ARTICLE (detail)

Clean Cleaning

Clean Cleaning

Many of us will soon be cleaning up our homes to get ready for Christmas guests or that long awaited summer holiday.

I remember when I used to buy supermarket bought cleaning products, how much extra they always added to the grocery bill.

There would be one item to do the floors, another for the bathroom, a different one for the toilet and then, there still were the clothes, dusting, windows, walls, dishes, oven, cars, dog and the kitchen to think about.

And that was just the chemicals. Add in the cloths, mops, brooms etc and you're equipped to start your own cleaning business.

But does it have to be so complicated? Do we really need so many products for each job?

By giving thought to what we use we can still have a house that feels good, is healthy to live in and if you care what the neighbours think, then they'll still be suitably impressed.

Most household cleaning products contain toxic chemicals. They carry huge warnings about not swallowing the item but rarely is there information about absorption through other parts of the body.

Do you ever get a headache after cleaning the shower? Does anyone in your family suffer from sneezes or snuffles after the house has been cleaned?

Chemical residues don't just disappear. They stay on the floors and dishes we wash and they get into our water system.

We unknowingly ingest these chemicals through our skin and our lungs.

Cleaning with special fibres and a bit of water will remove dirt and grease from an entire home without a hint of chemical in the air that you breathe or the floor that you walk on.

A great range of other natural cleaning products which are free from chlorine, phosphates, petrochemicals and formaldehyde are readily available from health food and other speciality outlets.

Often even white vinegar and bi carbonate soda will do the job. I love to try some of the tips that Alan Hayes offers in the 'It's So Natural' column of the local paper.

The great thing about all these products is they are safe to use around your house and garden. They are great if you are recycling your grey water as they won't even harm the plant members of your family.

Using chemical free cleaning is cheaper and results in less wastage.

Imagine the volumes of plastics and remnant toxins from chemical based products that go into your garbage bin, the landfill and the water table.

Landfills can leak huge volumes of liquid. This liquid can seep into the water table. Councils erect special ponds to try and catch this liquid yet it makes sense for our health and pocket if we reduce the toxins that we use and dispose.

But what about the bugs and the bacteria you ask?

There are good bacteria and bad. Chemicals can't tell the difference between the two and destroy both. This means we are destroying things that are good for our immune system, and hence our health.

In my home I encourage an active ecosystem that manages itself. That doesn't mean I have a household of different species climbing over my lounge and floors. But, by maintaining a space as natural as possible, I ensure I have a stable immune system.

That approach may not suit everyone. I happen to like spiders as they play an important role in the food chain. Most of them are harmless and are more scared of us, then we of them. The local geckos, though not native, are now deterring the not so native cockroaches.

Learning to live with our environment in harmony feels good. We brandish our chemicals like weapons of destruction, hoping they'll make us feel safe, when really we are simply affecting our own health and well being.

Don't feel you should discard all your current supply of chemicals at once – change over as you finish. You can find that the cleaning cupboard becomes a single shelf or even one or two bottles.

Check that products are biodegradable. They will be much more suitable to recycled water supplies.

And, if you employ a cleaner, and they bring their own products, check what items they use.

Happy cleaning and a safe and peaceful festive season!

Bronwyn Elliott is a sustainability consultant offering simple, creative and common sense approaches to doing every day things. Bronwyn's company Solutions-in-Store operates from Birkdale on 0407 678779 providing advice on sustainable building design as well as sustainable business and marketing strategies to consumers, companies and government.

Previous versions of Bronwyn's d'fine articles are available on www.solutionsinstore.com.au