Spring days = time to clean!
It is finally feeling like spring here in Germany! Winter seemed to have a come-back after a few warmer days, and I had the winter blues all over again. But suddenly it’s like the earth has been rejuvenated, the sun is shining more often, and I’m able to go outside without a jacket during the day! How glorious. I hope that wherever you are, you’re experiencing the same thing.
With warmer weather comes the feeling of renewal and – you guessed it – cleaning out our homes! It’s time to strip our beds of flannel sheets and dark colors, and replace it with lighter linens in both feel and color. We’re probably opening our windows and airing out our home. (Or maybe turning on the A/C in some areas of the U.S.!) We’re also probably pulling out our cleaning products and giving our home a good scrub.
Cleaning means a dirtier home? What?
But did you know that using conventional cleaning products could actually make your home dirtier? Not in the dust and grime sort of way, but in an air pollution and toxicity way. The EPA states on their website:
In the last several years, a growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air…
Have you ever looked at your bottles of cleaning solution? Some of them might say to wear a mask while using. To me, that just seems ridiculous! If something is so caustic that one has to wear a mask while using it, does it even have a place inside a home? This is especially important to consider when you have children, pets, are pregnant or want to become pregnant. Even if the product does not indicate wearing a mask, there could still be fumes that are harmful. Even household bleach isn’t innocuous!
Ditching those caustic chemicals
A few months ago, I started purging our home of caustic chemicals because I’m working on balancing my hormones and improving fertility. We can’t control the environment outside our homes. It’s inevitable that we’ll come into contact with toxins like polluted air, artificial fragrances, and fumes from conventional cleaning products when we’re in public. The good news is that our bodies are made to naturally detox. The problem starts when they become overloaded with toxins and our liver can’t keep up. This is why keeping our homes safe and as free of toxins as possible is of utmost importance.
What are some things to purge? Here’s a list of the heavy hitters [1, 2]:
- Bleach or chlorine
- ANY cleaning product with artificial fragrance, including laundry detergent
- Also beware of products with “natural” fragrance that don’t list actual essential oils
- Dryer sheets
- Anti-bacterial products
- Aerosolized sprays
- Fragrance plug-ins or air fresheners
- Ingredients like ammonia, formaldehyde, butoxyethanol, DEGBE, and perchloroethylene
According to the Cleveland Clinic, perchloroethylene fumes “can cause cancer and liver damage and have been known to cause dizziness, sleepiness, nausea, loss of appetite, and disorientation.” Um, no thank you!! Why clean with carcinogenic agents when there are plenty of alternatives that do the job just as well??
Safer, non-toxic cleaning options
So what should a person clean with? Here is what I use in my own home:
- Baking soda or washing soda
- Castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)
- White vinegar diluted with distilled water
- Essential oils
- Rubbing alcohol
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Safer products from companies like Branch Basics, doTERRA, and Seventh Generation
My experience with Branch Basics
I recently started using Branch Basics and in short, I am LOVING it! They have two main products that are incredibly versatile. If you really wanted to be minimalist, they are the only things you need to clean your entire home. The main star is their Concentrate. It can be diluted with distilled water to make cleaning sprays and foaming hand soap. It can also be used as a laundry detergent, which was my main reason for purchasing. I was a little bit hesitant at first, because it does seem pricy. But according to their website, if you use the bottle exclusively for laundry, you could get 192 loads from one bottle! That works out to be $0.26 per load. Pretty cheap!
I also purchased their Oxygen Boost. The only ingredients are sodium percarbonate and sodium bicarbonate. It is a great replacement for bleach or other whitening agents. But you can use it with colored clothing and for removing stains, as well as for scrubbing surfaces like the oven or sinks. If you’d like to try Branch Basics I have a coupon code for $10 off at the end of this post! I also add essential oils to my laundry. For eliminating odors I like using doTERRA’s “Holiday Joy” blend in the wash – I know, kind of a weird usage but it works!
DIY all-purpose cleaning spray
For cleaning surfaces, I make my own all-purpose spray. The basic formulation is distilled water, white vinegar, and essential oils. I used to use doTERRA’s On Guard because of its incredibly powerful cleansing abilities. (Just go to PubMed.gov and search On Guard essential oil for scientific proof!) However, due to our dog’s recent seizure and the possibility of rosemary (a component of On Guard) being a trigger, I have changed the essential oil formulation. Recently I used coriander, cassia (like cinnamon) and a citrus oil. Even lemon just by itself can be great! I also added a teaspoon of the Branch Basics Concentrate.
One of the last caustic products we still have in our home (for full transparency!) is aerosolized antibacterial spray. My husband uses it for occasionally cleaning his shoe soles and the bottoms of our luggage after traveling. However, I have plans to create an essential oil-based solution soon so I can dump that spray too! Remember, no one is perfect and every healthy step you take improves your life. Start with one product and go from there. However, since the safer DIY options use affordable ingredients, you can probably ditch a whole bunch of cleaning products all at once.
If you are looking for more resources and recipes for non-toxic cleaning options, check out the links below. And don’t forget to keep scrolling for that $10 discount for Branch Basics!
Resource round-up for non-toxic cleaning options
Recipes using essential oils to make your own cleaning products, by Jill over at The Prairie Homestead: Top 10 Essential Oil Cleaning Recipes
More DIY non-toxic cleaning recipes, by Meghan over at Home Body Soul: My Favorite Non-Toxic Cleaning Products
An in-depth post about Branch Basics, by Caroline over at Flourish Living: Non-Toxic Cleaning Supplies with Branch Basics
Recipe for cleaning your toilet, over at the doTERRA Blog: Natural Toilet Cleaning Pods
Coupon for Branch Basics
This post is not sponsored by Branch Basics, but I do have a special offer for my readers and friends! When you place your first order with them using this link, you will receive $10 off and I get $10 off my next order too. This is not specific to bloggers so when you order you’ll get the opportunity to share with friends and get the same benefit. Branch Basics also offers FREE SHIPPING for orders $39 or more! This means that even if you only order the Concentrate with your discount, you’ll get free shipping. I recommend getting both that and the Oxygen Boost, or one of the starter kits. (Remember, I don’t get paid anything to say this!)
Again, click here to grab $10 off your first order!
What kind of safer cleaning products do you use in your home? What would you like to change first?
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References:
[1] https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/10/worst-household-cleaners-cleaning-products_n_1871420.html