^{Courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens®} 

Clean up your cleaning habits with seven supply switches to make your home a greener scene. Linda Mason Hunter, author of Green Clean, offers some easy ideas that anyone can add to their cleaning routine.
 
Many of the cleaning supplies you use at home are very harmful for the environment. Living Green means making sure the products you use are environmentally friendly. The stores are flooded with “green” cleaning supplies. That’s a great thing, but it can also be a bit overwhelming. How do you know what you really need? Here are some items that offer a shot of green to your cleaning supplies. Tune into a few keywords to help make your shopping easier.

Paper Products

When shopping for paper goods, choose those with the highest "post consumer waste" content you can find, either unbleached or whitened without chlorine.

Candles

Replace paraffin candles, which are made from crude oil, with cleaner-burning soy or beeswax ones.

Trash Bags

Select biodegradable trash bags or those made with at least 65 percent recycled content.

Lightbulbs

Compact fluorescent bulbs use one-quarter the energy of incandescent bulbs and last 10 times longer.

Cleaning Stuff

Buy prepared basics or mix your own environmentally friendly cleaners using common, natural ingredients such as vinegar and baking soda.

Reusable Cloths

Flannel cloths, for dusting or wet cleaning, can be washed and reused.

Natural Scrubbers

Try cellulose or natural sea sponges instead of plastic ones. Old toothbrushes come in handy for cleaning grout.