Chemical-Free Cleaning

We know that chemical cleaning products aren't good for the Earth - for starters, all those chemicals eventually wash away into our oceans - but are there actually good alternatives?
I started thinking about this while pressure-washing my lawn furniture last week. The chairs had been left out for an entire rainy winter season and the formerly white metal now blended with the green seat cushions. Here are four suggestions for alternatives to chemical cleaners starting with the one I used on the chairs...

1) The Right Equipment - The pressure washer is my new favorite tool because it was actually fun spraying off all that gunk. I have tried the cleaning product route in the past and it was much more difficult and time-consuming. I'm not suggesting you go buy a pressure washer just to use it once a year, but it may be a good choice for renting or borrowing (mine was a hand-me-down from my in-laws). Other chemical-reducing cleaning tools that come to mind include steamers and high-efficiency appliances (e.g. washing machines) that can minimize the amount of detergent you need to use.

2) Natural Cleaning Products - lemon juice, baking soda, club soda, corn starch, salt - many everyday products are great cleaning products. One of my favorite magazines, Real Simple, has a good article this month on 66 All Natural Cleaning Solutions. They'll give you ideas for everything from vinegar for your windows to baking soda for removing crayon marks from the walls.

3) "Green" Cleaning Products - these new products are everywhere in the stores today. Just make sure you read the labels to see what makes them "green" since those labels aren't always meaningful. I'm not sold on all the cleaning products, but I do like the Seventh Generation laundry and dishwasher detergents.

4) Elbow Grease - Sometimes good old-fashioned elbow grease does the trick with little or no cleaning products. I put this one last because it's my least favorite, but maybe I'll enlist the kids this summer and make them earn those allowances! After all, aren't they the ones tracking in all the dirt??

Seattle Green Festival

I spent a few hours this weekend with my kids at the Seattle Green Festival and we learned some interesting things...

* You can turn elephant dung into paper. My kids found the "Do you want some free poo?" question as we walked by both disgusting and intriguing!
* I live in a very green community based on how many people were there.
* My kids can each fit into a small covered greenhouse. (See right - new spot for timeouts?!?)
* Just about everything can be reused - tradeshow banners become wallets, bicycle tire valves become zipper pulls, yogurt containers become seed planters, garbage becomes art...

* My carbon footprint is higher than the Seattle average, but lower than the national average. Things it was recommended I work on... reducing my heat to 55 degrees at night (brrr!) and driving less. To calculate yours, visit the EPA Carbon Footprint Calculator . There is definitely controversy over the consistency of these calculators, but they certainly can point out areas to improve.

All in all, it was a good way to continue the conversation and find solutions to individual problems. I bought a shower cleaner because I've not been happy with some of the green bathroom cleaner products I've bought at the store. We'll see how this one works. My son was most impressed by the fact that the guy squirted the cleaner in his mouth as a way of proving it was non-toxic! Not sure I'll go that far, but it's nice to know I won't be adding more bleach and other chemicals to the water going down my drain!