7 Spring Cleaning & Greening Tips From Julie Edelman

In keeping with our green theme of the month, I had a chance to speak with Julie Edelman as a preview to the Go Green Expo. Julie Edelman (aka “The Accidental Housewife”) is a best-selling author of “The Accidental Housewife: How to Overcome Housekeeping Hysteria One Task at a Time,” and the more recent follow-up, “The Ultimate Accidental Housewife: Your Guide to a CLEAN-ENOUGH House.” She will be speaking on the NATURAL PRODUCTS & A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE panel at the Expo on Sunday, April 19th at 11am.

You can also visit her website, The Accidental Housewife.

At the expo, Julie Edelman will be sharing some practical eco-friendly household tips. I asked her to share some green Spring Cleaning tips with Mom in the City readers. She encourages moms to focus on the simple “manicure-friendly” things to do to be a little greener.

1. Unplug cell phone chargers, blow dryers, curling irons, and other electronics that are not in use. This helps save phantom energy.

2. Switch from hot/warm water to cold when doing laundry. (Did you know that almost 90% of the energy used to wash clothes is used to heat the water?)

3. Don’t rush out to buy new compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs. Rather, wait for your current bulbs to blow. Then, switch them.

When it comes to Spring Cleaning, focus on high traffic/visibility rooms like the kitchen and bathroom

1. For general cleaning, use natural products (i.e. 1/3 cup of white vinegar combined with 2/3 cup of water in a spray bottle) as a cleaning spray.

2. To clean drains, pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drains and ½ cup of white vinegar until if foams. Boil a kettle of water and pour it down the drain in order to release the sediment.

3. Use reusable microfiber cloths to clean. You can use water to clean the windows with them. They also come with handles so that you can clean ceiling fans and higher windows. As an alternative, you can use a 1/3 cup white vinegar and 2/3 cup water mixture to clean the windows.

4. Use newspaper because it absorbs moisture and odor. You can dry windows with them and put them in the bottom of garbage pails. (You can also stuff your kids’ wet shoes with them.)

Overall, Julie stressed that kids learn by example. I agree. That’s why in every area (including going green) it’s important to strike a balance and not be extreme. Rather than stressing out about making every area of our live green at once, it’s better to focus on easy ways to blend green living into our day to day lives. (On a side note, if you’re in the NYC area, adults can get a weekend pass to the Go Green Expo for Saturday & Sunday, April 18 & 19 for $10. Children under the age of 12 are free.)