Sunday, March 29, 2009

Step Away from the Swiffer

You may have noticed that the my Spring cleaning tips did not include disposable products.  This was intentional.   In my pre-green days I was a big fan of Clorox wipes and Swiffer dusters and mops.  In fact, sometimes I still long for my Swiffer duster refills as I stand on chairs to dust high up places with my vinegar/water solution and rag.  But there is no going back.

We have become a disposable society.  I could probably write a whole post on this topic, and probably will someday.  But for now, just think about the cleaning products you may be using that are disposable in some manner.  By reverting to many of the tools mentioned these past two weeks; microfiber cloths, standard mops or washable mop heads, a re-usable toilet brush (there was a day when this was the only kind!) and rags to clean, you can save so much from the landfill.  I know that a small duster refill doesn't seem like much, but multiply that all of the times you clean, and everyone else cleans, and it really adds up.

If this isn't the most convincing argument, consider the money you will save!  I haven't bought cleaning products other than vinegar and baking soda in YEARS and that means a whole lot more green in my wallet.  

A challenge:  
If you feel up to it, I would love if you readers could calculate all you spend each month on cleaning products other than those mentioned this week-your more toxic or disposable products.  It would be fascinating to see what each of us could save by switching and to see what people are spending on their toxic stuff around the world. 

And thanks for spending Spring cleaning week(s) with me!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good challenge!

Love the new look here, by the way :)

Unknown said...

great challenge! i have to say im addicted to my fuller brush spray tile floor cleaner... sigh.

Aunt Spicy said...

Oh gosh...how I love my swiffer...really love it! How about this, I keep the swifter but attach a microfiber cloth to it, and then I just rinse the cloth out...can I keep my swiffer if I do that? Pretty Please?

Ditto on loving the look of the blog!

Pattyskypants said...

This month I spent 39 cents on a box of baking soda and $2 on a bottle of dish detergent. I use cut up t-shirts for dusting, newspaper for window cleaning and club soda to clean kitteh puke off the carpet. I have to buy laundry detergent this week and I'm not looking forward to it.

The Rambler said...

Okay...I'm gonna try this. I'm gonna save money and do this. Yes, I can. Yes, I can.

:)

Thanks so much for visiting on my SITS day :)

Unknown said...

Any ideas on what material to use to make a reusable fluffy swiffer duster head? I've been washing and reusing my swiffer heads with dish soap, but in a couple years, I will be finished with my current box.

Anyone have any luck with those crazy colored stringy dusters? Perhaps that's the answer for me since microfiber cloths move all my stuff around. It's great for once a month, but I just wasn't motivated to clean every week. With allergies to dust, that was problematic. Is there a happy medium out there?