Cleaning Green for the New Year

The new year is here, and what better way to celebrate than to clean house?

While I may not have the luxury of hiring people to clean for me, it is certainly something on my wish list. That's why I was intrigued when I first heard about a green cleaning company right here in Brooklyn called Greenhouse Cleaning.

Greenhouse Cleaning is owned by Saudia Davis, a Bed-Stuy resident who specializes in cleaning homes and businesses with organic, plant-based products. I have always been an advocate of using homemade products to clean.

So I asked Saudia about the products she uses for cleaning greener in the home to see if maybe we shared tactics. I learned that her staff uses a mixture of natural products and simple ingredients for cleaning chemical free. She even suggested using a little ketchup for cleaning glass and olive oil with vinegar for floors.

A huge motivator for her starting the green business in 2006 was her grandmother, a professional cleaner originally from Jamaica, who passed away from Cancer. Davis wanted to ensure chemical-free and healthy alternatives for cleaning, as well as creating employment for a heavily immigrant population. They also offer environmental consulting and a line of their own products. 

Chatting with Saudia only confirmed what I have believed all along: One of the easiest ways to go green in the home is to start with ingredients you may already have in the kitchen, such as lemon juice, vinegar and baking soda. 

Having a baby has made me more aware of the chemicals in the air that I am creating in my home with conventional cleaners. I even ran a few experiments of my own with some higher priced "green" cleaning products and compared them to some basic do-it-yourself cleaners.

While some of the more expensive ones smelled nice and looked great in the package, I found a lot of the pricier products just didn't work as well. My bath tub filled with built-in grime looked cleaner and brighter with some old fashioned baking soda on a scrubber and lemon juice. Baking soda can be used to scrub on tubs and toilets and lemon juice is a natural germicide that also tackles odors.

Natural castille soaps such as Dr. Bronner's is great for quick cleanups too. White distilled vinegar is perfect for grease on stoves or glass surfaces like your mirrors and tables but I usually add a couple of drops of essential oil like eucalyptus or orange to my mixture to offset that powerful vinegar smell that eventually goes away.

Many people simply do not have time to clean their homes and so, if they can afford it, will hire a cleaning lady. It's great to know that people like Saudia is in the neighborhood offering natural, organic and food-based products to clean your home for you.

But if you're like me and you're your own cleaning service, then it's good to know that with a homemade kit comprised of a couple of bottles of essential oils, lemon juice, vinegar, and baking soda, you'll never have to buy regular cleaning products again. And, of course, you'll be doing the environment a huge favor.