Eco-Friendly Summer Cleaning

Keeping the inside of our homes clean of the dirt and detritus of the outdoors is tough enough sometimes, so when it comes to keeping the cars, boats, bikes, and camping equipment squeaky clean, the challenge is that much greater.

When the glorious long weekends of the summer finally arrive, one of the first things we want to do is get our favorite summer toys—be they kayaks, yachts, dirt bikes or ATVs—clean and in good working order. Of course, since these vehicles spend so much time outdoors, it's that much more important to make sure we are cleaning them in a way that doesn't harm the environment. While it may be tempting to use the chemicals of days past, now we know better. The chemical residue will sit on the interior of the vehicle and undoubtedly, you will smell it, the dog will lick it, and the kids will get it all over their hands. Not a nice way to start the summer.

So what's to be done to prepare for cottage country fun? For starters, open the windows or doors in the area where you are cleaning as much as you can; airing out is a huge help. When you're cleaning out a vehicle—whether it's an RV, camper van or the yacht up at the lake—we recommend you follow a set order of cleaning steps.

After doing a thorough clean of the inside of the vehicle—which includes de-cluttering, organizing, removing trash, and recyclables—remove all the carpeting or mats to an outdoor space and shake them out well. Sprinkle baking soda on the carpets to deodorize and let them air out while you clean the rest of the space. You can also sprinkle baking soda on the floors of the vehicle to provide more deodorization.

For cleaning the interior of the vehicle, create your own all-purpose cleaner in an empty spray bottle with 10 drops of an essential oil such as lavender, sage, or tea tree (which all have disinfecting properties) and five drops of castile soap, filling the rest with water. Shake well and be sure to carry a couple of microfiber cloths with you. This gentle all-purpose cleaner won't leave residue behind and will effectively clean your enclosed space.

Start by going top to bottom, left to right until you get back to your starting point. Use one microfiber cloth for dry dusting, and one for spraying and cleaning. The solution works very well, even on leather, and finishes as well. For any upholstered finishes, you have to spot clean it unless you are able to get a specialty upholstery cleaning service that uses eco-friendly solution to clean (unfortunately, these service providers are hard to come by).

Once you are done with the interior and the carpets, clean the windows with water and a microfiber cloth . . . really, that's all you need!

Finally, give the space a very thorough vacuum, making sure you get the baking soda on the carpets all vacuumed up as well. Now that your vehicle is ready to hit the road, the destination possibilities are endless.

Camping is a great outdoor experience, and allows us to really enjoy what nature has to offer, ever reminding us to treat our planet well. We must always make sure we are being responsible campers by respecting what the environment has to offer us.

In my estimation, the only thing that should be used for cleaning on the campsite is water and castile soap. Whether your site has washing facilities or not, campgrounds should be kept as free from chemicals as possible to keep things safe for yourself and other campers. You can even challenge yourself to see what a greener life would be like. For example, leave the bath soap and shampoo at home, and just try using castile soap—a great substitute for both. Being purely vegetable-based, there would be no harm if this soap was used to bathe in a lake (for really remote camping). You can also use it to clean the inside of your tent (just wipe down with a damp cloth) and any other camping implements.

For a heavy duty scrubbing, bring some baking soda along with good quality double sided sponges.

Your equipment, be it a tent, an RV, a bike or a yacht is an investment, meant to provide you with years of enjoyment. Be sure to take great care of these items by cleaning and caring for them in an eco friendly way!

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