You're listening to Life Kit from NPR.

Hey everybody, it's Mariel.

I used to think the only way to get something really clean

was with bleach.

Then I realized that's not true,

but also that bleach was irritating my eyes

and I didn't like the way it smelled.

So I started looking for alternatives, you know,

something more natural that maybe didn't involve harsh chemicals

or where I didn't have to wear rubber gloves

and a mask to clean the bathroom.

And that was a little overwhelming, to be honest,

because there are a million articles online

about green cleaning and there are so many products

making so many claims in the grocery store cleaning aisle.

What I've learned over time is the green cleaning

is not an all or nothing thing.

You can try things out, see if they work.

And nobody is going to give you a report card

on your performance.

That's also the ethos behind this episode of Life Kit,

which first aired last year.

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