6 Eco-Friendly Spring Cleaning Tips to Refresh Your Home

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Spring makes a lot of people want to clean their homes, to shoo out all the dirt and grime built up over the winter, and to welcome spring’s natural warmth and light.

Embrace spring’s organic rejuvenation by ditching toxic cleaners and refreshing your home the natural way.

To continue our 50 Ways in 50 Days countdown to Earth Day (April 22, 2020 marks the holiday’s 50th anniversary), here are six eco-friendly ideas for spring cleaning.

A hand wipes a window with a micofiber cloth
Microfiber cloth in action Photo credit Druv / Getty Images

Skip Paper Towels

Get yourself a good old-fashioned rag for wiping down surfaces. Whether you prefer microfiber cleaning cloths that will pick up every last iota of dirt or reusable towels that mimic paper towels, there are a lot of sustainable options that don’t pile up in the trash.

A spray bottle beside a sponge and a bottle labeled "vinegar"
DIY Eco-friendly cleaner Photo credit Helin Loik-Tomson / Getty Images

DIY Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products

A few common ingredients are all you need to engineer your own non-toxic cleaning products. Vinegar and lemon juice can cut through tough dirt, baking soda can remove lingering odors, and essential oils can fill your home with lovely scents.

A woman cleans a floor with a water bucket and a rag
A water bucket helps save water Photo credit didesign021 / Getty Images

Reduce and Reuse Water

Don’t run to the tap every time you need a little water. Instead, fill a bucket to wash down an entire room. You can even use the leftover “gray water” to water your plants. Spend a bit of your cleaning time fixing up your water system too, tightening leaky pipes and faucets to reduce waste. And if you’re washing clothes before donating or repacking them, be sure to wait to run the washer until you have a full load.

A room with large open doors
Open all the doors and windows Photo credit KatarzynaBialasiewicz / Getty Images

Air Out Your Home Naturally

Spring is the perfect time to clean house because the weather is so nice. Instead of relying on air fresheners, just open all the doors and windows on a nice day.

A hands replace one lightbulb with another
Swapping in an LED lightbulb Photo credit Pornpak Khunatorn / Getty Images

Reduce Power

Take spring cleaning as an opportunity to check on all your appliances. Unplug anything that doesn’t need to be plugged in all the time to avoid silent power sucking even when devices are off. Clean your air ducts and refrigerator coils to increase efficiency, and replace all your lightbulbs with LEDs.

For more ideas on how you can save the planet, visit 1Thing.