(Note: This post includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases when you purchase through my link. Thank you!)
Why Clean with Natural Products
Caring for creation is grounded in and starts in our own home. Sadly, TV and advertising tell us that we need a closet full of cleaning products to clean, sanitize and make our homes sparkle.
But, do you know that most of these cleaners contain chemicals we probably don’t want in our homes, much less in our bodies? Ultimately these chemicals end up absorbing into our skin and washing down the drain. Have you ever stopped to think about where they go after they leave your home and the effect they have on the water supply and ecosystem?
Most Household Cleaners Contain Toxic Chemicals
According to EWG.org, household cleaners can cause or irritate asthma, contain cancer-causing and reproductive developmental toxins (including breast cancer), and can cause chemical burns to our skin. They also cause damage to the animals and nature when they make their way into our waterways. For more, you can read their whole article on the dangers of household cleaners HERE.
How Do We Avoid Toxic Chemical Cleaners?
The good news is most of those dangerous cleaners are completely unnecessary for a clean, sparkling home. In fact, you can clean your whole house with only 5 natural, toxin-free products!
Related Post: Review of Eco-friendly Molly’s Suds Laundry Detergent
5 Basic Rules for Using Green, Natural Cleaning Products:
- If you are EVERYDAY CLEANING or just touching up, use a basic multi-purpose spray
You can make your own, but I prefer Poofy Organics Multi-purpose spray. It smells awesome, is certified organic, and can be used for *almost* everything — and that is exactly how I use it. Counters, floors, mirrors, windows, sinks, and my favorite use, “no-rinse” everyday shower spray. (It helps prevent dirt from building up and makes it easier to deep clean later!) The cost is only about $2 per bottle when you use their concentrated refill formula. See it here: Poofy Organics Multi-Purpose Spray
- If you are DEEP CLEANING, use diluted liquid castile soap, like Dr. Bronners
This soap is highly concentrated, so be sure to dilute. A little goes a LONG way which makes it super affordable! Use it to deep clean almost everything and it does a great job for scrubbing when made into a paste with baking soda. It is available in some stores or add it to your next Amazon order here: Dr. Bronners Liquid Castile Soap
- If you need to SCRUB, use baking soda or a combo of baking soda and castile soap
Baking soda is a great, gentle, all-purpose scrubbing agent. Use it alone or make it into a paste with water or castile soap and it will take care of most of your scrubbing projects. I use it on dishes, floors, or anywhere that needs a little extra scrub.
- If you need to DISINFECT, use hydrogen peroxide
Unlike bleach, it won’t upset your nose or your lungs or burn your hands. I buy it in large bulk-size bottles and use a refillable spray bottle to disinfect countertops, sinks and bathroom floors.
- If you need to DEGREASE, use white vinegar
It may smell a bit at first, but the smell doesn’t last for long. Great for cleaning the range hood and backsplash with less scrubbing.
BONUS: Occasionally you might need a specialty cleaner
Although these 5 products take care of *almost* every cleaning job in the house, sometimes you might need a specialty cleaner. The good news is you don’t have to turn to the toxic products! There is a short list of natural products for these things too.
Two of my favorites are:
Poofy Organics Laundry Pre-spray
(Great for laundry, but also for removing crayon from walls, tough stains and as an ant deterrent!) Order it HERE.
Lemon Essential Oil
(Good for sticky things and works better than “Goo Gone.” It also makes a good diy furniture polish when added to olive oil.) Order it HERE.
Related Post: 5 Simple Ways to Go Green and Eco-Friendly (When you don’t know where to start!)
If you use these 5 basic rules for natural, green cleaning, you can say goodbye to toxic-chemicals and have a sparkling clean home too!
Want more details on how to green clean with only 5 natural products?
Click HERE and I’ll send you my “Green Cleaning Guide” with details on how I use only 5 natural products to clean *almost* everything in the house!
I love all these tips! I use Dr. Bronner’s for so many cleaning chores. I even dilute it and use it for dish soap! I’m definitely going to try lemon essential oil for gooey stuff!
You’re welcome! Dr. Bronners makes great dish soap and works well as a foaming hand soap too. Let me know how the lemon essential oil works for you.
This is a great starting point for me!! Thank you so much!
You’re welcome Reese! Thanks for visiting!
I love that you wrote about this! Choosing greener products for cleaning is a great transition to a healthy environment at home.
Using simple, safe products for cleaning is so important both for our homes and our water system. Thanks for reading!
I LOVE LOVE these green cleaning tips!! I AM sure I will get to use them. They are so practical and safe! Thanks so much!
You are so welcome. Thanks for visiting!
Thank you Darlene for these super easy tips. I am certainly going to be trying these GREEN (aka healthy) options.
You are welcome Bhavna. Let me know how they work for you!
I’m transitioning to using non-toxic cleaning and home products and I’m glad I read your post! So many “natural” cleaning recipes I’ve found on Pinterest have complicated recipes or ingredients. Do you have any recommendations for non-toxic DIY carpet cleaning? I typically get a carpet cleaning twice a year to combat all the dog smells and kid messes that end up on my floors, but I’m searching for a natural recipe that will keep my carpets smelling good in between those cleanings.