Environmentally conscious cleaning

I wrote this article on Helium.com. you can see the original post here.
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When you live aboard a boat, you become very conscious of how your cleaning products affect your environment. There are few things more embarrassing than looking out your window to see bits and pieces washed off last night's dinner dishes floating in on the tide!

You also become very aware of the amount of water used in cleaning. It's one thing to scrub, rinse and scrub again when you have an endless supply of water at the turn of a tap. It's quite another when getting that water involves motoring to shore with a dingy full of 25-gallon-jugs, and the knowledge that eventually you'll also have to dispose of the waste water being stored in your holding tanks.

In the interest of conservation-of the environment, money and space-there are a number of cleaning tips that can be brought into play.

1. Realize that most commercially available soaps are highly concentrated. Standard liquid soaps can be diluted with water and stored for later use. One part soap to ten parts water produces a mix that doesn't produce a great deal of foam but is still highly effective when cleaning. If you have doubts about how well a diluted soap will work, use warm water to clean. Soap works better in warm or hot water.

2. Find alternatives to commercial soaps. White vinegar mixed with an equal amount of water and stored in a spray bottle will handle most cleaning needs, including doing a great job of cutting grease. It's also a streak-free formula to use on windows and surfaces. For disinfecting, mix one part bleach with three parts water and store in a spray bottle for at-need use. Bleach water is also highly effective when tackling mildew. Using salt as an abrasive works very well on stubborn, ground-in dirt.

3. Use less water. When washing dishes by hand, an inch of hot water in two separate basins provides all you need to get your dishes clean. Compare that with the 6-10 gallons used by a dishwasher (according to the MWRA). This is also a time when using diluted liquid soap comes in handy-the less soap you used, the less water you need to rinse it off afterward.

Implementing these tips can be done immediately and economically. The impact they have on the surrounding environment is very real.