Down To Earth Tips For Cleaning

When Townline challenged its employees to reduce the company’s carbon footprint, the philosophy was simple: “If we can do something and we don’t, then we’re acting irresponsibly.”

The solution was Down To Earth, a companywide initiative introduced in Spring 2007, to reduce demolition waste, construction material toxicity and day-to-day waste back at the office. Today, Townline homes are constructed with as little environmental impact as possible.

You can adopt the Down To Earth philosophy with at home. At your local grocery store, the selection of earth-friendly cleaners is expanding. You can also make your own cleaning materials with surprising ease and very little money. A widely used ingredient in homemade green cleaners is Castile soap. Vegetable-based, Castile is made without synthetic or harmful substances. It can be found at many drug stores and most health food stores.

Here’s a simple recipe for cleaning multiple kitchen and bathroom surfaces and will take care of shower mildew and baked-on microwave gunk:

Combine in spray bottle:

1 tablespoon Borax

½ cup liquid Castile soap

½ cup white vinegar

1 gallon hot tap water

20 drops essential oil, like lemon, lime,

grapefruit, bergamot, eucalyptus, lavender or

tea tree (optional)

For more green cleaning recipes, visit the David Suzuki Foundation’s “Queen of Green,” Lindsay Coulter, at davidsuzuki.org.