Welcome back to Positively Real Media’s Raising Healthy Families series! Today we’ll take another look at how to keep our families healthy in a not-so-healthy world. I’m thrilled to write today’s post about a topic so important to me.
Now that it’s finally feeling like spring, I’ve got an itch to clean. There’s just something about airing out my home and thoroughly cleaning each room once a year.
For most of my life, my spring cleaning involved toxic cleaning products – yet I didn’t know they were hazardous. Of course I noticed the warning labels, but never thought much about the danger.
Today, consumers can get an idea of a cleaning product’s toxicity by EPA-regulated labels. “Danger” indicates the highest hazard, “Warning” indicates a moderate hazard, and “Caution” indicates the lowest hazard. The labeling severities are based on the amount of product needed to kill a person – or cause serious harm to eyes or skin.
Unfortunately, cleaning products in America are legally allowed to be toxic. Manufacturers are not required by law to list all the ingredients in their cleaning products. And they don’t have to report harmful ingredients or alert consumers to potential health hazards.
In the U.S., more than 80,000 chemicals have been manufactured and sold since World War II, yet less than twenty percent have been tested for toxicity.
Europe has more stringent laws about chemicals. In European cleaning products, more than 1,000 chemicals have been banned from use. The United States has banned fewer than ten.
Avoiding certain cleaners
I want a safe and clean home for my family. Because of this, I purposely avoid the most dangerous cleaning products:
- Corrosive drain cleaners,
- Oven cleaners,
- Toilet bowl cleaners,
- Bleach,
- Ammonia.
I try to limit the use of aerosol disinfectants, cleaners, and sprays, too.
Many all-purpose cleaners, glass cleaners, floor cleaners, tub and tile cleaners, carpet cleaners, degreasers, stain removers, metal polishes, and floor strippers also contain toxic chemicals. These harmful products pose a real problem to families, because chemical residues are left on surfaces. The products also pollute the home with toxic odors – and because of these fumes, air inside a home is two to five times more polluted than air outside a home.
Some safe solutions
The good news, as you may already know, is there are plenty of safe, non-toxic alternatives. As I shared two weeks ago, I’ve challenged myself to do all of my spring cleaning this year only using all-natural products. So far, it’s working wonderfully.
It’s actually quite easy to make your own cleaning products, and the financial savings are amazing. With just a few basic and affordable ingredients – soap, water, baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, and salt – you can make just about any natural cleaner:
- In my experience, baking soda works wonders. As a natural abrasive, it gently scrubs surfaces while deodorizing – sprinkle a little when cleaning your sinks, bathtubs, or toilets. You can make an effective scrubbing paste with a mixture of baking soda and lemon juice. And, you can clean your oven with baking soda and vinegar. (To easily remove crusty or burned foods stuck in pots, boil water in the pot along with baking soda; if all the food doesn’t come off the first time, try once more.)
- Vinegar is incredibly effective as a disinfectant and deodorizer. Initially I had to get used to cleaning with a vinegar smell – and remind myself that other generations of hard-working clean freaks had different scents they associated with a true clean. Fortunately, the vinegar odor typically disappears once dry. You could add lemon juice to mask the vinegar smell – and to include another natural disinfectant.
- Hydrogen peroxide is another non-toxic disinfectant. And it’s odor-free. Instead of wiping off a toilet with bleach, it’s just as easy – and so much safer – to wipe it off with hydrogen peroxide instead.
- Castile soap is another great natural cleanser. I use it daily as gentle soap in the shower, but I also love to use it when cleaning my house. For starters, simply squirt a little bit of castile soap in your toilet, add some baking soda, scrub, and flush. If you opt for a scented castile soap, your bathroom will smell wonderful. Farewell harsh, chemical odors! (Make sure you don’t directly mix castile soap and vinegar or lemon juice while cleaning – castile soap shouldn’t be mixed with any kind of an acid.)
- You also can scrub a dirty sink – or a pan with caked-on food – with salt.
When your cleaning products are all-natural, your children can help you clean without being exposed to a bunch of harmful chemicals.
What natural cleaning products do you typically make? I’d love to try your recipes!
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Photo credit
Winnond/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Today, I’ve linked up with The Better Mom and Time Warp Wife.
Latest posts by Hilary Kimes Bernstein (see all)
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lydia purple says
My mom uses citric acid (found usually with baking supplies in the shop) instead of vinegar to clean her kettle and coffee machine from hard water build up. It’s stronger than vinegar, so it works more effective and she also noticed that the kettle stays clean longer. She has a glass kettle though, i am not sure if the citric acid would harm a plastic kettle…. i suppose one could use the citric acid instead of lemon juice for bathroom cleaners especially in hard water areas since it’s more concentrated hence more effective. (There is citric acid in lemons, but when i tried to clean our bathroom i had to use a lot… so i have yet to try the pure acid)
Hilary Kimes Bernstein says
Thanks for sharing, Lydia! In a couple weeks I’ll share how citric acid can be used to clean bathrooms – the effectiveness of natural methods really is amazing.
Jacqueline @ Deeprootsathome.com says
Thank you for the reminder about hydrogen peroxide for toilets. But beware using it in the shower on metal around the glass door or tub enclosure…it is mildly corrosive and can etch or remove a finish :( I’ve done that.
I am glad to be introduced to your blog, too. Do you link-up? If so, I want to ask you to consider linking on ‘EAO’ Wednesday. I would love to ‘get to know you’ more! Blessings!
Hilary Kimes Bernstein says
Oh no! Thanks for sharing the hydrogen peroxide warning! But sorry you had to learn from experience. :)
Jenn @ A Simple Haven says
Thanks for the helpful post! I switched to more natural cleaning solutions several months ago and can’t imagine going back! Question, though–do you dilute your vinegar with water? If so, what ratio do you use?
I’ve been adding a few drops of tea tree oil to my vinegar solution–it adds a nice scent and also has anti-bac properties.
Hilary Kimes Bernstein says
I probably SHOULD dilute my vinegar with water, Jenn. I haven’t, just so I could use it in its full strength. But my husband hates the smell and has asked me to stop cleaning with it. I’ve thought that adding essential oils could mask the odor, but maybe water could help, too. If you notice in Evon’s comment, she uses a spray that’s equal parts water and vinegar.
Evon T. says
I’m new at making homemade cleaners, but I’m officially hooked! I started out with just equal parts vinegar and water, but then I started adding essential oils to the mix (eucalyptus, lime, and lemon). The combination smells so wonderful, and the eucalyptus gives me the sense that it’s cleaning the air. Even on the day after I clean, when I come in from work, my nasal passages just feel… clearer and I can still smell the EOs in the air. I just love it! Also, I made my own room spray substituting the vinegar with vodka, but all the other ingredients are the same. The homemade cleansers make me excited about cleaning, so I can keep that clean-air feel in my home. Thank you so much!
Jedidja says
I have now three days urticaria at/on my righthand. The stove was very dirty and I decided to use a cleaning product that was very good for dissolving fat. (Normally I use a natural remedy with lemon). My hand burns. I later looked at the label and read that it could cause allergy. That’s why I threw it away.
A Dutch mother.
Estelle Stone says
I use vinegar that has been steeped in spices! I usually put orange rinds, a few whole sticks of cinnamon, whole cloves and put them in a mason jar and fill 3/4 with full vinegar. I then fill the rest with water. I let sit in a warm, sunny spot for a couple weeks. The longer the better. Then, when it’s ready, just put everything through a cheesecloth and the vinegar smells heavenly! No more bad smelling vinegar. Just don’t use it on marble or granite. Put it in a spray bottle and you are done. Your whole house will smell amazing! :-)
Hilary Kimes Bernstein says
Thank you, Estelle! This sounds wonderful!!
Christina says
Does anyone have a good homemade cleaner that would be safe for Granite counters and stainless steel sink? I need something that is strong enough to kill the bacteria of raw meat. Twice a year I purchase a 40lb. case of fresh chicken breasts that I trim and repackage for freezing. When I’m done, I feel like that chicken juice is everywhere.
Hilary Kimes Bernstein says
I asked Facebook followers, Christina, and here are a few of their suggestions:
– Vinegar can etch a granite counter – its not the best for granite, but it does work really well, and honestly i sometimes use vinegar, water, and rubbing alcohol – all equal parts in a spray bottle. but recently i ordered the branch basics cleaner – and absolutely LOVE it for my counters, and just about everything else – the only issue i have is that it streaks my glass induction cooktop, and so after cleaning with it, i use my spray mix of vinegar, rubbing alcohol (vodka will work too) and water.
– Honestly? I use the orange peel and vinegar cleaner on everything. Or you can do the vinegar and dish soap mix. They are both real cheap. (http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2013/02/05/how-to-make-homemade-orange-power-cleaner/)
– Mrs Meyers isn’t homemade, but it works really well.
– I use Shaklee products, they aren’t homemade but they are all natural.
– Thieves cleaner!!! not homemade but natural and works awesome!!
– I use Basic H or Basic G from Shaklee on my granite countertops every day. Absolutely love their cleaning products, and they are more cost effective than a lot of homemade cleaning products!