As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Last month, I shared the first swap I made when ridding my home of harmful products – ditching the candles, plug ins, air fresheners, etc. I replaced these with a diffuser and pure, quality essential oils. This month we will change out our cleaning products. This was one of my favorite changes because I went from 4 – 5 bottles of cleaners to 1! Yes, one.
We all know that many cleaners usually include harmful ingredients – that’s why most of us lock them up in a cabinet under our sinks and keep the number to poison control nearby if we have little ones. However, did you know that these harmful ingredients can still affect you while you clean with them and after? Think about the last time you cleaned your bathroom. Did you need to run the vent or open a window to get the fumes out? Did you end up with a headache or a cough after cleaning? Now think about your floors, tabletop, and all the handles in your home. When you spray them with cleaner and wipe them down, that cleaner can leave some harmful chemicals behind, which can then end up on the hands and feet of your family members. Chemicals can enter the bloodstream through the skin. Yes, it may only be a little (depending on how often these surfaces are cleaned and touched), but it adds up (especially once we learn about personal products like soap, shampoo, etc. – but that’s another topic for another month). Want to know what’s in your current products? Do a quick search of “the dangers of ____” and enter in an ingredient you don’t recognize on the back of your cleaning product.
So what do we replace our cleaners with? We need to disinfect our surfaces and clean up messes in the home, so we still want something that works. Here are a few different options that I’ve used in the past, as well as what I use now:
White Distilled Vinegar
The first natural cleaner I tried was a mixture of white distilled vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Full disclosure – I did not like the smell of the vinegar when I cleaned. However, it did work very well to remove messes on countertops, fingerprints on glass and mirrors, and to clean my floors. The smell did eventually go away once everything dried, so I continued to use this mixture for about a year until I found something I liked better. If I were to use this cleaner now, I’d add a few drops of my favorite essential oil to help with the smell. (PS I still use vinegar now as an all-natural fabric softener. More on that in another post.)
Baking Soda
I still use baking soda to this day to clean areas that need a good scrubbing without harsh chemicals. It works well and it’s cheap. Baking soda is also a great pairing with the vinegar cleaning spray. I use it on my glass top stove, my sinks and bathtubs. I sprinkle the surface with some baking soda and spray a little cleaner (the vinegar spray, or Thieves Household Cleaner spray) and then scrub, scrub, scrub with a scratch-free scrubber or a brush (depending on what I’m cleaning). I still use baking soda now with my current cleaner instead of the vinegar cleaner.
Thieves Household Cleaner
This is the natural, all purpose cleaner that I’ve now used for 7 years. I absolutely love it! I buy Thieves Household Cleaner as a concentrated cleaner and add one capful to a spray bottle of water (I used the filtered water from our Berkey). One bottle of concentrated cleaner lasts me about 6 months, and with three kids, I clean often. I keep a spray bottle in my kitchen and one in each bathroom for easy cleaning. I use this cleaner for literally everything now – kitchen countertops, sinks, toilets, bathtubs, floors, door handles, windows, mirrors, etc. Some people prefer to add more or less cleaner depending on what they are cleaning (mirrors versus countertops for example), but I like to keep things simple and use one capful in a spray bottle for everything.
(Want this label? Order from me, and I’ll send you one free in the mail.)
I actually use this all purpose cleaner for other things too. I’ve added a capful to a bathtub of water to soak my kids’ toys in when they needed to be cleaned. I’ve added a splash to a smelly load of laundry. I also use my spray bottle of diluted cleaner on stains on clothing before adding them to the washing machine. I add a capful or two to my laundry detergent (check back for the recipe in future posts from this series) to give it a boost. I’ve even used it in my dishwasher when I was in a pinch and ran out of dishwasher detergent. There are so many uses for it! As far as the smell goes, it’s amazing (definitely better than the vinegar mixture). It’s a spicy, warm smell. I’ve seen people add a drop or two of peppermint essential oil to their spray bottle of Thieves Household Cleaner to change things up. I’ve even seen a recipe for a pumpkin spice scented Thieves Household Cleaner (email me at brandilbrown@outlook.com and I’ll find it and send it to you).
Make a Change
So which cleaner will you try this month? It’s totally okay to finish the bottles of cleaner you currently have if you prefer to do so. If you’re ready to start now, feel free to toss them. You are the gatekeeper of your home and you decide what comes in and what needs to go.
Distilled White Vinegar
Baking Soda
Thieves Household Cleaner
Check back next month for the next step towards living a life with all natural products.
Want me to see your swap for a more natural product? Tag me in your stories on Instagram @Brandi.L.Brown . I love to see the baby steps you take!