10 Easy Ways to Clean Less, with Fewer Toxins

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No one really likes to clean. But we all have to do it. So here are some great tips to help you clean less and take the toxins out of the worst room in the house -- the bathroom. Try these tips and you will find you are cleaning less and using less chemicals when you do clean -- a win-win for you and the Earth!

1. Use liquid body soap instead of a bar. The liquid soap will reduce the soap buildup on your shower walls and the drain. [Editor's note: However, note that bar soap results in less packaging, and is therefore considered the greener option by some. It would be interesting to do a lifecycle analysis of which product comes out greenest in the end.]

2. Shake or “punch” your shower curtain after you have gotten out of the shower. Taking the water off the curtain will remove moisture and reduce the possibility of mildew.

3. Squeegee the shower walls after every shower. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just use a squeegee to get the droplets of soap and water off. This will stop soap scum buildup on your shower walls.

4. Make sure your drains are letting the water drain as quickly as possible. A slow drain creates buildup in the sink and shower.

5. Wipe the fog off your mirror with a fine microfiber cloth. You’ll never have to use glass cleaner or a paper towel again.

6. Use the technology of friction to remove soap scum off you shower walls. By using an “eraser” you can remove the buildup on your shower walls with just a wipe - and no chemicals.

7. Swish your toilet every day without using a cleaner. By just taking a minute to swirl your toilet brush you can increase the time in between cleanings by a week or more.

8. Keep a small hand-held, battery-operated vacuum in the bathroom. Vacuum up hair and dust quickly and you can skip a few more days before you have to wash it.

9. Shake your area rugs out daily. Just a quick shake will remove the hair and keep the rug looking clean.

10. Use a cheap toilet paper. The lint of “soft” toilet paper mixes with the steam to create a buildup on all the fixtures in your bathroom. Save the nice stuff for the guests in the powder room downstairs.

Leslie Reichert is a "green" cleaning coach with over 20 years of experience. She presents with celebrity chefs like Paula Deen and Ming Tsai at events such as the Chicago International Home and Housewares Show and Good Taste, Pittsburgh. Leslie can be contacted at her cleaning hotline at 1-866-50CLEAN or on her blog. For more green cleaning recipes download the e-book The Joy of Green Cleaning or purchase the spiral-bound recipe book from Amazon. (Or order here and put in coupon code DG09 for the e-book and get 10% off. Leslie resides with her husband and three children in the Blackstone Valley area of Mass.

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