- Eric Abrahamson/David H. Freedman
- Jeff Bredenberg
- Dana Buchman
- Stacie Cockrell/Cathy O'Neill/Julia Stone
- Joshua Coleman
- Rita Emmett
- Carol Evans
- Adele Faber/Elaine Mazlish
- Beth Feldman/Yvette Manessis Corporon
- Paige Hobey
- Deidre Imus
- Jane Isay
- Dr. Harvey Karp
- Thomas Kostigen/Elizabeth Rogers
- Andra Medea
- Ann Pleshette Murphy
- Elizabeth Pantley
- Kathy Peel
- Kathryn Sansone
- Martha Stewart
- Dr. Jennifer Trachtenberg
- Denis Waitley
- Rosalind Wiseman
Give Your Home a Green Sweep
It's Easy Cleaning Green
Stop throwing your money away on cleaning products full of hazardous chemicals when only a few green products will keep your home sparkling and sanitary. AOL Kids & Family Coach, Deirdre Imus, author of 'Green This!: Volume 1' shares her tips on how to give your family a cleaner and healthier life.
More Kids and Family Advice
- Buy 'Green This! Volume 1'
- More From Deirdre Imus
- How to Cheat at Cleaning
- Perfecting Your Mess
- Ask Your Own Question
- More Coaches Topics
Simplify Your Cleaning Products
You need only a few versatile products to clean your entire house. Besides nontoxic all-purpose and glass cleaners and dishwashing and laundry liquids, stock up on baking soda, white distilled vinegar, lemon juice, and salt, an abrasive.
Take Stock of Your Supply Closet
Over-reliance on disposable and virgin products to clean your home adds waste to landfills and incinerators. There's no end to the usefulness of washable microfiber cloths, natural cellulose sponges, and even old T-shirts and toothbrushes.
Wipe Down the Kitchen
All you need to clean your stove and countertops is a mix of hand dishwashing liquid and water, or a combo of white distilled vinegar and salt. Rub and buff to a shine. To clean your sink, make a paste of baking soda, hot water, lemon juice, and salt, and let sit before rinsing.
Flush the Bathroom
You know how a bathroom mirror fogs after a shower? Most of that steam is toxic -- a mixture of chlorine-based chemicals added to our water systems. An open window while you bathe will prevent these and other toxins from building up.
Do Away With Dust
The dust in your house is a mixture of particles from everyday things like cooking and pet dander, as well as outdoor pollutants such as pollen, pesticides, and heavy metals. Dust frequently with a cloth misted with nontoxic glass cleaner to ensure that dust will not fly everywhere in the air.
Rummage Through Your Closets
Every season spend a few hours clearing out your closets. Remove everything you won't be wearing for the next months and store in airtight containers. Also, always take the plastic wrap off dry cleaning; the plastic traps the chemicals on your clothes.
Deterge the Laundry
Most of us don't consider the environmental impact of running our washers and dryers. Air-drying on a clothesline or drying rack, and hand-washing your delicates, are simple ways to save on electricity and costs. Add a cup of vinegar to the wash cycle to keep colors bright and fabrics soft.
Grab Your Mop and Vacuum
If anyone in your family suffers from allergies or asthma, or if children play on the floor, a better choice than carpeting is wood, linoleum, or tile flooring. Regular vacuuming and mopping are essential. When mopping, switch between a vinegar and water solution and a nontoxic all-purpose cleaner.
Improve Indoor Air Quality
Houseplants not only look great, but they also improve your home's oxygen levels and can absorb dangerous toxins in the air. Best picks are philodendrons, green spider plants, palms, ferns, English ivy, dracaenas, and, if you live in an urban area or on a street with heavy traffic, a pine plant or tree.
'Green This!'
From 'Green This!: Volume 1' by Deirdre Imus, Copyright © 2007 by Git'R Green, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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