Greenopolis.ca: A Greener Way To Clean…Your Floors

There are a number of products out there to help you clean your floors — regardless of whether they are hard wood, carpet, tile or some other floor covering.  Here are a few tips to help make your floor cleaning more environmentally friendly:

• If you can, invest in a vaccuum cleaner that doesn’t use vaccuum bags.  There are a few recyclable vaccuum bags out there but they are hard to find.  A greener solution is a vaccuum cleaner with a canister that can be emptied into the garbage.
• Avoid those disposable single use floor cleaners and invest in a mop that uses micro-fibre clothes for picking up dirt and dust.  The clothes can be used either wet or dry and you just throw them into the washing machine for cleaning.  They are not expensive and think about the money you will save over a year or two…
• Use small fibre-based area rugs in areas that are highly trafficked and where spills might happen, like in your kitchen or by the front door.  These can thrown in the washing machine when dirty but help keep your floors clean.
• You can get scuff marks off linoleum floors with a small amount of turpentine and fine steel wool.
• If you have ceramic tile – using a detergent based cleaner will just leave a film.  Use a solution of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water to clean.  Or you can use a baking soda on a damp sponge to wipe them down.  Regardless of the solution you use, polishing your ceramic floors after cleaning with a dry cloth will help bring up the shine.
• If you have unsealed wood floors, use raw linseed oil.  Apply with a mop, let the oil absorb and then follow up with a dry cloth polish.
• A good basic floor cleaning solution is 1/8 cup liquid soap, 1/8 cup white vinegar and 3 1/2 litres of water.
• Sprinkle baking soda on your carpets to deodorize them before using the vaccuum.  For other green ways to clean your carpets, check out one of our previous articles:  A Greener Way To Clean…Your Carpets.

Using more eco friendly floor cleaners means you are elminating the number of toxic chemicals and artificial fragrances entering your home.  And it may also be a way to save a few pennies by relying on some simple basic ingredients.