It comes on April 22nd this year. Earth Day. While we only celebrate it once every 52-weeks, it may not be a bad idea to try to be “green” as much as possible. A few years back, the Great Lakes were considered dead. Thanks to eco-awareness, these large fresh water bodies that turn Michigan into a mitten are now back to life.
Your little corner of the planet can likewise be a nursery for eco-friendliness. Simply by choosing to use products that don’t harm the place. Hardwoods like ipe, tigerwood and garapa for your deck or indoor flooring from Timbertown Austin go the distance by coming to us from plantations that practice “green” techniques. We wouldn’t have it any other way!
Once installed, you can continue our tradition of respecting the planet we share by maintaining your hardwoods or softwoods through regular cleaning. The question is: How can you do this without the run-off being a pollutant. We’ve got some suggestions.
Not Recommendations, Merely a Guide
In this blog, we’re not going to point to one particular product. Instead, we’d like to pass along some suggestions on ways to clean-up your investment in a way that’s “green.”
This is a list of methods and solutions which will not hurt Mother Nature when you perform the task of cleaning wood:
- For the DIYer’s out there, grab an unused or empty spray bottle. Take a four-cup measuring bowl. Toss in a quarter of a cup of white vinegar. Squeeze a half lemon into the solution, then fill the rest of it with warm water. Pour it into the spritzer. Shake well. You don’t want to apply it directly to the floor. Instead, spray it on a fresh, clean cotton mop and glide it across the surface. Don’t like lemon. Try using a lime. Either way, it will clean the floor, leaving behind a fresh fruit aroma.
- You can always skip the citrus and go au natural. Same formula, same procedure. No fruit.
- A company called Simple Pure Clean has some of the better, pre-mixed stuff called Hardwood Floor cleaner. They use totally “green” essential oils. It cleans and leaves behind a eucalyptus and lemon scent.
- Another eco-friendly hardwood cleaning substance that has the same smell is called Natural Cleaning Products Hardwood Floor Cleaner. An added plus is that it can also stand-in when you want to spruce-up your laminated floors.
- Then there’s this material for hardwood flooring named Natural from Safe and Natural Cleaning Products. It consists of soy and orange oil. This product is good for surfaces with small scratches and water marks.
- Lastly, we have this cleaner called Indoor Clean-All from the company known as New England Natural. It’s so multi-purpose that you cannot only apply it to your flooring or decking, but it will be a “green” method to brush up virtually almost anything inside the house. The aroma it leaves behind is subtle for those who don’t want to add any additional smells to your enclosed living space.
Can’t find these products at your local stores? They’re all available on the ‘net.
By using any of these methods and products, you’ve extended the life of Earth Day. Make it an Earth Year in your portion of the planet. That way your great-great-great-great grandkids will not have to travel to another planet to survive. They can stay right here on the third planet from the sun without wearing hazmat suits.
Original Source: http://timbertownaustin.com/learning-center/environmentally-safe-hardwood-cleaners
