Spring Cleaning Tip #1: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

It's the first week of May, which means we have a full month of Spring Green Cleaning goodness! (Yes, I said goodness.) For the rest of the month we'll be providing you with 10 Spring Cleaning Tips to help you clean your home efficiently and thoroughly. We begin with an overarching "green clean" theme to keep in mind for the next month: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

You've all heard this one before, but it's good to be reminded of what those words actually mean, and how pertinent they are to your cleaning habits:

Reduce:
• Don't use 10 paper towels to clean your mirror if you could use one. (Better yet, don't use any and switch to cloth.)
• Be conservative with your cleaning supplies. You probably don't need as much to do the job as you're currently squirting out. Start with half as much and see how far it gets you.
• When running the vacuum, try to compensate for the extra energy use by turning off some of your lights.
• Don't spray your shower every day. It's probably not going to help all that much, and you're more likely just wasting money. Better to just do a good cleaning once a week.

Reuse:
• Reusable cleaning cloths! Try and break the disposable habit. (This includes Swiffers, paper towels, Clorox wipes, etc...)
• Have clothing and household goods you want to get rid of? Have a garage sale. Donate them to a thrift store. Sell them through eBay or Craigslist. Do a free exchange/gift through Freecycle. List items online you'd like to give to charities or a non-profit at Throwplace.
• Instead of buying brand new cleaning supplies, use ingredients you already have — like vinegar, baking soda, and vodka — to make your own non-toxic cleaners.
• Got newspaper? Use it to clean your mirror and windows, and also do 80 other things.

Recycle
• You already know about paper and plastic, but for other items check out The Internet Consumer Recycling Guide as well as this comprehensive list of Recycling Resources.
• Don't throw out your dryer lint. Recycle it.

What other 3R cleaning tips do you have?

Further Reading:
• Resources: The Greenest Dollar
• Environmental Tips for Individuals

(Image: AT:NY)

Originally published 2009-05-11 - CB

Comments (6)

Lol, I was going to suggest using newspaper to clean the mirror instead of paper towels! I'm glad that was brought up at the end. Well done!

My mom always recommends just drying off the shower with a towel (using the same one all week) and says that she doesn't need to wash hers nearly as often as she did in the past.

I have never gotten good about doing this myself because I'm almost always rushing in the morning and don't particularly care if my shower gets dirty.

I use baking soda and vinegar to clean almost everything though. I really like not having a bunch of different cleaning products, and I don't have to worry about my pets getting into something and hurting themselves with the chemicals.

As far as reusing goes, I don't have any magic tricks up my sleeve: I don't turn water into wine, for instance; but I can indeed turn a wine bottle into a lamp. Fun project:
http://www.SustainableSuppers.com

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good list :)

another to the reuse segment:

instead of buying those non-biodegradable plastic liners for our draws an cabinets and shelves...I reuse news paper to line them...also...i made paper bags out of these newspapers to use them to line my trash can...being minimal with wastage, i dont have to worry about leakage and stuff because, whatever minimal liquid drains from the trash i throw in it is absorbed by the paper bag and dries up n its own...so sticky garbage in my house....these and more, I tend do my two cents worth.

i've been in the "reduce" phase for about a year now, and it's not nearly as hard as i thought it would be. i've stopped using paper napkins, plastic wrap, and paper towels (the unused roll banished to a cupboard for emergencies only). and am trying to make an conscientious effort to ALWAYS have a reusable tote with me, and reuse produce and zip top bags until there is no life left in them. one of the hardest things now is watching people throw things away around me!

I purchase large size bags of dry cat food (14 lbs. /-) and have been reusing the bags to line my trash cans. They have a coating on the inside so that the food does not dry out; they're water proof. I have one inside my recycling can for bottles, jars and cans and another for the laundry room for laundry waste. I empty the bag of all the crumbs then spray it with bug spray to keep ants and other insects out. I empty the liners on trash day and put the bag back inside the can. I store new bags in the bottom of the trash can. I have also used these bags for lawn waste, or for regular trash for a single week. I staple it shut or you could tie it off with twine.