Eco-Friendly Cleaning!

Eco-friendly cleaning that saves you some green... sign me up, please!  Back in 2008, when I first found out I was pregnant, I decided that I wanted to start using more natural, eco-friendly cleaning products.  I headed to my local health food store and picked up a well-known brand of natural cleaner.  The bottle of cleaner cost $5+ and my husband just flipped.  I loved the fact that I was using a more natural cleaner that wasn't riddled with chemicals, but honestly, $5+ for a bottle of cleaner is quite insane.  I started doing a little research and decided to start making my own household cleaner.   

Vinegar Tips is a web site that has a plethora of information about using vinegar and other readily available natural products for your household cleaning.  In fact, if you Google "cleaning with vinegar," a sea of web sites will come up in your search.  So, I bought a big bottle of vinegar, a squirt bottle and started making my own cleaning solution.  Every web site recommends a different vinegar to water ratio, but I have found that a 2:1 ratio (2 parts water, 1 part vinegar) works well for me.  As I was doing most of my household cleaning with vinegar, water and at times baking soda, I still cleaned my wood laminate and tile flooring with a chemical cleaner.  Ugh, I know!  The spray mop I was using was convenient, but the disposable pads and cleaning solution cost a lot of money every month.  Plus, the cleaning solution irritated my allergies and asthma.  My husband bought a mop with washable microfiber pads and I began using my beloved vinegar mixture to also clean the flooring in my home.  Below, are some products available at many local retailers to help you get started on green cleaning all while saving some green.

The Libman Freedom Spray Mop is available for $19.99 at Target.  You can fill the cleaning reservoir with your desired cleaning solution, plus the microfiber cleaning pad is machine washable.

The Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop is also available at Target and costs $42.00.  While this mop costs more, you also receive two additional microfiber cleaning pads and an additional re-fill bottle.  Right now, there's a $3 off coupon on Target's web site!

Another product, one that I recently purchased, is the OXO Good Grips Microfiber Double Duster.  The OXO Duster is also available at Target and retails for about $9.99.  The removable cleaning pad is washable as well, and is great for dusting electronics!

Happy Friday and Happy Blogging!

Toni The Chic Momma

Pictures and images: "Green Dollar Sign," (versatilegas.com); "Vinegar Bottle," (chronicconsumer.com); "Mop & Duster" images, (Target.com).