Archive for April, 2011

Green Giveaway: The first and second people to comment on today’s blog will receive a free canister of Clorox Green Works Cleaning Wipes! Clorox Green Cleaning Wipes are a great cleaning product for disinfecting and cleaning surface areas while upholding your commitment to the environment. Get those thinking caps on and fingers typing and start commenting!

Items you Never Thought To Recycle

You can now recycle many items you never thought you could

We all know it is important to sort and recycle your newspapers, magazines, junk mail, and plastic and glass bottles. But what are the items you never thought to, or never thought could, be recycled? Read on to find out what these items are and how to recycle them.

Light Bulbs – Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional light bulbs and can be recycled at your local IKEA store. IKEA claims that if all their customers switched just one light bulb to a CLF, the energy savings would be equivalent to that of the emissions from 750,000 cars. When you can save energy and recycle, switching to CFLs is a no-brainer.

Paint Cans– Have a shelf full of paint cans piled up in your garage thinking there is no environmentally friendly way to dispose of them? You’re in luck – they can be recycled! Because they are considered hazardous waste by some, you should contact your local recycling center for information on how to recycle paint cans; most likely they will have you drop them off at the center. Filling the cans with kitty litter will help dissolve what’s left of the paint, as most cans need to be empty in order to be recycled.

Computers and Printers – While computers and printers cannot be recycled in the traditional sense, they can be donated and reused. Organizations such as the National Cristina Foundation collect unwanted computers and donate them to those in need. Even if your computer is not operating at its optimal level, chances are someone can use it for basic functions such as word processing. Printers can also be refurbished and reused when donated.

Cell Phones – Stores such as Staples and Office Depot collect old cell phones and rechargeable batteries, usually free of charge. If your cell phone is still working, donate to an organization such as Cell Phones for Soldiers and provide a phone for those in need.

Before you toss an item into the trash, check with your local recycling center, you may be surprised that this item can either be recycled or reused! What other obscure items can you think of to recycle?

Spring into Savings at CleaningProductsWorld! Today, April 4 – Saturday, April 9, save an extra 5% off your order with coupon code SPRING11. Get a jump start on your spring cleaning with extra savings! Happy Cleaning!

Keep the Air Green: Clean your Carpet and Upholstery

Cleaning your carpets and upholstery regularly can help improve air quality

One great tip in keeping your home greener and cleaner is ensuring you properly clean your carpets and upholstery to improve air quality. It is recommended that people with severe allergies clean the fabrics in their homes every three months, and when done with green cleaners like Arm & Hammer Carpet Care & Room Allergen Reducer & Odor Eliminator, one can further reduce his or her exposure to chemicals that can cause illness. For carpet cleaning on a more regular basis, try using a HEPA Filter Vacuum Cleaner, which will not only clean your carpets and rugs but also help reduce the amount of particulates released into the air. For more information, check out our other post on HEPA filter vacuum cleaners.

Check out our 30 Days of Green promotion on CleaningProductsWorld.com for more information on green cleaning and chances to win product giveaways. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

Using a sock puppet "duster" makes cleaning fun for kids!

Kids and cleaning is like oil and water: they don’t mix well. However, cleaning can be fun, and green cleaning is extra fun! Here’s a list of green cleaning activities both you and your kids will love.

Dust Socks – Take an old sock and pull it over your child’s hand for an instant fun hand duster! Kids will love cleaning with seemingly forbidden items, you’ll love having your furniture dusted, and when you reuse the duster sock and use green laundry detergent to wash it, the environment will benefit too. Another idea is to make a sock puppet to clean with!

Musical Chairs – Play the traditional game with cleaning incorporated. Kids will love running all over the room to clean as much as they can before the music stops and a chair is taken away. This is a great game for large groups of kids and small rooms. Use green cleaning products like Clorox Green Works All Purpose Cleaner and Boardwalk green paper towels and make a regular cleaning day into an entertaining race that everyone will enjoy!

School Time – Take younger kids to “school” and teach them about the importance of using appropriate amounts of paper products like toilet paper, tissues, and paper towels. Tell them how using just as much as they need can help the planet. Teach them not to leave the water running while brushing their teeth or taking a bath. Younger children will love going to “school” just like the big kids, and you’ll help your family save resources and money while protecting the environment.

Cleaning can be fun for both kids and adults, and when play time is incorporated into cleaning time, your previously dreaded cleaning day can be fun, productive, and successful!