Simple and Safe Spring Cleaning

Every year, like clockwork, when the tiniest green tendrils begin to peek through the soil you begin to feel a little itch. First, it starts with a quick closet purge and donation trip to the thrift store. Next, it’s cleaning the windows to let the light in and dusting the ledges. Before you know it, the Spring Cleaning Urge has kicked-in fully and you’re on your hands and knees scrubbing every inch of the house. This year, we’re determined to be prepared ahead of time and are happy to include you in our favorite ways to make spring cleaning low-waste and safe for you, your family, your pets, and the earth.

SIMPLE VINEGAR CLEANER 

Vinegar as a base for all of your cleaning solutions may be suspiciously simple, but its effectiveness is unparalleled. When you use a high-acidity concentration -- ours is concentrated at 30% as opposed to the 5% you typically find in a grocery store -- you’re getting extra cleaning power that’s easily stretched with a bit of dilution.

For regular cleaning tasks: mix 1 part vinegar to 5 parts water
For heavy-duty cleaning: mix 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water

This two-ingredient solution is effective for cleaning tile, tubs, toilets, and so much more (just not a safe fit for stone countertops). But you can also kick it up a notch by adding a few drops of lemon essential oil or, with a little bit of patience, turn your discarded lemon and orange peels into a delightfully-scented cleaner with the extra power of citrus oils.

CITRUS VINEGAR CLEANER

1. As you consume oranges and lemons, keep discarded peels in a pint-sized glass jar in your freezer.
2. When the jar is packed full of peels, fill the jar full of vinegar, covering the peels. Seal with a lid and set in a sunny spot for at least two weeks.
3. After two weeks, strain the vinegar into a glass spray bottle, discard the peels, and top off the bottle with water.

Optional: add a teaspoon of castile soap if you need a little sudsing action

One of our favorite uses for this citrus cleaner is as a dusting spray. Just a single spray onto your duster or cloth will trap dust more effectively, keep your surfaces dust-free longer, and imbue your house with that divine “just cleaned” smell.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT TOOLS

While there’s no need to go all-in on a bunch of new supplies, when your brooms and scrubbers finally hit the dust we have some replacements waiting for you, like this brilliantly designed mop that only requires a medium-sized cloth and a few sprays of cleaner. When you’re ready to welcome some new cleaning supplies into your home, be sure to consider how they were produced and with what materials. Will they break down in your compost like a coconut scrubbie? Or last indefinitely like a metal dustpan? Our carefully curated utility items check off all the boxes.

We wish you well in all your cleaning endeavors, Kindred folks. We know that there’s a lot to consider when making low-waste living a priority, and we are eager to find ways to help keep it simple. Comment below with your favorite low-waste cleaning hacks so we can spread some spring cleaning love!