Are We Ready to Clean Green?

Nowadays, no matter where you look, everyone is hopping on the “green” wagon.
Are We Ready to Clean Green?
1/17/2009
Updated:
1/17/2009

Nowadays, no matter where you look, everyone is hopping on the “green” wagon. You can buy “fabric” shopping bags to replace plastic bags, water purifiers for your tap water instead of plastic water bottles, and buy many grocery items in bulk thereby eliminating extra waste.

As we finally start taking responsibility for the mess we have created on this planet of ours—the ideas for cleaning seem endless. However, it is often difficult to give up old habits and ideas and fundamentally change how we do things in our daily lives.

Sometimes it can even be pretty complicated—going “green.” For instance, back when recycling became popular, my family recycled everything we could, thinking we were doing great by helping to clean up our little corner of the world.

The complication started with recycling cans that contain vegetables. Aluminum soda cans were easy—you just had to empty, crush, and bag them. Other cans were more difficult, however, as they needed to be rinsed. Soon, I realized that this was an issue: we were rinsing the vegetable cans with water—water that we were supposed to be conserving. And, certain things really required a lot of rinsing to get them clean.

I thought, “Is this really the best thing? Is the water we are wasting to rinse these cans worth recycling the cans?” No one seemed to have an answer.

Another issue came up with bathroom cups. I always bought paper cups to use in the bathroom. We used them sparingly, but I felt that with a child—and the germs they often carry—this was more important than saving the paper. My husband disagreed, and so he refused to use them, instead using his hands when rinsing his mouth after brushing his teeth.

Because he used his hands, he had to leave the tap on longer, and after watching him do this a few times, I felt that he was wasting water—even though he was saving paper. Again, I had conflicting thoughts: “Is saving paper more important than saving water?”

Now we use a plastic cup and I just try to wash it once in a while.

The point is, sometimes it is hard to know what to prioritize when it comes to going “green.”

Recently, someone asked me to do an article on using natural products for cleaning in the home. I thought this was a great idea, and actually something I had already thought about before, so I did a little preliminary research on the subject of vinegar—a natural product that I had heard about many years ago on the subject of natural cleaning.

Doing a search online, I was amazed at the websites and information available. It was truly overwhelming! I also found some information on using baking soda and lemons as natural cleaners as well.

To be honest, though, I felt torn. Lately, it seems that a lot of products have come out on the market that are very effective, and I have become very accustomed to using them. To put it bluntly, I like them! And, the idea of mixing up “stuff” in a bucket and pouring it into empty spray bottles and having to buy all the ingredients . . . well, I have to admit, I don’t really want to do it!

Is it laziness, apathy, or outright rebellion that makes me feel this way? Or is it something deeper? Do I just need to completely let go of this commercialized, instantly gratifying, often disposable, and very convenient society we’ve made for ourselves? Is that why we struggle with change, even when it’s obviously for the best—even when it’s absolutely necessary for our very survival?

I’m going to do it, and I’m going to show you how to do it, too—at least how to start. If we can clean our homes with vinegar and water and baking soda and a few lemons, why not do it? Do we really have a choice? If we aren’t willing to change, how can we expect things to be better?

I’ll be doing my research now, and I’ll let you know what I find and how it works out for me, so you can try it for yourself—if you haven’t already! [email protected]