Set your home on the path to zero waste with these helpful tips for sustainable cleaning.
What is Sustainable Cleaning?
Sustainable cleaning is about using cleaning methods, products, and habits that minimize the creation of environmental pollutants that can negatively affect our health and the world around us. While reducing the amount of waste a household creates is important, sustainability looks at more than just than individual use. Sustainable cleaning products consider the health and environmental impacts over the product’s entire life cycle, from the raw materials to packaging to disposal.[1]
How Can We Clean Sustainably?
In your home, everything you eat and breathe matters for your health. Just as you think through your indoor air quality and your healthy eating habits, your cleaning habits should remain top of mind, too. After all, no one wants to breathe in harsh chemicals every day. However, it’s also important that your cleaning tools are truly effective and allow you to mitigate the impact of germs in your home. The best sustainable cleaning tools and products do so while also preventing damage to natural resources, the environment, and human health. Sustainable cleaning also takes the principle “reduce, reuse, recycle” into account, looking beyond new consumption to find ways to repurpose or reuse existing materials.
Identifying Sustainable Cleaning Products
Trying to find cleaning products that are sustainable can feel daunting. The EPA has some suggested guidance, but remember, you probably won’t find a perfect product.[2] And that’s okay! Think about what qualities are most important to you and your family and prioritize those products. Making small steps towards intentional purchasing and more sustainable cleaning habits is what’s most important.
Here are some traits to look out for the next time you’re shopping for cleaning supplies:
- No toxic chemicals, including hazardous air pollutants
- Use of renewable resources
- Biodegradable ingredients
- Recyclable packaging
- Refillable bottles
- Pump sprays rather than aerosols
Sustainable Cleaning Products to Try
Finding sustainable cleaning products and tools can take time, so we curated some of our favorite products for a healthy home.
- Bamboozle’s Dinner Sets are as charming as they are eco-friendly and functional. These five-piece sets are made from a biodegradable, BPA-free material, so your whole family can enjoy delicious meals without any chemicals leeching into your food. It’s even safe to use in the microwave and dishwasher. While these will last for a long time, once thrown into a landfill, they biodegrade in two years. Sustainable, convenient, and sure to make dinner time fun for little ones, these sets are a must-try.
- Therapy Clean’s Clean Living Bundle can bring your cleaning routine to the next level. Made with plant-based ingredients in the USA, these cleaning products can help polish off glass, stone, wood, tile and stainless steel surfaces to a beautiful shine. You won’t find any harsh chemicals or synthetic fragrances in these products, so you can breathe easy and enjoy a worry-free clean.
- Snooz’s White Noise Sound Machine is an eco-friendly way to improve your sleep and your overall health. Lack of high-quality sleep has been linked to health problems, so any equipment that helps you sleep better is an investment in your health. White noise machines are great for adults and children alike – in fact, studies suggest that white noise may reduce the time it takes to fall asleep by nearly 40%.[3] Snooz uses less energy than other sound machines, making it an efficient, sustainable choice.
Looking for more products? SoClean’s Marketplace is great way to start your sustainable cleaning habits off strong.
How to Start Sustainable Cleaning
The path to zero waste and sustainable cleaning can be as simple or in-depth as you have room to handle in your life. Adopting even one or two of the suggestions below can help make an impact.
- Try to buy sustainable, eco-friendly products. Use the EPA’s guidance to find cleaning products that are free from toxic chemicals or landfill-destined packaging. That said, part of sustainability is using products you already have—so before you go out to buy new products, try searching the EPA databaseto see if your already-purchased cleaning products meet the recommended requirements to minimize environmental impact.[4]
- Make your own at-home cleaning products. Many cleaning products that give polish or shine can be recreated using simple ingredients you may already have around the house. For instance, cleaning streaky or fingerprint-covered windows is super easy—just mix hot water, vinegar, and lemon juice to create a natural glass cleaner.
- Reuse “waste” to help clean. Get creative and give new life to your old waste. Did you know that old coffee grounds can help reduce odors in your fridge? If you have lemons past their prime in your fridge, use them to clean your microwave or polish tarnished copper. Old toothbrushes are the perfect size for scrubbing hard-to-reach crannies, like stovetops or faucets.
- Avoid single-use cleaning products. While paper towels are convenient, they create a lot of waste—13 billion pounds of paper towels are used each year in the U.S.[5] Reusable, washable cloths are a sustainable, waste-free substitute. For a healthy clean, make sure to wash your cloths regularly or use a tool like SoClean's Device Disinfector to refresh the cloth with just a push of a button.
- Move to zero-waste with reusable bottles. Many zero-waste stores offer waste-free refills of cleaning products. Eco-friendly dishwasher soap, laundry detergent, all-purpose cleaner, disinfectant, hand soap, and more can be added to your own reusable container. No need to recycle or throw out empty bottles again.
- Disinfect intentionally. Disinfecting wipes might give peace of mind, but the EPA actually recommends avoiding disinfectants for general cleaning tasks. Use disinfectants in high-contact areas, like bathroom fixtures or doorknobs. However, if you’re just wiping off areas for a clean finish, like floors or walls, soapy water can usually do the trick.
Making Zero Waste Sustainable
Making the switch to sustainable cleaning isn’t all-or-nothing. Little changes add up to big impact, so don’t feel pressured to completely change your cleaning routine overnight. The only way sustainable cleaning can be, well, sustainable, is if it fits into the rest of your lifestyle. Find easy swaps that feel feasible, like switching from paper towels to reusable wipes, and start there. Keep an eye out for products designed to make sustainable living more manageable, too. For instance, a home cleaning system makes it easy to avoid harsh chemical cleaners while still enjoying a polished, natural clean. Whatever sustainable cleaning looks like to you and your family, you can feel reassured that you’re taking the right steps towards a healthier future for your loved ones and the environment.
