recycling Archives

Ah, spring. It’s the time of year that we think about love…well, love AND cleaning. While the former might be pleasant to ponder, the latter, not so much. It’s not a favorite way to spend free time for most people – in fact, the never-ending job of cleaning can almost make you feel like throwing in the dusting cloth. Almost. Because, hey, we keep coming back to our household chores, and we know that we need to get them done so that we can relax in a fresher, tidier, and healthier environment. Before you decide it’s time to get to work, though, think about whether your cleaning habits are as effective as they can be. You might have a few bad cleaning habits that need to be broken in order to make the most of your cleaning time so you can get – and keep – your house at its best. Never fear, we’re here to help! Take a look at our suggestions below, try to change one or two habits a week, and you’ll be on your way!

1. Not Having a Cleaning Plan

to do list numbered 1 to 5 with a pen on the bottom — *Before you begin cleaning, make a list and have a plan as to what you will tackle first and how.*

Any good general heading into a war knows that they need to have a plan. If you’re fighting the battle of the dustbunny, you need to go in with a clear idea of where to start and how to progress. For example, we suggest cleaning from top to bottom, and from left to right. Think about it: if you clean your dresser, then the ceiling fan, you’re setting yourself up to have to go back and re-clean, and nobody wants that. Try this cleaning order: light fixtures, walls, window sills, furniture, floors/baseboards.

2. Binge Cleaning

If you’ve got a cleaning plan in place, great – but that cleaning plan shouldn’t involve frantically working for an entire weekend. Save the binging for your favorite streaming show! Cleaning in this way will only lead to shortcuts as you try to cram every task into one day, and will end up wearing you out. And what happens when you’re worn out after a crazy cleaning session? You’ll end up frustrated and annoyed that you spent so much time cleaning, and will be more likely to neglect the little cleaning jobs that start piling up again. Instead, try to make a realistic cleaning schedule that you’re likely to stick to, take a few minutes each day to stay on top of necessary jobs, and spend your weekends in more enjoyable ways!

3. Using Disinfectant and Wipes Incorrectly

Are you confusing disinfectants and cleaners? If you’re trying to clean and disinfect surfaces in your kitchen or bathroom, for example, and you’re using these two products interchangeably, your house is not going to be as clean as you think it is. Using disinfectants improperly will mean that all of those germs you thought you were cleaning are still there. Cleaners simply remove dirt, disinfectants are meant to, well, disinfect. To use them properly, wipe the surface down to get rid of the dirt, debris and grime that can overwhelm a disinfectant’s capabilities, then spray to disinfect. Another mistake that people often make with disinfectants? Not reading the instructions on the label. Most disinfectants need to sit on a surface for 3 to 10 minutes to be effective.

While we’re on the subject of disinfectants, are you a fan of those handy little wipes? They can definitely cut down on cleaning time, and are a good option for giving your bathroom a quick spruce up in the morning, but be careful how you use them. If you’re using one wipe to clean an entire bathroom, by the time you get to your toilet, the wipe will be out of disinfectant, and you’ll just end up spreading germs around. Here’s a bonus tip: check out YouTube for hacks to make your own more cost-effective, healthier version of disinfecting wipes!

And remember: bleach is ok for things that need to be seriously disinfected, but it’s a harsh and harmful chemical, and is not meant to be a dirt or grime remover.

4. Cleaning with Dirty Tools

Just as you shouldn’t be overusing your disinfecting wipes, you also shouldn’t be cleaning with tools that haven’t been cleaned themselves since before the age of the internet. If your washing machine is stinky from bacteria build-up, you’ll have stinky clothes. If your vacuum cleaner is filled with dust, it’ll have a hard time sucking up any dirt. If your sponges have been lying around in your sink and are covered in residue, they’ll just end up pushing around germs and grime.

Rinse cleaning cloths often with clean, hot water; disinfect sponges and replace them regularly; pull threads and hairs out of your vacuum cleaner, empty the bag (and remember to replace them and the filter regularly), and wipe it down; and wash broom and mop bristles and let them dry thoroughly. There are also dedicated products for cleaning washing machines and dishwashers, but also don’t underestimate the cleaning and freshening power of white vinegar!

5. Using Too Much Product

caucasian hand spraying a spray bottle with a green head. — *It might be tempting to use a lot of product to make a surface cleaner, but it is not needed.*

Using dirty tools is a no-no, but on the other hand, are you thinking that the more cleaning product you use, the better? Nope. Using too much cleaner or detergent can actually do more harm than good, not to mention the fact that you’ll be wasting money on cleaning supplies and water to rinse away the excess. If an excess of cleaning product is not rinsed away completely, the residue becomes a dirt magnet, trapping soil. Read the directions on each product and stick to the recommended amounts.

6. Forgetting the Little Things

After a while, it gets pretty tough to ignore a toilet you haven’t cleaned. And those dust bunnies rolling past you like tumbleweed are begging to be swept up. But don’t forget all those little surfaces that get touched a lot and can be harboring tons of germs and grime. Think light switches, doorknobs, and kitchen cabinet and drawer handles. When it comes to cleaning, there are no small parts, only small actors, as they say, so walk around with a wipe or soapy cloth whenever you can to keep those little guys sparkling clean.

One more note regarding forgotten spots that might need cleaning: remember to give those out of sight, out of mind places, like the inside of your microwave, some love, too. Yes, wipe that handle and those buttons down, but don’t forget that grimy inside! If you’ve got a caked-on nightmare in there, just put a bowl of lemon juice, water, and white vinegar inside, warm it up for two minutes and then wipe away the mess.

7. Letting Things Slide

illustration of a sink full of dirty dishes. — *Leaving dirty dishes in the sink attracts bugs and rodents, so don’t forget the small things like that!*

We get it, life is busy and sometimes those little, annoying things fall by the wayside. Mail and papers pile up, neglected, on the dining room table, dishes pile up in the sink, laundry sits unfolded, food gets left out on counters. But all of those little messes can add up to one big, overwhelming mess. Some little things, like food and toothpaste splatters can get harder and more time consuming to clean the longer they sit, leading to wasted time. Food and dirty dishes left out can cause odors and attract bugs, pantry moths, and rodents, which will only lead to more aggravation and wasted time and energy as you try to get rid of them.

Don’t do that to yourself! Don’t make cleaning worse than it has to be; try and stay on top of it and you’re less likely to get overwhelmed. For smaller things, do quick cleanups as you go. For slightly bigger tasks, again, stick to a cleaning schedule that includes a few chores a day. For things that accumulate, like papers, have a dedicated place to put mail and get to it at least once a week, file important papers, take pictures of children’s artwork and frame the most special pieces, and remember to keep a shredder or recycling bin handy to get rid of papers that don’t need to be hanging around!

Cleaning. It’s no one’s idea of a great time, it’s just one of those things that’s got to be done. But it doesn’t need to be an overwhelming task! Keep on top of things as much as you can, and follow the simple tips above to make sure that you’re making the most of your cleaning time and supplies. Then get back to relaxing in a house that always feels ready for spring (and don’t worry, we won’t tell if you drop some popcorn on the floor while doing the right kind of binging).

Happy America Recycles Day! November 15th comes around once a year as a reminder to reduce our waste by reusing what we have. Our

loads of recyclable materials in a landfill — *Doesn’t look that pretty. A few extra minutes a day and we can reduce this heap to something more manageable.*

waste management habits are only getting worse by the year, and it’s already taking its toll on our planet. Recycling programs are an easy solution, but not many people know the facts behind the industry.

When people think of recycling, images of plastics, drop off centers, or symbols on the bottom of glass bottles come up. While those are helpful thoughts, there’s much more to the process that we need to focus on. To be of better help, we need to understand more of what happens, what’s wrong, and the effects.

What Recycling Is

In essence, it’s breaking down used products (like car batteries or plastic bags) and turning them into raw materials. This is the formal industry, but you can consider composting a home-based part.

Citizens or plant workers collect items like those mentioned either from curbside bins, programs, or drop off centers. Then, they sort the items and clean them at a processing plant. The easiest items are plastic because they only need to be melted and reformed. Others, like metal, are usually in more complex products and require more energy.

The newly recycled materials are then reused in our manufacturing process. This involves being sold in bulk to factories or made available to the public. Even artists purchase these materials to create. While it seems like a solid process, many factors hinder its efficiency.

Why It Is Hampered

Many cities have recycling plants in place, but not to the degree that we need them, nor are people taught how to properly recycle. We know that it should be done, but most bins in public are just blue or labeled with an “R.” This results in people throwing anything into them that looks like it should be recycled. However, some areas, even entire cities, don’t have the proper facilities to process certain items, resulting in a huge amount of waste. If we don’t curb it, the whole system will come tumbling down. This means better labeling on our blue bins per locale.

Also with labeling, the triangular symbols, while useful, aren’t widespread knowledge. Here are some common ones and how to read them:

person recycling a plastic bottle and sorting it properly — *Sorting is the biggest issue the industry has. We can’t stress it enough to be careful what you throw into a recycling bin!*

PET or PETE are found on common plastics. These are on easily disposable items as bins that accept this type are commonplace.
HDPE is the opaque type of plastic found in milk jugs, cereal bags, or shampoo bottles.

1-7 (usually inside a triangle of arrows) is signaling which resin type was used for the product. Process these numbered items together: 1’s with 1’s and 7’s with 7’s

A Check with a Tree plus FSC means the product contains wood.

ALU in a circle means aluminum.

A picture of someone disposing of a bottle means the product is glass and should be recycled in a specific bin for glass.

These are only a few label types. With so many, it makes the process confusing for the average person. It really bogs down an industry where the individual has to wash, sort, and separate their used materials. If we established a better sorting process in the actual plants, we could install a more general recycling area, encouraging more people to participate. This can be extended to a neighborhood program, providing community-building experiences and ways to meet new people.

Positive Benefits of Recycling

So, we know what is wrong with the process, but why is it important that we fix it?

plastic bottles on a beach ruining the scene — *No one wants to vacation on a trash-covered beach. This will only get worse the more we try to bury our garbage in landfills or throw it in the ocean.*

The most obvious reasons are environmental:

Protects trees (like the rainforest)
Reduces fossil fuel usage
Reduces waste
Saves landfill space
Conserves resources such as water, wood, and oil

But there are also economic impacts like:

Generating more job opportunities
Creating resources for trade
In the U.S., creating revenue up to $200 billion

As we can see, the benefits outweigh the supposed costs of changing the industry. Because, yes, it will cost some to change its infrastructure. However, the benefits come with keeping our home cleaner, preserving our resources, and putting less toxic substances into the ground. On the individual level, there is unfortunately not much we can do except vote for representatives that will affect change. Of course, you can also make greener choices in general like opting for Veganism. We’re making a trade of capital for keeping the planet habitable. We can live without money, but we can’t live without an atmosphere.

Tag: recycling

Spring Cleaning? Break These Bad Habits First!