The spring season also means it’s time for some obligatory spring cleaning, and with Earth Day being this past Saturday, April 22nd, I thought it would be a great opportunity to showcase the cleaning products I use around my apartment!
Unfortunately, my busy college schedule means that most of the time, I’m not able to keep my apartment as spotless or as clean as I would like – although I will keep up the smaller routines going every day, many weeks I dedicate a Saturday morning or the whole weekend to tidying things up and overall enjoying the space I’ve made for myself.
Using non-toxic products when I clean not only helps everything smell wonderful but helps me steer clear of headaches and dizziness since I am a little sensitive to bleach products. Although I will use Lysol, Clorox, or Comet to sanitize and disinfect when needed, I would rather stick to the following products below!
Mrs. Meyers is my go-to for cleaning counters and other surfaces. I first discovered their products by using the hand soaps, but now I have their all-purpose cleaner and laundry scent booster as well! Something about their wide array of scents makes it more enjoyable to clean, and it’s great to know I can use the cleaner for “daily upkeep” without causing any harm.
When you go on their website, the first thing you see is their tagline, “Clean with purpose,” – and I think that rings true for not only this brand but any green or eco-friendly product out there. Although my boyfriend and I primarily use their disinfecting wipes, it still makes me feel good to know that they are people and pet-safe, too (especially now that we have a cat!)
Although these might be categorized as cleaning supplies rather than products, I still wanted to include these as we are trying to limit the number of paper towels we use around the apartment. Growing up, I only ever saw my family members clean with paper towels, and it took me until very recently to try and break this habit.
Having a stack of microfiber cloth towels to use is a good and sustainable alternative! Currently, we wipe down the kitchen counters, bathroom, or other surfaces once a day (with different colored microfibers corresponding to each “area” of the apartment), quickly wash them if they get a little dirty, and set them out to dry and reuse. If they are heavily soiled, they get put in the hamper, and all the microfiber cloths get sanitized in the washing machine once a week. Although it might seem like a bit more work than just using paper towels, it is much better than realizing half your trash can is just soiled paper towels, and cuts down on waste too!
There are still a few cleaning products I would love to try, such as Dr. Bronner’s Castile Liquid Soap, and eventually transition products such as toilet cleaner or mopping solution to something more eco-friendly as well.
Let me know if you’ve had experiences with any of the products I’ve mentioned in this article – thanks for reading!