Spring has sprung
fall has fell
make your spring cleaning worthwhile
but environmentally friendly as well
With Spring in full bloom, many are inclinded to “spring clean.” For some, spring cleaning is dusting a shelf or two and then calling it quits. For others, spring cleaning takes days: It is a time to turn rooms upside down. This may mean completely throwing out your wardrobe, buying new furniture, and maybe even painting your walls a new color.
In short, spring cleaning is exciting because it is a time to “detox” and change up your lifestyle. Looking closer, however, spring cleaning may also be a missed opportunity to be more environmentally friendly. Spring cleaning reinforces the idea that you are fulfilled and can enjoy “peace of mind” by throwing out a bunch of your belongings in a giant trash bag. I, like many others, are guilty of forgetting to recylcle or truly considering the items being disposed of before dumping our “junk” into the trash.
Spring cleaning can be more environmentally friendly, but it requires conscious effort. Here are some tips to avoid negatively impacting the environment while cleaning.
1. Recycle
Yes, recycle. Don’t throw recyclables into the same bag as non-recyclables. Spring cleaning usually draws a mix of trash, and although it can be tempting to lump all of your trash into one large pile, do the environment a favor and separate your trash!
2. Reevaluate throwing out clothes
While many use spring cleaning as a means to find clothes to donate, some people blatantly throw out clothes. This behavior demonstrates how easily people take various belongings for granted. Rather than throwing out clothes, why not offer them to a friend, or use these clothes as rags? Using clothes as rags is far more sustainable than constantly using paper towels and tissues to clean up messes.
3. Be realistic
It can be rewarding to have piles of garbage to throw out, but if you are not careful about what you are disposing of, then you may be wasting your time spring cleaning. You will end up repurchasing the products you threw out in your cleaning frenzy, which is the last thing you want.
There are obviously more ways to be environmentally friendly while spring cleaning, but these tips are perhaps the most simple to follow. With effort, spring cleaning can be personally rewarding and environmentally friendly at the same time.