Cleaning our homes is a dirty job. However, many may not know that cleaning our homes leaves the environment dirtier when done using popular store-bought cleaners.
Fortunately, these creative hacks help keep our homes clean while saving time, money, and the environment.
1. DIY drain cleaner
While grimy, smelly drains may leave you ready to pour bleach down them and call it a day, this is incredibly harmful to the environment and also unnecessary.
As showcased by one lifehacking Instagrammer, you can clean your drains using just baking soda and vinegar — and lemon, if you want an extra zing — which are ingredients most people already have at home. Better yet, they clean your drains on a budget without dirtying the water as it washes down them.
2. Make-at-home mold killer
Often referred to as "the silent killer," mold can wreak havoc on household cleanliness and your health. Sadly, traditional cleaners for mold also wreak havoc on the environment.
Thankfully, one home cleaning expert shared how to eradicate shower mold with just one harmless ingredient you likely already have at home: 3% hydrogen peroxide. All you have to do is attach a spray nozzle to the bottle, give the surface area a good soak, wait for it to bubble, and wipe it clean — leaving the environment just as clean as you found it.
3. Bleach-free grout cleaner
Keeping a bathroom clean is one thing, but keeping the grout between sparkling tiles is another. Typical grout cleaners are expensive, toxic, and come in polluting plastic bottles.
Traditional cleaners, especially bathroom cleaners, typically use hydrochloric acid. When washed down the drain, bleach and other ingredients can be toxic to the local environment and water.
However, an alternative exists that only requires baking soda, peroxide, dish soap, and a toothbrush. Just four simple household ingredients will get your grout white while leaving the environment green.
4. DIY toilet deodorizer
Unfortunately, a freshly cleaned bathroom doesn't always mean a fresh-smelling one. Air fresheners are toxic and short-lasting, but there is a simple, budget-friendly hack to keep your bathroom as fresh-smelling as it is clean.
With just some baking soda, essential oil, and a few household tools, you can keep your bathroom — and the air outside — fresher. This simple hack is a fresh and easy way to flush your worries about cleaners down the drain.
5. Chemical-free faucet deep clean
If your grimy shower head leaves the hair on your head feeling less than clean, there's a solution for you.
With just a plastic bag — or a reusable bag to reduce plastic waste — and some vinegar, your shower faucet can be as clean as the day you installed it. This wash, rinse, and repeat method leaves your shower head clean and the water washing down the drain even cleaner. Your hair and the environment will thank you.
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