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eco-friendly cleaning resources
eco-friendly / Cleaning / Sustainable IRL Series

Eco-Friendly Cleaning Resources

The #SustainableIRL Series at Old World New is highlighting a new eco-friendly theme each month in 2019. January is all about eco-friendly cleaning. Here’s the round up of eco-friendly cleaning resources from Old World New, other blogs, and books. Join the Sustainable IRL Facebook Group to keep the conversation going.

eco-friendly cleaning resources

Quick Facts:

  • A 20 year Norwegian study has shown that inhaling cleaning products can be just as bad as smoking 20 cigarettes a day. (source)
  • A combination of household cleaning supplies, paints, and perfumes have been found to be as high of a contributor to air pollution in LA as automobile emissions. (source)
  • “Women who work as cleaners or regularly use cleaning sprays or other cleaning products at home appear to experience a greater decline in lung function over time than women who do not clean, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.” (source)

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Keep your home green and clean with these eco-friendly cleaning tips and resources

Eco-Friendly Cleaning – Articles

  • Lemon & Vinegar DIY Non-Toxic Cleaning Spray
  • DIY Natural & Non-Toxic Cleaning Recipes Collection
  • Non-Toxic Cleaning Brands To Try
  • Eco-Friendly Cleaning Tips (Spring Cleaning)
  • Improve Your Indoor Air Quality
  • Think Dirty, Shop Clean
  • Green Cleaning Kitchen Swaps
  • Room-by-room Checklist for an Eco-Friendly Home

Eco-Friendly Cleaning – Book Recommendations

  • Green Enough: Eat Better, Live Cleaner, Be Happier by Leah Segedie
  • Sustainability Made Simple – Small Changes for Big Impact by Rosalyn Byrd & Lauren Demantes
  • Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple, Eco-Friendly Choices for You and Your Home, by Renée Lous
  • Green Cleaning for Dummies by Elizabeth B. Goldsmith & Betsy Sheldon
  • Sara Snow’s Fresh Living: The Essential Room-by-Room Guide to a Greener, Healthier Family and Home by Sara Snow

Other Eco-Friendly Cleaning Resources

  • EWG, or the Environmental Working Group, which gives the EWG VERIFIED certification to products that pass their rigorous testing for chemical safety.
  • B Corp measures both the social and environmental performance of a company, resulting in a prized and well-earned B Corp Certification. Search their directory to find which companies have the B Corp Certification.
  • Think Dirty app, which rates the toxicity of beauty & cleaning items
  • Good Guide app, which rates household, baby, and personal care products for “degree of concern” regarding their ingredients.
  • Moms Clean Air Force blog and resources, which works on “protecting children from potentially harmful chemical exposures through education and advocacy focused on toxic chemicals in consumer products and other sources.”
  • Mamavation – a blog about making eco-living easier, created by “Green Enough” author and ShiftCon Founder, Leah Segedie.
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The Comments

  • 12 Months of Sustainable Living — Old World New
    January 24, 2019

    […] Read more >> […]

    Reply
  • Lisa Lombardo
    January 25, 2019

    Great list of posts and great ideas 🙂 I have replaced almost every store bought cleaner with a diy green cleaner. I still need to get rid of bleach.

    Reply
    • Addie
      Lisa Lombardo
      January 25, 2019

      That’s so good! Stains are difficult, I still hold on to my oxiclean spot cleaner, even though the scent/fragrances are so strong to me now. One step at a time, and we’ll both figure out how to lose the last of our toxins that we’re holding on to LOL!

      Reply
  • candy
    January 25, 2019

    I always enjoying finding resources and books are my life. All natural cleaning has always been my way.

    Reply
    • Addie
      candy
      January 25, 2019

      Ooooh, that’s awesome! Let me know if there are any books that you’d add to this list!

      Reply
  • Nancy W
    January 25, 2019

    It’s been an ongoing process over the year to rid our home of toxic chemicals and clean naturally. Thank you for your list of books and resources!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Nancy W
      January 25, 2019

      You’re welcome, Nancy!

      Reply
  • Annie Lewellyn
    January 25, 2019

    What a post full of awesome information and resources! I bookmarked this one so I can keep coming back!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Annie Lewellyn
      January 25, 2019

      Yaye, Annie! I’m glad you found it useful!

      Reply
  • Holly
    January 25, 2019

    Thank you for all of these resources! Those stats about decreased lung function after using cleaning chemicals are scary. We know too much now to continue on with our same ways. Hopefully more and more people will start choosing greener and healthier alternatives.

    I’m going to look into the Easy Green Living book–all of the books sounds inspirational, but I’m particularly curious about that one.

    Reply
    • Addie
      Holly
      January 25, 2019

      I’m glad you found one of the book recommendations intriguing, Holly! Spreading information in order to impact change is the goal, so you’re right – those stats are too scary to ignore once you know them!

      Reply
  • Kristina S.
    January 25, 2019

    Thank you for all the recommendations!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Kristina S.
      January 25, 2019

      You’re welcome, Kristina!

      Reply
  • Jennifer Cook
    January 25, 2019

    Great references to keep handy! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Jennifer Cook
      January 25, 2019

      No problem, Jennifer!

      Reply
  • Kristi Marie Stone
    January 25, 2019

    Nice compilation of information! Wow–that’s a crazy statistic–20 cigarettes!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Kristi Marie Stone
      January 25, 2019

      Isn’t that crazy, Kristi? It puts the danger of using toxic products into perspective very well.

      Reply
  • Rosie
    January 26, 2019

    Thanks for this list. This is one of the areas I want to grips with this year. We currently use cleaning products from an eco range – but the ingredients list doesn’t actually tell you what’s in it, so I’m a little sceptical. I’m sure it’s better than non-eco products, but I’d like to know what’s actually in it.

    I haven’t read this book yet, but I’ve followed the blog for a while, but Fresh Clean Home Wendy Graham might be worth checking out and adding to the list.

    Reply
  • Rosie @GreenRosieLife and @EcoGitesLenault
    January 27, 2019

    Brilliant set of links – I use a lot of vinegar, lemon and bicarb and hate synthetic cleaners – and those horrible air freshner things that pump chemicals into the room every few seconds are awful and make me feel ill. I rented an apartment recently and had to switch it off. It was vile.

    Reply
    • Addie
      Rosie @GreenRosieLife and @EcoGitesLenault
      January 31, 2019

      OMG Rosie, every time we visit folks who have the automatic “air freshener” it makes me physically ill, as well. My stomach and head start to hurt, and since I no longer use chemicals in my everyday life, they linger in my nose and mouth because I’m not used to them. It is horrible. It goes to show that when we remove those chemicals from our life, and then are exposed to them again when we’re not accustomed to them, how harsh they really are.

      Reply
  • Pamela
    February 1, 2019

    I love my green cleaning supplies!! Only way to go!

    Reply
  • Mrs G
    February 27, 2019

    Thank you so much on highlighting how dangerous cleaning chemicals can be. I strive to use natural organic cleaners and it makes me sad so many women just ignore how they are affecting the health of themselves and their kiddos!

    Reply

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The Sustainable Living IRL Facebook group is a welcoming space to share practical tips and real-life advice for making eco-friendly choices part of your everyday life.

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Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
oldworldnew
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Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
2 weeks ago
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1/5
Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱

I used to think “let me just get 5k followers.. 10k followers… one day I’ll have 20k followers…” to help people live more sustainably with the blog posts and social media posts I created. 10+ years of that led to burnout. And it never felt the same as when my friends and family started to live a little more sustainably because of something they learned from me. 

I hope you’ll be the inspiration for someone in your life to be a little bit more sustainable today. It’s such a good feeling to see the people closest to you thrift more, consume less, and think differently — more sustainably — about how we treat our world. 

Don’t push it, just live it. 

Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱
oldworldnew
oldworldnew
•
Follow
Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱 I used to think “let me just get 5k followers.. 10k followers… one day I’ll have 20k followers…” to help people live more sustainably with the blog posts and social media posts I created. 10+ years of that led to burnout. And it never felt the same as when my friends and family started to live a little more sustainably because of something they learned from me. I hope you’ll be the inspiration for someone in your life to be a little bit more sustainable today. It’s such a good feeling to see the people closest to you thrift more, consume less, and think differently — more sustainably — about how we treat our world. Don’t push it, just live it. Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱
4 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
2/5
🥶❌🌱 Not my plant babies! 

It’s been cold in Texas the past few days, so I acted accordingly to protect my little backyard garden that’s barely underway. 

Using thrifted sheets (once back drops in my “thrift fashionista style content” days lol) and thrifted clothes pins (I knew they would come in handy! 😆🙌🏾), as well as some old jugs, bottles, containers, and twigs. Hopefully they help keep the plants from getting too cold to survive.
oldworldnew
oldworldnew
•
Follow
🥶❌🌱 Not my plant babies! It’s been cold in Texas the past few days, so I acted accordingly to protect my little backyard garden that’s barely underway. Using thrifted sheets (once back drops in my “thrift fashionista style content” days lol) and thrifted clothes pins (I knew they would come in handy! 😆🙌🏾), as well as some old jugs, bottles, containers, and twigs. Hopefully they help keep the plants from getting too cold to survive.
1 month ago
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3/5
Finally got a migrating bird LIGHTS OUT sign 🤩

Turn off your lights (outdoor & indoor) to limit light pollution and to protect migrating birds 🫶🏾🕊️

TURN ‘EM OFF! (in my Teddy Pendergrass voice 😂)

#lightsouttexas #lightsout #lightpollution #migratorybirds
oldworldnew
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Finally got a migrating bird LIGHTS OUT sign 🤩 Turn off your lights (outdoor & indoor) to limit light pollution and to protect migrating birds 🫶🏾🕊️ TURN ‘EM OFF! (in my Teddy Pendergrass voice 😂) #lightsouttexas #lightsout #lightpollution #migratorybirds
2 months ago
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Do you reuse gift wrap?

Here are some things that I’ve thrifted to reuse as gift wrap each holiday season:

⭐️ tablecloths
⭐️ napkins & handkerchiefs (matching napkins sewn together can be used for larger gifts)
⭐️ Scarves (like from @wrappr)
⭐️ Cloth bags (like the ones your sheet sets come in)
⭐️ Pillowcases
⭐️ Curtains (can be used as gift wrap or to cover larger gifts like bikes or toy kitchens)

As long as you can fold the fabric into a square before wrapping the gift, it works well when using the furoshiki style wrapping technique. 

Comment WRAP for a few tips and tricks to wrap gifts in cloth fabric.
oldworldnew
oldworldnew
•
Follow
Do you reuse gift wrap? Here are some things that I’ve thrifted to reuse as gift wrap each holiday season: ⭐️ tablecloths ⭐️ napkins & handkerchiefs (matching napkins sewn together can be used for larger gifts) ⭐️ Scarves (like from @wrappr) ⭐️ Cloth bags (like the ones your sheet sets come in) ⭐️ Pillowcases ⭐️ Curtains (can be used as gift wrap or to cover larger gifts like bikes or toy kitchens) As long as you can fold the fabric into a square before wrapping the gift, it works well when using the furoshiki style wrapping technique. Comment WRAP for a few tips and tricks to wrap gifts in cloth fabric.
5 months ago
View on Instagram |
5/5
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