We have now been homebound from the pandemic for a whole year. If you are anything like me, this time last year you did a lot of cleaning to get your house in order for the lockdown and kept that up for a while... but things have started to stack up again over the past few months. With the warm sun starting to shine in through the windows, it's the perfect time for some Spring Cleaning!
Do you have too much stuff?
Looking around the house, how many things do you have that you never use. Are there clothes sitting in your drawers or taking up space in your closet that you haven’t worn in over a year, even before the pandemic? After a year of spending most of your time at home, are there games you still never play? Sorting through all of your things in this way and creating a pile of stuff to get rid of is a good way to appreciate all you have and refresh your environment with a feeling of less clutter. However, when you are ready to get rid of your old things, it's important that you avoid putting as much in the trash as you possibly can. Instead, you should:
Try and find a new home for these items with someone in your immediate circle. Would one of your friends or family members love this shirt? Or like to read that book? This way you know it is getting put to good use.
Consider selling some things to earn extra cash. You can post a picture of your “donation pile” and ask if anyone would like to make an offer for anything there. Many items will be purchased quickly on Facebook Marketplace, or even create an eBay account if you have things that might be of any value and easy to ship.
Donate everything else. Find the nearest St. Vincent de Paul, Goodwill, Salvation Army, or your local thrift option and donate any excess to these institutions that will then try to find a good home for the items.
Finally, if there are some things that you simply must throw away, try to find any part that might be reused. For example, scrappy old clothing may work well as rags. Light bulbs can be recycled at Lowes and many schools have electronic drop-off bins.
If you live in Cincinnati, check out the brand new Cincinnati Recycling and Reuse Hub that just opened on the West Side! They are able to take almost anything off of your hands, but for a comprehensive list check out their website here: https://www.cincinnatirecyclingandreusehub.org/ . This is a great way to help out a local asset to our community.
What are planet-friendly cleaning products?
Now that all of your excess belongings are out of the way, you are probably ready for a deep cleaning of your home. That being said, are your cleaning supplies of choice actually the best options? Here we are going to share some of our favorite options for planet-friendly cleaning supplies:
Branch Basics - The Concentrate → multipurpose cleaner
Branch Basics - Oxygen Boost → stain/odor remover and whitener
Aunt Fannie’s Lemon Cleaning Vinegar Spray
Aunt Fannie’s Unscented Vinegar Wash Bathroom Cleaner
Aunt Fannie’s Hint of Lavender Glass & Window Cleaner
Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Vinegar Wipes
Meliora Unscented Oxygen Brightener → bleach alternative
Better Life Tea Tree & Peppermint Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Better Life Citrus Mint Floor Cleaner
Better Life Tea Tree & Eucalyptus Tub & Tile Cleaner
There is obviously a milieu of options at your disposal! Some of the best brands we mention here are Branch Basics, Aunt Fannie’s, and Better Life. This isn’t an all-inclusive list, but if you have no idea where to start, this is a good bet! For more options, you can check out this link of Hive Brands here.
If you needed a push in the right direction to get your house in order, hopefully, this helped! Take a nice day to get those windows open and get everything cleaned up so we can start a new summer with a fresh perspective.