Happy First Day of Summer! Along with welcoming those lazy days of summer, we also love welcoming back those summertime items that keep the season fun like pool toys, gardening tools and grills. Although we may only use these items for a limited amount of time, they still need to be kept clean. Inspired by a recent article in Real Simple magazine, here are some eco-friendly cleaning tips for your summer fun items.
Gardening Tools
You might not ever think of cleaning your gardening tools, but this is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of fungus, bacteria and mold. According to Organic Life, you should always wash off soil and debris with water and dry completely before storing. For stubborn spots such as tree sap, cover with a paste made by combining ½ teaspoon of castile soap, 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Rinse well before drying.
Grill
A great time to clean your grill is after you have used it. While the grill is still warm (not hot), scrape with a wire brush and use tongs to rub a cloth dampened with vegetable oil over the grill gate. In addition to cleaning the grill, the vegetable oil will help prevent food from sticking throughout the entire grilling season. Get more info here.
Patio Furniture
Combine a 1:1 solution of vinegar and water into a spray bottle and use it on all of your patio furniture—and even your patio umbrella—to not only keep items clean, but to keep them from getting mildew. If you need to do a deeper clean during the summer season, find some great DIY eco-cleaning solutions for each type of material here.
Pool Toys
To avoid items from getting moldy, squeeze water out of each item after every use and spray off with a hose. We also recommend periodically wiping down items with vinegar—this is a great way to disinfect without using chemicals. Once you have rinsed off the toys, let them dry in the sun before putting them away.
Talk to us: What is the one item you breakout to welcome the summer season?
image courtesy of flickr CC/Omer Ziv