So I’m still in the process of greening my household cleaning supplies and methods. Paper towels have been almost completely replaced by microfiber towels, of which I have a nice supply of so once they’re all dirty, I can throw them all in one small load in the washing machine. (Cold water, non-toxic detergent, and air-dried, natch.) It’s actually quite incredible to think of how much paper towels we used to go through before; where we once would go through one to two rolls a week, one roll now lasts us at least two weeks.

As for the Swiffer … well, I haven’t quite weaned myself off it yet. I did go out and purchase a microfiber mop by Casabella yesterday, but it doesn’t seem to pick up the dust and hair all that well. Plus, there’s no vacuum to pick up any bits of debris. Do I really have to resort to using a broom again? (They hurt my back.) One option could be switching to the Bissel Flip-Ease, which is like the Swiffer Vac and Wet-Jet in one machine. The neat thing about the Bissel is that it uses a removable and washable pad (unlike Swiffer’s wasteful disposable pads), and you’re not required to use their brand of cleaning solution. I can wash the pad with the rest of the laundry, and use my own non-toxic cleaning solution. (I wonder how well Mrs. Meyers’ or Ecover’s all-purpose cleaning solutions would work?)

The Bissel runs on a rechargeable battery, so I’m curious how well it holds a charge. Ideally, I’d fill the charge on the battery (an hour or so?) before using the machine, then keep the charging unit unplugged from the socket until the next time I have to charge.

Filed by Maria in environment, home