After some very basic Google searches I learned about phthalates,1,4-Dioxane, and formaldehyde. (You know that weird smell that would fill the halls when we were dissecting pigs or frogs in high school? That's formaldehyde.) Once I did more research, I started replacing the cleaners with actual healthier ones as the old ones ran out. I strongly encourage you to do some digging on your own about the chemicals we expose ourselves to. Read evidence based research articles before reading other blogs for your research. I find lots of evidenced based information published by the EWG.
Our cleaner home cleaning products started with the lemon vinegar spray to replace the all purpose spray about two years ago. Today, everything in our home is converted to a natural, less toxic cleaner. Surprisingly, the amount of money I spend on cleaners and house products is so much less than previously!
One product we use in our home to clean multiple things is Young Living's Theives Cleaner.
I found this personal blog post about the disinfectant quality of multiple natural cleaners super interesting. Keep in mind, she's not a mad scientist and this isn't a research post, she's just a gal like me who's interested a cleaner and healthier way to clean her home.
Within the coming days, I'll be sharing all my super easy DIY cleaning products for each area of our home. Check back every few days to see what's been added! Let's start with one of my favorite places in my house, the kitchen. There are a few links listed that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
In the Kitchen
Thieves Spray
This is my MAIN MAN! I use Thieves for just about everything, but here are a few other items I like using when my Thieves is in the other room. (Which we have now resolved because I have one bottle in the kitchen and one in the laundry room near the bathrooms!) When I received the Young Living Premium Starter Kit I received a full bottle of Thieves Cleaning Solution. You use a capful of the solution in one 16 oz bottle for non-porous surfaces. After a whole year of having one bottle, I still haven't replaced it. There's a NUMBER of ways to use this solution, but my favorite way is to use it as an all-purpose cleaner.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Instead of bleach, I use hydrogen peroxide which is a safe chemical disinfectant. This is probably the easiest of all the cleaners and one of the strongest disinfectants. Purchase a bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide and spray on surface you are wanting to disinfect. Boom! You're done!
Lemon Vinegar Spray
I use this on my glass stovetop, anything stainless steel, to clean out the microwave, and to shine the sink after the dishes are done. While vinegar does a great job at disinfecting and kills most bacteria, it is not a registered disinfectant and does not kill dangerous bacteria like staphylococcus. To disinfect counters, look at the hydrogen peroxide disinfectant cleaner.
Dish Soap
My love for Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap started long before it dawned on me (haha pun fully intended) that I could put away the traditional dish soap and make my own. For dish soap, use a 10:1 dilution ratio.
Liquid Dishwasher Cleaner
Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap love continues. We have tried a few recipes for dishwashing soap and hadn't found one that got our glasses shiny how I like them until now. We use a 1:1 dilution ratio for dishwashing detergent. We use 1-2 T in the closed door part of the dishwasher plus 1 T white vinegar in the prewash part. This was one of the last things we converted because of the ease of the tablets. If you're still a tablet fan... which I still do like, we use Seventh Generation Dishwasher Detergent. Read the labels!
Oven Cleaner
When it's too hot to use the self cleaning option and the oven needs to be cleaned, I cover the oven in a baking soda and water paste and leave for a little bit. Usually I'll go clean something else then come back to it. Then, I spray Thieves on the dried paste and wipe off. It's that easy.
In The Bathroom
I use the same products I use in the kitchen as I do in the bathroom, with a few added when needed! I walk into our dirty bathrooms with these four things and can usually clean our entire bathroom with just these.
First up, is the Thieves cleaner! I use this for the sink, toilet, tub, shower. It's an all purpose cleaner!
Second, our disinfectant spray of just plain ole hydrogen peroxide. I use this for in and around the toilet.
Third, a cellulose sponge cloth. I have these! If you have more than one bathroom, I would use one per bathroom cleaning the toilet last. ;)
Lastly, an E-cloth glass cleaning cloth. You can find a full set on Amazon or sometimes I've had luck at finding them in TJMaxx if you're down for a hunt!
For Mirrors
Damp the E-cloth window & glass cleaning cloth and scrub the mirror away.
For Sinks
Spray the Thieves spray on the surface and wipe clean with the wet cellulose sponge cloth.
For Showers/Tubs
Our shower and tub are made of fiberglass. I use the Thieves spray and the cellulose sponge cloth to clean the area. For the shower doors that tend to have soap scum build up, I use a 4:1 ratio of baking soda and white vinegar. If you have a large shower, mix 1 cup of baking soda with 1/4 cup of white vinegar into a paste. Put the paste on the doors and let sit for 5-10 minutes, then scrub it off with the cellulose sponge cloth.
For Toilets
The last thing I clean is my toilet. I spray the disinfectant all around, clean the outside first, then the inside. Sometimes there's some icky stuff in there that needs a little scrubbing. I use the above mixture of 4:1 baking soda and vinegar ratio OR create a paste of coconut oil and baking soda. Let it sit for a little bit and everything wipes clean! If you have a ceramic toilet, shower or tub, you can use a pumice stone to scrub the hard water spots off.
For Bathroom Floors
Straight from the Dr. Bronner's website, I use 1/2 cup of castile soap for 3 gallons of hot water.