Paul and I have a lovely aunt. She's fastidious (some would say certifiable) about keeping a clean home (we love you, Aunt Sharon). One would understandably expect to see a lot of cleaning products in her house, but there has always been one area that has been spotless without the help of chemicals or green cleaning products: her shower. It's spotless. It would make Howard Hughes gasp at the perfection of it, and it has made me a true believer. There are no water spots or odors, and it looks brand-new despite years of use. The reason for this exquisite cleanliness is another humble tool in our green cleaning arsenal: a simple squeegee. You can buy one for about $5 at just about any hardware store, drug store, or discount department store (read: Target), which, the last time I checked, is about the same price as a can of my formerly-favorite shower cleaner. We recently had a brand-spanking-new glass shower door installed, and the manufacturer and the installer both recommended daily use of our beloved squeegee to keep it clean. They have a product that they sell on their showroom floor, but they admitted that the squeegee works better to keep a shower clean.
What's wrong with cleaning a shower with a green cleaning product, or making your own vinegar-and-water solution for the shower? First, in my experience (and in the aforementioned guru aunt's experience), any cleaning product, green or not, won't work as well to clean the shower. That's important. Second, even green cleaning products must be manufactured, packaged, and shipped to you or your store, and that comes at the price of fossil fuels. Third, I haven't found a cleaning product that doesn't require some kind of rinsing, and that costs water. I'd rather spend that extra water to rinse off myself, thankyouverymuch.
I promise, I don't work for the squeegee industry, or the "Big Vinegar" lobby.
What's wrong with cleaning a shower with a green cleaning product, or making your own vinegar-and-water solution for the shower? First, in my experience (and in the aforementioned guru aunt's experience), any cleaning product, green or not, won't work as well to clean the shower. That's important. Second, even green cleaning products must be manufactured, packaged, and shipped to you or your store, and that comes at the price of fossil fuels. Third, I haven't found a cleaning product that doesn't require some kind of rinsing, and that costs water. I'd rather spend that extra water to rinse off myself, thankyouverymuch.
I promise, I don't work for the squeegee industry, or the "Big Vinegar" lobby.
any tips for squeegee training my husband? :)
ReplyDeleteYes! The budget factor is huge here. It took me a long time to convince my husband to squeegee daily, because the incentive was not there (I would eventually end up scrubbing the shower, so what difference did it make to him?) When the guys came to install our shower door and touted the squeegee as the superior cleaning method, he was sold.
ReplyDeletetrain the kids to do it - that's what I say - get some work out of the little buggers
ReplyDeleteI totally want a squeegee now. I think L&K would love squeegeeing! I am usually the second person to shower in here anyway, so I don't need to do a lot of husband-training on this one.
ReplyDelete