How to make cleaning environmentally friendly and save money

Each person produces on average about 400 kg of garbage per year. According to Ruben Melkonyan, a member of the coordination and trusteeship council of the Public Environmental Control of Russia organization, the annual increase in household waste in Moscow alone is 2.5%. This means that the amount of garbage doubles every 40 years.

At the same time, in order to reduce the amount of waste generated, you do not need to take extra efforts: it is enough to give up everything disposable, reuse things and replace standard household chemicals with simple products that everyone has in their home.

Why is the use of household chemicals dangerous?

Effective household chemicals can contain ingredients that have a negative impact on health and the environment. If the product contains chlorine, and therefore sodium hypochlorite, then it irritates the skin and eyes. Ammonia also causes burns of mucous membranes and irritation of the respiratory tract. Detergents containing these substances are also hazardous to aquatic organisms. They enter the sewerage network, sewage treatment plants, and then into the soil and water bodies, polluting the biosphere. To prevent this from happening, choose products that have passed reliable eco-certification. Here are its main markings: "",,. Such products have a gentle composition, but they usually cost more than standard products.

What can replace household chemicals

To make cleaning as safe as possible, you can opt for five simple tools that are in every home: baking soda, vinegar, salt, lemon and laundry soap. They will cope with the task just as well and save you money, and you will eliminate the use of detergents in plastic and reduce the amount of its consumption.

Vinegar is excellent for cleaning windows and mirrors. Mix it with water in a ratio of 1: 5 and spray with a spray bottle or apply to the glass with a rag. Then wipe dry with a newspaper or towel.
Laundry soap will cope with dirty dishes and cleaning the floor. One package costs about 50 rubles, and it lasts for a long time.
Lemon quickly removes limescale from water taps and removes smudges from the hob. Simply rub the tap with a lemon wedge and remove the remaining juice after 5 minutes. If the case is tough, soak a rag with lemon juice and leave it on the tap for a couple of hours.
Soda and ammonia will wash away the yellowed bath. Apply ammonia to the surface with a sponge and let it sit for half an hour. Then sprinkle with baking soda, wait another 5 minutes and rub. Then rinse the bath thoroughly.
Two teaspoons of citric acid will help get rid of limescale in the kettle. Just put them inside, pour a few liters of water and boil.
Burnt food leftovers from the pan or saucepan are removed by salt, soda and vinegar. Pour two tablespoons of salt into a container, pour vinegar to hide the bottom, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, add three tablespoons of baking soda and let sit for another 10 minutes.

What else can you save on when cleaning

The eco-friendly cleaning style is also about the careful use of water and electricity. According to SNiP, the norms of water consumption by a consumer living in a multi-storey building (over 12 floors) with centralized water supply are SNiP 2.04.01-85 * "Internal water supply and sewerage of buildings" on average 360 liters per day, of which 115 are hot. Using the tips below, you can save up to 200 liters per day. If we reduce the daily consumption of hot water by 70 liters (this is 25.6 cubic meters per year), and cold water by 130 (this is 47.5 cubic meters per year), the savings will amount to about 7 thousand rubles per year.(For calculations, the tariffs are taken. In Moscow, the tariffs for some of the utilities for water in Moscow will increase: 198, 19 rubles per cubic meter of hot and 40, 48 rubles per cubic meter of cold.)

With regard to electricity consumption, according to the study, Electricity consumption by an average resident of the Moscow Energy Efficiency Center, an average resident spends 160 kW per year, a wasteful one - 240, and an economical one - 40. In a one-rate tariff, the price of 1 kW is 5.47 rubles.

Use the European way of washing dishes: turn off the water while lathering your cups and plates. You can plug the sink, draw water and wash the dishes in it, and then rinse everything with cool water - it is cheaper than hot water.
Do not flush the trash down the toilet - this can lead to blockages, which can cause additional costs for plumbing. Plus, every time you flush, you immediately waste 6-10 liters of water.
Install a single lever mixer with aerator. So you don't have to adjust the water temperature for a long time to rinse something. In turn, aerators are designed to restrict the flow without reducing the intensity of the jet. However, you should carefully approach the choice: not all devices really save water.
Water the flowers with water left over from washing fruits and vegetables, collecting it in a separate container.
Opt for a toilet with two buttons on the cistern. It consumes water wisely, since you can choose the minimum drain or completely empty the tank.
Clean in daylight whenever possible. But turn on the dishwasher and washing machine after 23:00 if you have two- or three-tariff electricity meters installed.
Get a device that will help you spend less electricity: a dimmer and motion sensors to turn the lights on and off in the room.
Replace conventional incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs. LED lamps are more expensive, but consume up to 8 times less energy.

By applying these recommendations, you will save several thousand rubles a year, reduce the use of plastic packaging, reduce chemical emissions into the environment and learn to take care of yourself and your environment.