Welcome to Green Cleaning Solutions from Bounce Energy! In this series, we will share our best practices, favorite tips, and homegrown cleaning recipes – all designed to keep your home clean using environmentally friendly products and methods. We’ll help you skip the gadgets and toss the harsh products by embracing cleaning practices that use items you likely have in your possession already. And you might even save money by creating your own cleaning supplies and keeping it simple!
Your home sparkles on a new level when the details are cleaned and tended to. It’s the inconspicuous areas that aren’t cleaned every week or every month, for that matter, but stand out to the person that pays attention to those things.
In this post on Green Cleaning Solutions by Bounce Energy, we focus on the details of the home and make those small things shine. From quilts to fans, let’s take a look at how we can make them new, without using chemicals and other hazardous materials.
Cleaning the Ceiling Fans
If you focus close enough after a year from Cleaning your ceiling fan, you may see a swath of brown, floating around in orbit!
It’s a difficult part of the home to clean, and requires us to climb ladders to get it done. This is likely why we wait a year or longer before we do it. But no chemicals need to be used in the process, and tackling this project once every six months is ideal.
Climb a ladder, or hop atop a stool, to reach the height of your fan. A simple Micro Fiber Towel is typically enough to do the trick. These are washable, and more eco-friendly than using a paper towel.
If there is still remaining residue, then take a spray bottle consisting of 1/4 cup of vinegar to 1 cup of water, and spray and clean off the remaining dirt and dust. You can even add a few drops of your favorite essential oil like lemon, or tea tree.
The kitchen fan is typically the fan in the house that gets loaded with dirt, due to the use of oils in our cooking. You will definitely want to have some vinegar solution on hand when cleaning the kitchen fan.
Depending on which season you clean your fan, remember to turn the direction of the blades for winter versus summer. In winter you want the heat that rises to be pushed back toward the floor. In the summer, you want the blades rotating so you are receiving cool air.
Wiping Window Sills
Window sills need nothing more than a brisk wipe with an old cloth or micro fiber towel. Chemicals aren’t needed, and only if you have some dirt that doesn’t want to rub off, use a damp clothing to wipe clean.
Washing Quilts and Blankets
Quilts, especially those that are hand quilted, should only be cleaned once a year if absolutely necessary. Blankets don’t really get dirty either, unless you allow pets on them or picnic more than most.
To naturally wash quilts, duvet covers, and blankets, place them into a washing machine, on gentle wash only. You don’t want a more abrasive cycle to erode the delicate stitches and potentially vintage fabrics your blanket was made with.
For incredibly delicate old quilts where the threads are worn thin, consider washing them by hand in the bath tub. You can add this to your spring or fall cleaning roster, but make sure to choose a sunny day! This way, you’ll be able to take advantage of that free sun, wind and clean air. Use an environmentally safe detergent like a pure castle soap. Using cold water is essential, as warm or hot water will shrink fibers.
Once washed, line dry your quilts. If you don’t have a clothesline, install two hooks on your porch or in your backyard area, from house to tree for example, and give yourself the opportunity to string up a temporary clothesline.
Hang your blanket or quilt over the line and if you have them, clip them to the rope so they don’t fall down in a gust of wind.
Washing Pillows and Covers
If your decorative pillows have removable covers, then wash them on a gentle cycle with a soft soap in cold water. Hang them over the back of an outdoor chair and let the wind and sun dry them. Don’t put them in the dryer. You run the risk of shrinking them, and never fitting on the same again!
If your pillows don’t have removable covers, then take them outside and give them a bath in the sunshine. You can also give them a good shake to dislodge dust and dirt.
Cleaning Room Corners
An easy way to get the cobwebs down from the corners of your rooms is to wrap a microfiber towel around the head of a broom, and dust them away. By doing this, you can avoid climbing a ladder or using a vacuum, or any sorts of chemicals to get the job done.
Dusting Surfaces
As a fan of the microfiber towel, it collects all those pesky dust particles and holds them in the weave. But if you have a feather duster, this will also work well when dusting surfaces.
A feather duster doesn’t require machine washing. Instead, it simply needs a shake outside after using it. Environmentally friendly, it’s one of your best friends when it comes to Green Cleaning.
