Good day and welcome (back) The Planet Forward blog on a beautiful summer day here in the Toronto area. During these glorious summer months we’re definitely outside more and on the fourth hour of the Today Show with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb there was a segment about eco-friendly household tips for cleaning in the summer that we thought we’d share.

Cleaning your lawnmower – yes, even your lawn mower needs a good cleaning once and a while because grass, weeds, and dirt can buildup underneath with each use. To clean your mower, you have to take steps to ensure your safety; the biggest one is to unplug the spark plug. The reason for unplugging the spark plug is so the mower won’t just turn on while you’re cleaning. The next step is to get out your ice scraper from its summer hideout. The long handle and sharp edges of the ice scraper will allow you to dislodge grass, dirt, and debris from the blades of the mower and you never have to touch them. Finish your mower-cleaning project by using the strongest spray on your hose nozzle and spray the underside of the mower. Once you have sprayed the mower allow it thoroughly dry before plugging the spark plug back in and using the mower. This simple maintenance will help sustain the life of any mower.

White picket fence image courtesy of ladybugsandfrogs.blogspot.com

Cleaning a (white picket) fence – first hose it down thoroughly. Then mix vinegar and water with a 2:1 ratio in a spray bottle (like in our MIY Green Home Cleaning Kit). Spray the mixture over the marks and then wipe off with a rag. You can also get rid of scuffmarks on your fence by rubbing then with mayonnaise.

Cleaning your BBQ grill – it doesn’t matter if you grill meats or vegetarian fair, your grill will get dirty. In stead of buying cleaners that are chock full of chemicals to get the grime off your grill let’s try something a little more eco-friendly. The best way to clean your grill is to use Coca-Cola and a piece of aluminum foil. Crumple a piece of foil into a ball and dip it in a bowl of Coca-Cola and then rub your cold grill. The cola will eat through the caked on grease and food debris like nothing else will. This is an easy tip because you probably have a cola product already in the house and it’s eco-friendly because you can reuse foil you’ve cooked with (nothing that has touched raw meat and just use the clean side) and you can recycle the foil when you’re finished cleaning. After you have scrubbed down the grill remove it from the BBQ and hose it down to remove the loosen debris.

Cleaning stains on your clothing – two of the hardest to deal with are grass and ketchup/mustard stains. For grass stains, get a toothbrush, dip it in vodka and rub at the stain. Test first on the fabric to ensure it will not cause any colour damage. For ketchup/mustard stains, squeeze lemon juice on the stain and then rub it using the rind of the lemon.

These eco-friendly cleaning tips and tricks are easy to try and the best part is you probably have everything you need in the house. Plus you’ll be decreasing your use of chemical-based cleaning solutions which is good for you and your carbon footprint calculator reading.