Simple, Green and Clean!

If you read my July post, Why I choose ENJO you’d know that I swear by ENJO products for my business. I actually use them in my home as well, and I wanted to dispel some myths that ‘cleaning green’ is complicated. Now again, I am NOT an affiliate of ENJO (and please, feel free to sponsor me if you’re reading this ENJO) but I do know a thing or two about cleaning simple and green; so let’s get it!

We’re bombarded daily with advertising; on the TV, Radio, Social Media etc. with all kinds of MUST HAVE cleaning products. They promise ‘chemical free,’ ‘child-friendly,’ ‘odourless,’ etc. offering a green, hygienic clean.

We get caught up in the ‘hype’ and suddenly it’s trendy to clean green. So a whole new mixture and concoctions of products end up in clients homes and they’re so excited about us using their ‘green’ products and don’t understand why;

  1. They don’t clean well and
  2. They still have toxic or chemical odours.

I’ll let you in on a little secret………you can clean green without ENJO! Pause for effect – even me, the lover of all things ENJO knows that you can clean green without going to the shops, replacing anything in your cupboards AND/OR buying any new products. 

We’ve all cleaned green, most of us do on a daily basis without thinking about. We’ve all grabbed the nearest cloth, rinsed it under a tap, wiped up spills, scrubbed benches, then rinsed off the cloth and wrung it out to dry! So why, when we have our big cleaning days, do we whip out every possible product we own. It’s a huge production; we grab gloves, an assortment of sprays and wipes, antiseptic wipes, anti-bacterial and so on and so on. Even our home remedies seem quite excessive like a science experiment with one part bi-carb, one part vinegar, a dash of honey and lemon.

So here’s how to clean your home simply and greenly with what you already have lying around.

  • Water: I know right, really groundbreaking!
  • White scourers: Green is fine, but they are harsh. If you rub too hard, they leave the green behind too!  When you clean your sinks and vanities, wipe up spills right away and there’ll be no need for harsh scourers or chemicals – they’re best kept for your non-scratch pots and pans.  How many of us have the Green scourers and the kids or your husband/parnter come in and wash your non-stick frypan with it and PRESTO it’s non-stick no longer!  Best not to have in the house!
  • Sponges: Chux, cloths, sponges.  These are great!  However, if you’re not changing them daily, re-washing, some people put sponges in the microwave to sterilise, you can put in the dishwasher too!  Best its to use something for a day only put in the wash with your towels etc and REPLACE DAILY, these are our biggest contaminates in our kitchens!
  • Creamy Cleansers:  Jiff has always been everyone’s standby, use what you’ve got and then don’t replace it! Gumption; I must confess never heard of this product till I moved here in 2008!  My suggestion, throw it away, these are harsh products, they scratch your surfaces, it’s very hard to remove and guess what, they aren’t overly effective!  
  • Cloths:  Microfibre cloths, tea towels, hand towels, even rags that some of us have; old undies t-shirts etc can make good wiping up and drying cloths.  Once you wash/clean your services to stop/slow bacterial growth you must dry! An absolute must!

It sounds too simple, and it’s probably why the majority of us don’t do it, but the classic clean-as-you-go technique saves you from using harsh chemicals and products. Instead of stocking up, why not clean up consistently?

Wipe spills as they happen, reuse clothes and rags, and stop buying into the ‘next best thing.’ It seems a bit hypocritical of me saying it, but commercial cleaning is a billion dollar industry. They’re in the business of selling you something shiny and new and yes – sometimes green. So let’s get back to basics.

A cloth, some water, a little elbow grease and more consistent clean ups; preventing bacterial growth and build up which requires harsher chemicals to remove. Simple, green and clean!