Cleaning Green: How Much Does it Really Cost?

There is a vicious rumor out there in the rumor mill that is scaring people into believing that being friendly to the environment is very expensive. The people who have started this false accusation have not done their research. Let's take cleaning supplies for example. They will walk through their local supermarket or Wal-Mart Super Center and buy a bottle of 409 All Purpose Cleaner for a few dollars. They spy the environmentally friendly version of their usual product and see that the price tag has a few numbers added to the dollar place and they keep pushing their cart down the aisle passed the offending price tags.

These people have a point and a valid point at that. Sometimes buying the environmentally friendly bottle of laundry detergent or dish soap in the store aisle can be more expensive. Not everyone has a blossoming money tree in their backyard, and most families would rather save the money for other groceries and fun activities. What these people don't realize, is that their consumer driven minds are forgetting that you can make your own cleaning products and spend even less money on materials than you would spend on a bottle of Tide or Dawn.

What about all those cleaners that are stocked up in the cupboards right now? If you have a stash of cleaning products that you have purchased recently, by all means use them. You can wash out the containers that most of them are in and put your home made cleaners in them. No one is asking you to dump out everything and start fresh. There is nothing wrong with replacing one or two cleaners at time. The point is that you are aware of what your cleaning products are doing to mother earth and are willing to take small steps to change that.

These are a few recipes for great homemade cleaners that are environmentally friendly, easy to make, and not very expensive. All of the recipes have been tried and tested and come back with positive results.

Use Less Stuff All-Purpose Cleaner
Source: "Better Basics for the Home"
by Anne Berthold-Bond (Three Rivers Press, 1999)