Eco-Friendly Living: Transform Your Living Room with These Cleanish Tips

Welcome to week 1 of our Cleanish Challenge

I want to first say that I am in no way perfect at this and I won’t judge anyone for their way of living, because I was and in some cases, I'm still in your position. So let’s learn together!

What is sustainable living? Sustainable living may sound challenging at first, but it’s surprisingly easy, even for beginners. It doesn’t mean giving up every luxury or comfort in your life. It’s really about making simple changes and adjustments.

The best thing about sustainability is that they’re small things that are scientifically proven to improve your mental and physical health along with reducing waste and helping the planet. They’re also fully customizable to you and your lifestyle and you can also swap out things at your own pace. Any little bit towards more sustainable living is a little bit in the right direction.

So let’s hop right in with the challenges for today and the rest of the week! Make it your goal to join in daily, but if that seems like too much for you, don’t drop out – find at least one way a week to show some love to Mama Earth.

SATURDAY, APRIL 1ST - Swap to all-natural cleaning products

Spring cleaning is a perfect opportunity to not only declutter but also make a positive impact on the environment. By making simple changes to your cleaning routine, you can minimize waste and reduce your carbon footprint. To make spring cleaning sustainable, start by using eco-friendly cleaning products that are free of harsh chemicals and packaging waste. Consider making your own cleaning solutions with ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, and lemon. Don't forget to donate or repurpose unwanted items instead of throwing them away. And instead of using paper towels, opt for reusable cloths or old t-shirts. With these small changes, you can have a clean home and a cleaner planet.

SUNDAY, APRIL 2ND - Make homemade cleaning products

The harsh chemicals in commercial cleaners are not only bad for your lungs and skin, they’re bad for the environment.

Soak lemon and orange peels in vinegar and add to a spray bottle with some water for a citrus-scented, natural disinfectant. You can add your own essential oils, like grapefruit or lavender if you don’t have any lemon or orange peels on hand.

If you still have this on hand, try to dilute a little bleach into a mop bucket with some water for an easy, tried, and true disinfectant. Just make sure to not buy any more once it's gone and ventilate your space while working with bleach. The vapors from the chemical can burn your eyes, nose, mouth, and lungs if you don’t take the proper precautions.

MONDAY, APRIL 3RD - Use rechargeable alternatives

Rechargeable batteries are a must in 2023! Not only do they cut down on single-use waste and save you money in the long run, but these batteries can also hold more energy. That means you can get more use from a single charge of a lithium-ion battery than you could from a battery that you use once then throw away.

TUESDAY, APRIL 4TH - Sign up to eliminate junk mail

I hate junk mail. It's always clogging up my mailboxes with tons of paper waste, and it's usually a main topic of discussion while organizing client homes. That's why I can’t say this enough: Sign up for a junk mail elimination service.

You can unsubscribe from several junk mail subscriptions at a time some are free and others you have to pay for. With one click, unwanted catalogs, direct marketers, previous residents' junk mail, charity donation requests, and more remove your address from their mailing lists. Sign up for Sites like; OptOutPrescreen.com, Valpak mailing list removal request, Share local media opt-out, and save.com to free your mailbox from paper clutter.

And for those monthly bills opt-in to electronic mail. Most companies that send bills in the mail have the option to switch from paper notices to e-notices on their website. Save the trees and all that.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5TH -

Replace burnt-out light bulbs with LED bulbs.

LED bulbs last much longer than traditional fluorescent or compact fluorescent bulbs. They also use much less energy to produce the same amount of light. And also, fun fact: LED bulbs aren’t even really light bulbs.

LED actually stands for “light-emitting diode”. The diodes are plastic-wrapped semiconductors inside of the bulbs that act as a one-way energy valve. As the electricity flows from the plus side (anode) to the negative side (cathode), it produces visible light. There aren’t any filaments involved anywhere and they don’t produce a lot of heat so they last much longer than a traditional bulb. LED bulbs also use 75%+ less energy than halogen bulbs, and they can last 9+ years without needing to be changed.

Incandescent light bulbs, or halogen bulbs, have a filament that heats up and produces light when electricity runs through it, aka when you turn on the switch. These bulbs don’t last as long and use a lot of electricity. These are also the first bulbs ever created and sold commercially so it was intended to be built upon and not be the final product.

Compact fluorescent lightbulbs, or CFLs, are the second prototype of a light bulb. These are the spiral bulbs that we’ve become more familiar with. They typically start out dim but increase in intensity as they’re left on. While these lights are more energy efficient than fluorescent bulbs (up to 70% more efficient, in fact) they also tend to be more expensive and they still don’t last as long as LED options.

THURSDAY, APRIL 6TH - Remove air toxins in your home

Get a houseplant to help clean your air naturally

It's true that indoor plants can make a space more homey, beautiful, and inviting. House plants have also been known to decrease stress, increase creativity, and clean the air of harmful toxins, like CO2, and supply us with more oxygen to help us breathe, work, and feel better. Plants like the english ivy, bamboo palm, and dragon tree are plants that carry maximum benefits while being relatively easy to care for, even for beginners.

Buy an indoor air quality purifier

An indoor air purifier cleans the stagnant air in a house, office, or apartment space. Air purifiers remove dust, pet dander, and other allergens from the air. Breathing cleaner air can reduce asthma symptoms, help us sleep better, reduce the presence of airborne diseases, and increase our life expectancy.

FRIDAY, APRIL 7TH - Eliminate toxic air fresheners and candles.

Did you know that those sweet-smelling air fresheners, plug-ins, and candles you love so much can actually be harmful to your health? The soot they emit can leave visible residue on your clothes, walls, and countertops. Plus, the same residue that stains your walls is also going into your lungs! Yikes! Avoid the icky paraffin residue by opting for either oil diffusers or soy, coconut, and beeswax candles instead. Just be sure to check the label to make sure they're 100% soy, coconut, or beeswax. Your lungs (and your walls) will thank you!

SATURDAY, APRIL 8TH - Buy secondhand clothes and furniture

Nothing says sustainable like repurposing old items into something new and exciting. Thrifting and updating old clothes or furniture pieces help the planet by keeping these items out of landfills. You can also find some really nice items for a lot less than what they’d go for if you purchase them secondhand.

What's your favorite way to be more sustainable? Sound off in the comments!