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Want to Use Green Cleaners? Start Here

Adrienne Breaux
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
Adrienne loves architecture, design, cats, science fiction, and watching "Star Trek." In the past 10 years she's called home: a van, a former downtown store in small town Texas, and a studio apartment rumored to have once been owned by Willie Nelson. She currently lives in her colorful, maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with her partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
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updated Mar 11, 2020
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A new year, a great opportunity to make a commitment to a healthy home by investing in more natural cleaning products. There are plenty of options to buy, and lots of ways to DIY. If you don’t know where to start, find it here. And if you’ve been using green cleaners for awhile, now’s a good time to examine your methods and see if there’s room for improvement!

First, know what to look for when you turn over the label:

Know your top brands:

But be aware of some lesser-known brands, too:

  • 10 Small Eco-Friendly Cleaning Brands You May Not Know About

Wanna know which ones are worth it? Which cleaners work best for which task? Find invaluable reader opinions in these posts and in the comments:

  • Plenty of readers are already chiming in with their opinions of the best cleaners in the second assignment of this year’s January Cure
  • The Best Green Cleaning Products (from 2009, but still full of good info)
  • Which is the Best Green Cleaner Reader Survey
  • Reader Roundup: Add Your Picks for the Best Natural Cleaner
  • Fresh Start: Best Kitchen Cleaning Supplies

Think you might like to try making your own?

  • Homemade Cleaners Toolkit: 5 Essentials to Make Your Own

Know that making natural cleaners out of ingredients around your house isn’t hard at all:

Spoiler alert: Vinegar cleans nearly everything:

And apparently vinegar cleans windows the best:

  • The Best Window Cleaner is a Non-Toxic DIY (make sure and check out the application tips in the comments)

Baking Soda’s amazing, too:

  • 101 Uses for Baking Soda

Consider investing in high-quality (and good-looking) cleaning supplies so they last longer (and you look stylish using them):

  • The Most Beautiful Cleaning Supplies and Tools

Also, vodka:

  • The 12 Best Household Uses for Vodka (Not Including Martinis)

Where are you along the green cleaner journey? Just starting out? An expert? However long you’ve been using green cleaners, share what you’ve learned about cleaning your home more naturally.

Filed in:
Cleaning
Natural Solutions
sustainability
Wellness