There was a day, not to long ago where I used solvent based cleaners full of synthetic fragrances. I thought, the better it smelled or the more chlorine that was included, the cleaner my house would be. Boy was I wrong! Now, I must admit I am a OCD clean freak and I was quite skeptical when I switched to all natural cleaners, but now my house is cleaner and free from harmful chemicals….I’m hooked. The products you use to clean your home shouldn’t give you a headache, undermine your central nervous system, or damage the ecosystem. Sounds like a no brainer, but that’s what those “unnatural” cleaners will do to you and the environment!
Here are some guidelines for choosing effective eco friendly cleaning products.
- First off choose a product that gives a full disclosure to their ingredients. Chances are if they don’t want to tell you what’s in them, they contain some sort of harmful chemicals.
- Look for plant or mineral based cleaners.
- They should be biodegradable.
- Most importantly they should be chemical free; use products that contain no solvents, chlorine, ammonia, or phosphates.
Wanna make your own? Here are a handful of easy to find ingredients make up the basics for homemade cleaning formulas.
1. White distilled vinegar
2. Baking Soda
3. Castile soap or another eco friendly liquid soap
4. Oxygen bleach powder and/or hydrogen peroxide
5. Antiseptic essential oils; lavender, lemon, rosemary, tea tree, cinimon, and clove.
6. Grapefruit seed extract
Try this…
Ok listen to this-According to the Seventh Generation company, if every household in the United States replaced just one 32-ounce bottle of petroleum based all-purpose cleaner with a plant based, biodegradable product, it would save 6,800 barrels of oil - enough to power hundreds of homes for a year. crazy huh?!?
