Spring Clean: Tips and Earth-Friendly Cleaning Products for You and Your Home
Photo by SHOP SLO®
We’ve all been spending a lot more time at home over the past year, and for some of us that might mean that our clutter is starting to pile up. Yes, we’ve probably been a little more hygienic when it comes to washing our hands and even cleaning our groceries, but now is also the perfect time to do a deep clean of everything we’ve been avoiding.
Spring cleaning is a great time to focus on our goals and what we want to attract as we remove what we want to release from our lives, both physically and symbolically. It can be hard to focus when your home is a mess, so whether that means reorganizing your closets or deep cleaning your work space, we have some great ideas to help you take the first steps. Mess equals stress, and here at Spa & Beauty Today we are all for making your home as inviting and relaxing as possible.
Marty Basher, Home Design and Organization Expert for Modular Closet, shares that one important place to start your cleaning is your bedroom—a place that we often put off cleaning. “This is the place where you should be calm and peaceful. It should be clean and orderly, laying the foundation for a good night’s rest,” says Basher.
“One of the major culprits of clutter, besides lack of time during the daily grind, is inefficient storage space,” shares Basher. “Adding more designated homes for your things ensures not only a cleaner space, but also an easier time finding what you need and putting things away. Plastic storage bins and over-the-door organizers are inexpensive fixes to piles of seasonal clothes and shoes. For a more permanent fixture, consider adding floating shelves and modular closets to utilize more vertical space.”
Basher also offers these helpful tips for giving your bedroom a deep clean:
If you’ve got carpeting, get it steam cleaned, including inside the closet and under the furniture.
Flip and clean the mattress: a great way to do this is to sprinkle it with baking soda, leave it for an hour or so and then vacuum up the powder. The soda will soak up any odors and the vacuuming will pick up dust mites and dead skin. If you don’t have one already, a mattress cover can go a long way to keeping your mattress clean and fresh.
Clean all your bedding. Even most throw pillows can go for a refresh in the dryer, to help get rid of any dust or dirt. The pillows you sleep on should be washed at least twice a year.
It’s a good idea to replace pillows regularly—they get flat and their support weakens—and mattresses every 7-10 years. If you’re coming due for that, now is as good as time as any.
Don’t forget about window treatments and overhead fans or lights. These need to be cleaned and dusted thoroughly. If you are planning to wipe down the walls, start at the top and work your way down. Crown molding also needs a swipe!
Don’t forget to clean under the bed and move furniture such as dressers etc. so you can clean underneath and behind and get the piles of dust bunnies that tend to collect there.
Another key place to clean is your office, especially since many of us have been working from home. Jen Rowe, owner of Neat Method Toronto, has some great tips on getting started, even when you are overwhelmed by how messy the current state of your home office is. To start, Rowe suggests clearing off your desktop, “If your desk has limited drawer space, choose beautiful pieces to store items in on your desktop and source modular drawers for below your desk that align with its style.”
Rowe also recommends categorizing your items. “By sorting your items into categories and storing each category together, you’ll get a clear picture of how much of a given item you have. This will also help you know which categories could be edited down and either parted with or stored elsewhere as back stock,” she shares. For more of Rowe’s office organization tips and tricks, check out our article on How to Create a Relaxing and Productive Home Office Environment.
Ready to start your spring cleaning? Here are some products to help you get the job done.
Earth-Friendly Cleaning Products
Home
Dr. Brite aims to provide safer, naturally-derived, doctor-created products that are made from environmentally-friendly ingredients and packaged in recyclable materials. When I couldn’t find Lysol or Clorox wipes earlier in the pandemic, I found Dr. Brite and have been using the brand ever since. These 100% natural bamboo wipes instantly clean, using 70% isopropyl alcohol and natural essentials oils. The Alcohol Wipes are methanol-free and meet the CDC’s recommended standards.
Harnessing the power of nature, BoulderClean products are uniquely formulated with plant-based ingredients to create high-performance, non-toxic cleaners. “Every clean is kind. Kind to your home, kind to your family and kind to the planet,” shares BoulderClean. The brand is an EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year.
Granite + Stainless Cleaner effortlessly removes dust, grease, gunk, cooking residue and food remnants from various surfaces. This plant-based powerhouse also polishes your surfaces and leaves behind a protective finish that resists fingerprints and watermarks.
The Skoy Sponge Cloth is an innovative cloth made in Germany that comes in an array of fun colors and designs and takes the place of paper towels, sponges, rags, dishcloths and more. The Skoy Cloth is a reusable, eco-friendly cleaning cloth that will outlast 15 rolls of paper towel and is easily cleaned in the washer or dishwasher. It is 100% biodegradable and compostable. This multi-use cloth is great in the kitchen, bathroom, office, automobile, boat, camping, garage and more.
This reusable scrub is made in Poland from cotton and a non-toxic hardener that outlasts traditional scrubbers and in turn saves money and controls waste, a common theme with all of the Skoy products. The Skoy Scrub comes in a variety of colors and pretty designs.
Thanks to its Precision Pour Cap, Swash laundry detergent from Whirlpool Corporation dispenses the detergent for you, so you only pour what you need. The pre-measured dose not only cleans your clothes, it limits residue and other build-up in your washer. The brand offers three fragrances, Pure Linen, Free & Clear (scent-free), and Simply Sunrise.
Zip Top was founded with the goal to bring an innovative, easy to use containers that would disrupt the dated use of harmful plastic waste. It’s a great tool to help keep your kitchen clean and organized. Zip Top container’s patented design is made with a one-piece construction that makes it extremely durable – microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe. Zip Top’s 100% platinum silicone construction contains no BPA, plastic, fillers or other harmful chemicals.
Personal Care
Nebia by Moen is a spa shower that uses a unique water delivery system to provide more pressure and double the water coverage of traditional showers, while using significantly less water. This patented spray technology creates the sensation of more water, while actually using 45% less than a traditional showerhead.
youbody is a powdered body wash system that comes in 8 different fragrances. It’s designed to be eco-friendly by using powder-filled packets that break down instead of plastic that pollutes. The youbody Starter Kit comes with 1 patented youbodypod and 5 boxes of waterless body wash.
This body wash is gentle on all skin types and free from unwanted ingredients including dyes, parabens, phthalates and silicones. The pH balanced and vegan formula leaves skin looking and feeling hydrated and healthy. Dial® Clean + Gentle™ Body Wash is hypoallergenic and comes in a 100% recyclable bottle. It is dermatologist tested and formulated with naturally derived ingredients.
With each purchase of Soapbox soap, the brand donates a bar of soap to someone in need and also funds hygiene education. This coconut milk & sandalwood hand soap will replenish your skin and infuse deep hydration with every wash.
This refillable glass bottle is etched in gold and carefully crafted to adorn your home with true sustainable beauty. The ANAM Wash is made for your sink and your shower and filled to the brim with the most natural ingredients around.
Skout’s Honor Honeysuckle Shampoo & Conditioner (cats & dogs) ($40)
We had to include something for your pets too! From natural household cleaning products, to grooming, wellness and training solutions, Skout’s Honor solves everyday problems for pet parents. This pet shampoo and conditioner gently cleans and moisturizes the skin and coat and is great for healthy pets and pets who suffer from skin allergies. It contains avocado oil and topical probiotics that help support a healthy microbiome to defend against common skin problems such as itching, odor, dryness, dandruff, hot spots, yeast and excessive shedding.
Lizzy Sherman is an award-winning digital content writer/editor. She has been a featured guest speaker at Cal State University Northridge, Digital LA and The National Association of Audience Marketing Professionals. When she's not writing, Lizzy enjoys yoga and playing guitar. Follow her on Instagram: @zillizy