The Living Green Blog For the green-minded home cleaner in you.

According to care2, the average home contains 10-40 litres of toxic chemicals in the form of cleaners and detergents that can cause respiratory problems, irritation, disruption of the body’s systems, and other health issues. The United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that because we use these products to clean our homes, the air inside a house can be 2-5 times more polluted than the air outside.

One of the worst offenders is laundry detergents and powders, as they leave residue on our clothes that we then wear against our skin. The average household washes around 20kg of laundry per week – more than 6,000 items of clothing in a year! If you’re using an off-the-shelf detergent, all your clothes could be exposed to these common chemicals:

As the food preparation area, your kitchen will need more care and attention than most rooms in order to keep it clean and hygienic. Many general cleaning products focus on disinfecting surfaces. However, using harmful and poisonous chemical in an area where you’re prepared food to be consumed.

Luckily, certified natural products – like those from Living Green – can clean and disinfect to the same standard without damaging surfaces, polluting the air, or leaving behind a harmful residue.

When cleaning your kitchen, here’s what to look out for:

You may not realise it, but according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the air you breathe inside your home can sometimes be more polluted than the air outside. A 2012 study by the World Health Organisation suggests that complications from breathing dirty indoor air are responsible for 4.3 million premature deaths each year.

What’s causing all the indoor pollution? Take a look at some of the most common culprits, and what you can do to overcome them.

We all know that if we put off cleaning tasks, we end up having to spend hours scrubbing accumulated dirt from a single room. However, dedicating even a small amount of time every week will help you keep mess and germs under control, as well as keeping your home safe and comfortable.

This simple cleaning routine takes less than 20 minutes and will reward you with a sparkling clean kitchen.

If left for too long, housework can feel like a monumental task – hanging over your head like the sword of Damocles. But if you tackle each room once a week in a short, 15-20 minute block, you’ll be able to keep the majority of dirt and grime at bay.

In this article, we look at a cleaning routine for your living room / lounge that can be done in 15 minutes.