Eco-friendly Spring Cleaning Ideas – Easy Swaps

After a long winter, spring finally arrives. It is the time of the year I like to open the windows and clean our home thoroughly for a fresh beginning of the spring season. Here, I will share some eco-friendly spring cleaning ideas that have helped me get the job done with homemade products and eco-friendly cleaning tools.

I love how enjoyable my home feels after a good cleaning. Since I started my journey to a more conscious and eco-friendly lifestyle, I have made some changes at home. Through the years, I have swapped most of my commercial cleaning products for more natural DIY products and integrated more eco-friendly cleaning tools.

I remember when I was cleaning my home with commercial cleaning products I used to open the windows and doors to let go of the strong odor from those products. This makes me think if that was how I wanted to clean my house. It is easy to open windows in spring, but I have two options in winter: get used to the smell until it disappears, or open the windows and get my winter jacket.

Now, I clean my home without strong odors and with natural ingredients. This method makes my home feel even more enjoyable after cleaning! Let’s talk about these eco-friendly spring cleaning ideas and the changes I made.

Which ingredients do I use to clean our home?

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One thing I learned from making these swaps was that the majority of homemade cleaning products use almost the same ingredients. This was a big advantage because I could buy these ingredients in bigger sizes, which saved me money, not to say that the ingredients themselves were not expensive compared to the ones I used to buy at the store.

The ingredients from homemade cleaners may change here and there, but the three main ingredients I buy in good quantity are baking soda, white vinegar, and castile soap.

Baking soda: Baking soda is known not only for baking but also as a great ingredient for cleaning the house. It has many benefits, from odor control to a gentle scrub effect.

White vinegar: This ingredient has been used for many years to clean our windows. But I have found it works really well on cleaning the kitchen stove. I don’t buy the cleaning vinegar because the acidity is too harsh. I prefer to use regular white vinegar that I also use for cooking.

Castile soap: This is a super versatile soap. I use it not only for cleaning but also to make my hand soap. It is concentrated, so I add a small amount to my products. I also like to buy unscented castile soap to add my own scent from essential oils.

Eco-friendly spring cleaning Idea #1: Homemade cleaning products

If I had known how easy it was to make these products… But the good news is that now I make them at home and I’m really happy with the results. I created a post for each of these homemade products with more specific instructions on how I make them and use them.

Here is a list of homemade products I make now at home:

Homemade All-purpose cleaner:

• 1 cup of distilled or filtered Water
• 1 tablespoon of liquid Castile Soap
• 3 drops of Lavender Essential oil (optional)

Homemade Shower Scrub Cleaner: This is a concentrated formula.

• 1/2 cup of Baking Soda
• 2 tablespoons of Castile Soap
• 3 drops of Lavender Essential oil (optional)

DIY Citrus Vinegar Cleaner: I use this to clean my kitchen stove!

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 4 peels Lemon or lime
• 2 cups of Distilled or filtered Water
• 4 peels orange or clementine

I like to make my cleaning products at home because I control which ingredients contain, the amount of scent to add, and are great eco-friendly alternatives. I also try to use as many glass containers as possible, not only because they are eco-friendly, but also because I find they are more durable than plastic ones.

Eco-friendly spring cleaning Idea #2: Eco-friendly cleaning tools

This is another way to clean our homes in a more eco-friendly way. I made these changes progressively. I only change the tools and products I have to an eco-friendly alternative when the one I’m using doesn’t work any longer. These are some examples of eco-friendly cleaning tools that I have swapped.

Wood Cleaning Brush: I bought a wood cleaning brush from a local store. The handle of these brushes is made of beechwood, and the bristles are made of Tampico (from the Agave plant). I like this brush because I don’t need to change the entire brush when the bristle doesn’t work anymore. I can just replace the head of the brush which contributes to less waste. Also, the materials are eco-friendly which helps to reduce the amount of plastic we use.

Floor mops with pads machine washable: This floor mop has worked wonders for me! One of my favorite things is the freedom to add my natural cleaning products. I feel that this Floor Mop has a modern design with the advantage of the traditional style. Also, the pads are machine washable!

Swedish Sponge cloth: They are made from biodegradable materials (Plant-based cellulose fiber and cotton). It has lasted me longer than the all-purpose reusable cloth I used to buy.

Kitchen Sponge: These plant base sponge pads are soft and biodegradable.

Microfiber Cleaning cloth: They are reusable and machine washable. Great for cleaning my furniture, kitchen counter, and more.

My experience using these eco-friendly products has been great. I feel good to know that they are made from natural materials or are reusable and also have lasted me for a long time. Also, in the long run, save me money because I reuse them compared to single-use products that I have to buy all the time.

I hope these eco-friendly spring cleaning ideas were helpful.