Tips to cut down on household waste
When Melissa Thatcher says she cares about cleaning in an eco-friendly way, she means it.
The Kentville woman says she has been trying to live as much as she can with the earth in mind for most of her life.
It all started when she was in the fifth grade, 25 years ago. That's when Thatcher first learned about climate change.
Since that time, Thatcher has watched our climate get worse, while next to nothing was being done to improve it. So, she's made it a priority to do her part in the hopes that it could inspire others to move in the right direction.
"I have lived without a vehicle for a while, I only buy new clothes when I have to," she says.
Thatcher clarifies that when she says new clothes, she means new to her — most of the time, she says, she opts to purchase used clothes.
She has grown her own food for about seven years and even operated a small farm with her husband for a few years.
“I need to do what I can to be able to look myself in the mirror every day,” says Thatcher.
That's why she started an eco-friendly cleaning company, known as Scrubbed Green Cleaning, servicing Kings County.
Thatcher says it's a common misconception that eco-friendly cleaning is more expensive. It's also not complicated to find the products, she adds. There are bottles of eco-friendly cleaners readily available — including at your local grocery store — that are of a similar size and cost as Lysol or other toxic cleaning products, she says.
She suggests looking for brands like Method or Ecomax, which are widely available. They both smell pleasant, she says, but are not overpowering like some alternatives.
They are also effective when cleaning, Thatcher adds. She especially likes the orange Method all-purpose
cleaner, as it works very well on grease.
The only disposable item Thatcher's company uses is
vinyl gloves, as she doesn't want to transfer germs from someone's bathroom to their kitchen.
She also does not waste money constantly buying paper towels, cleaning cloths or dusters, so she opts for more environmentally-friendly or reusable options.
TIPS TO CLEAN GREEN
Based on her experience cleaning green, Thatcher offers the following tips to help others clean in an eco-friendlier way, too.
• "Use eco-friendly cleaning products — Method and Ecomax are great all-purpose cleaners," she says.
Thatcher also has a monthly subscription for Truearth allpurpose strips, which come in a box. These strips are just thrown into an empty spray bottle, a mop bucket or a toilet bowl. By using these items, she explains, it allows her to cut down on buying and using bottles, but they pack the same amount of punch as more traditional cleaning products.
• Need some extra punch in your cleaning products? Add a little double-strength cleaning vinegar to your all-purpose cleaner, she says. This will strengthen its cleaning power
• Vinegar has multiple purposes when cleaning. It can be used instead of a regular oven cleaner — which can be toxic — to clean the inside of an oven.
"Depending on the amount of grease in the oven, you may need to keep it soaking in there anywhere from a couple of hours to overnight," she adds.
• Use as few disposable products — like disposable cloths, dusters and paper towels as possible, she says.
"Instead, use sturdy microfibre cloths for wiping surfaces. For example, Norwex cloths work great for glass and mirrors and are a substitute for paper towel," Thatcher says. "Norwex also makes a great duster."
Norwex products are all washable, and therefore reusable, she adds, and are available online, or through local consultants.