To start with, throughout the years I have seriously dwindled down how many store-bought cleaners I purchase. I began to connect the dots to chemicals and how they actually affect my health. Hence, why I now make most of my own natural cleaning products at home. If you turn any given cleaner over and read the label, you won’t be able to pronounce the majority of the ingredients. You will notice warnings like, “hazardous to humans and animals”, or “call poison control if…”. Some even say don’t inhale or get in contact with your skin.
Ingredients such as: phthalates, triclosan, 2-Butoxyethanol, ammonia, chlorine, sodium hydroxide, VOC’s (volatile organic compounds), formaldehyde, ethylene glycol, monobutyl acetate, sodium hypochlorite, phenols, and thousands more are in this stuff! You get the picture. There’s tons of these toxic chemicals in cleaning products, that are pure poison.
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How Do Cleaning Products Hurt Us?
Subsequently, these hazardous chemicals effect our bodies in ways not many of us realize. They enter us through different pathways; inhalation, transdermal absorption through our skin (entering our cells and bloodstream), and ingestion. As you can imagine, when you are cleaning you are most likely absorbing some of the products in one of these ways. These cleaning products can irritate the eyes, throat, skin, cause headaches and even be lethal.
The VOC’s are chemicals released from some of these products that vaporize at room temperature, which we are then inhaling. Did you know a lot of ‘natural’ fragrances do this? VOC’s contribute to chronic respiratory issues. Many air fresheners, beauty products, candles, aerosol sprays, dishwashing liquids and other cleaners contain VOC’s. In other words, even if you, your children and pets aren’t directly touching these products, they may still be affected from inhaling them.
With this in mind, there are easy and affordable DIY, natural cleaning products you can make at home. Play around and find what works and what doesn’t. Conversely, I’ve made some duds that didn’t clean efficiently. So I tried something else. There are many YouTube videos and articles online with different recipes to check out too. I make these in the amber glass bottles as the amber protects the liquid inside from the sun. You can buy the bottles with nozzles on Amazon, and some health food stores too. I’m going to share just a couple of my go-to natural cleaning recipes that I have stuck with for the past couple years!
All-Purpose Natural Cleaner
I love this one, I use it for nearly everything; from washing dishes to wiping down most surfaces. I don’t use this on any glass, stainless steel or mirrors though as it will leave a residue. But most other things I have had success with. Enjoy this as one of your natural cleaning products!
- 1 tbsp Castile Soap
- 1 Cup Distilled Water (or at least filtered water)
- If desired add 7-8 drops of an essential oil of choice, I like lemon or orange 🙂
- Shake well. Also, give a little shake before use too.
Generally, I buy Dr. Bronner’s pure castile soap, which usually includes essential oils in it. In which case, I don’t add extra then. I have found it at most grocery stores, and legit lasts me forever!
Disinfectant/Vegetable Wash
Next up is the multi-purpose disinfectant. I use this one to disinfect most surfaces and to wash my fruits and vegetables. It’s a classic! Vinegar has so many beneficial uses for cleaning, as does lemon juice!
- 1 cup distilled (or filtered) water
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- Shake it up!
So now you have a few easy and affordable ideas to start on your journey of replacing toxic cleaning products in your home. In the long run, you are saving money and saving you and your families health 🙂
Sources:
https://www.lung.org/clean-air/at-home/indoor-air-pollutants/cleaning-supplies-household-chem
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/household-cleaners-hazardous-health-cola/
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Thank you for the natural cleaning ideas! I’m always looking for ways to detoxify my house!
Great information- thank you!
Love this post! I have been using all-natural DIY products for years and I would never go back!
This is so simple to make and so effective. No yucky chemicals!!!
This is amazing and so simple to make it. Thank you for sharing this information!
I am always looking for a natural cleaning products
I love homemade cleaners! They’re effective and cheaper! Haven’t tried this one yet, but excited to see how it works!
I love using natural DIY products! Thanks for sharing this informative post.
I’ll give these two all-natural cleaners a try! Then, maybe, my poor dog will stop sneezing so much on cleaning day!
Thank you for the vegetable wash recipe! The one I was using had quite a bit of salt in it. I prefer the idea of using lemon juice instead, and it would probably keep them from browning too!
I like to live as ecofriendly as possible. Cleaning products are so often full of awful chemicals. This is such a great and easy recipe.
I have never tried to make my own cleaners, and I am so excited to make this at home.
I’ve been really worried about the amount of chemicals we use around the home so these natural cleaning ideas are perfect for us right now
It’s refreshing to see a focus on reducing the use of harsh chemicals in our homes.
I appreciate your informative post on the dangers of toxic cleaning products and the benefits of using natural alternatives. Your explanations about how these chemicals can harm our health and the different pathways of exposure were eye-opening. The DIY recipes you shared for an all-purpose cleaner and disinfectant are simple and effective. Thank you for raising awareness about the importance of using safe and natural cleaning products.
I love to make homemade products, my allergies can’t handle all the harsh chemicals that other products have in it. Thanks for sharing this wonderful information.
These are wonderful natural cleaning products, I often use vinegar or lemon as is, but these combinations sound better. Thank you!