up your whole house for way less than the store bought cleansers.
  10. Household Product Safety: If you are unsure about the safety of your household products, check out this list and properly dispose of those products that are toxic to your health and Mother Nature.
Donate & Recycle
Unwanted items should be donated or recycled so that nothing goes to waste when green cleaning.
  1. Donate Old Clothes: Donating your old clothes is not only a charitable thing to do, but it can also help you organize your belongings without throwing anything away and polluting landfills.
  2. Donate Canned Goods: Donating canned goods to a food bank or shelter helps feed those who are hungry and frees up space in your pantry. It's a double bonus!
  3. Donate Books: Clean up your bookshelves and donate your old books to thrift stores, schools, libraries or literacy programs, such as the Global Literacy Project. This program collects new and gently used books that are used to teach people how to read.
  4. Recycle Plastic Bags: Plastic bags can pile up quickly and become quite the nuisance if you don't use them or recycle them periodically. The best way to prevent this is to bring your own reusable grocery bag, but, if that's not possible, the next best thing is to recycle them at recycling drop off centers or retailers so they can be reprocessed and made into different products.
  5. Recycle Magazines: Instead of throwing out your old magazines and polluting landfills, recycle them at your local recycling center or paper bin. You can also donate gently used or never-read magazines to doctors' offices, beauty salons or restaurants.
  6. Donate Unused Medicines: If you have unused and unexpired medicines, such as antibiotics, anti-malarials, pain relievers and anti-retrovirals, they can be mailed to the Health Equity Project. Not only will you be helping this organization by providing medicine and health supplies to developing countries, but you'll also get your medicine cabinet cleaned out and put your meds to good use.
  7. Donate Blankets, Towels and Linens: Before you toss out your old blankets, towels and linens, see if your local animal shelter or homeless shelter could use them. Animal shelters are almost always in need of soft blankets and towels for animal cages, and homeless shelters could use gently used bedding, as well.
  8. Recycle Electronics: Unwanted electronics, such as computers, cell phones, televisions and empty ink cartridges can be recycled at local recycling centers near you. Recycling electronics frees up space in your house, while benefiting someone else's needs.
  9. Freecycle Stuff: For everything else you want to get rid of but don't want to end up in the trash, you can freecycle it. Freecycle is a worldwide grassroots network that lets you find a new home for your stuff and find the stuff you need for your own home. Best of all, the exchanges are made locally and free of charge!
  10. Start a Compost Pile: If you have a backyard, consider starting a compost pile to get rid of kitchen and yard waste and to add nutrients to your soil. Compost piles significantly reduce your landfill waste, while giving back to the environment in a natural way.
Reduce & Organize
A major part of green cleaning is reducing your clutter and organizing it in the most eco-friendly way.
  1. Reduce Your Stuff: Once you've donated or recycled the things you no longer need, it's time to reduce your stuff. Reducing your stuff can be done by shopping less, buying less and embracing simplicity. You have a better chance at keeping your house clean and organized if you declutter and reduce your purchases.
  2. Go Paperless: Free yourself from piles of unopened mail and unread newspapers by going paperless this new year. Instead of getting snail mail, you can set up electronic billing and start reading your news online.
  3. Repurpose Your Belongings: Things you can't or don't want to part with should be re-purposed. In order to give your belongings a second life, you'll have to put on your thinking cap and get creative. For example, transform egg cartons into sewing organizers, make a reusable sack out of plastic grocery bags or use empty jelly jars as food containers.
  4. Use Eco-Friendly Storage Containers: Storage containers make organizing a lot easier, but you want to make sure that these products are eco-friendly. Storage containers made from recycled or natural materials are the best option for green organizing.
  5. Go Green Checklists: In order to green clean and stay organized this new year, you're going to need a checklist to remind you of your day-to-day duties. And since it's green, there's no printing needed to check off your tasks. 
(onlinedegrees.net_