This wellness challenge comes at the perfect time for spring cleaning. As you use up your petroleum based and chemical household cleaners, start switching to green cleaning products.
The chemicals in standard cleaning products get into your skin when you touch them and into your lungs when you breathe them in. They can irritate your eyes, skin and lungs. If they can’t be removed by your organs of elimination, they are stored in your liver or in the fat cells throughout your body. Next time you’re in the store, notice how the aisle with all the cleaning supplies smells? Sometimes the chemical smell is so strong it’s sickening. Do you really want to use that to clean your home and fabrics?
Did you know that researchers have identified almost 300 chemicals in the umbilical cord of a newborn baby? What a way to start life. We don’t need to keep doing this to ourselves.
Non-toxic cleaning products are every bit as good as chemical cleaners for most household cleaning jobs. They may cost a few cents more to purchase, but will help save your health and the health of the planet. That is priceless and the savings financially can be huge as well if it spares you an illness.
I’ve used plant based laundry detergent for years and my clothes come out just as clean as the petroleum products. I just bought a bottle of Ecos detergent scented with organic lavender essential oil and it smells heavenly. Once you smell a naturally scented product, you’ll never be fooled by synthetic fragrances that smell like the chemicals they are made of.
With consumers becoming more environmentally aware, big companies are jumping on board to provide plant based, biodegradable products for most cleaning jobs. Smaller companies have been providing quality products for years. Dr. Bronner’s Castille Soap is used in many homes. I clean my bathroom with it.
It’s even easy to make your own green cleaning products. A spray of equal parts distilled white vinegar and water cleans kitchen countertops. Baking soda is a great deodorizer for drains and refrigerators. Mix equal parts of baking soda and borax to make dishwasher detergent. One quarter cup should do the job. Safe for septic systems too. As a matter of fact, baking soda is great for your septic system because it offsets the extreme acidity that corrodes the tank. Chemical cleaners are very acidic.
It’s best to purchase fragrance-free products because synthetic fragrances are made up of an average of 17 chemicals each. Some of these are classified by federal law as hazardous or toxic.
If you enjoy scented products, add in essential oils yourself or make sure the product is scented with essential oils. Be a detective. Even products labeled as ‘green’ can have synthetic fragrances in them. And our laws don’t require manufacturers to tell you that.
So here’s the challenge for this week. Even if you have chemical cleaners to use up, purchase two green cleaning products to replace them with. Or make your own. The ultimate goal is to replace all your general cleaning products over time. But two non-toxic cleaning products is a good place to start.
Will you make a commitment to this wellness challenge? If so, tell us about it in the comments section. If you already use environmentally friendly products, great! You’re all set for this challenge. What green products do you use? Which are you going to try?
I am interested in hearing about people’s experiences with using baking soda and borax for dishwaster detergent. I used to use poder Cascade and it always clumped in the dispenser and left globs on dishes. Where do you put the baking soda and borax? In the soap dispenser? I know tha tyou use equal parts, but how much? A couple of table spoons? Do you need to put more in for REALLy dirty dishes?
The best cleaner I’ve found [and the most overlooked] is water, straight from the tap. It can be used to clean just about anything and has stood the test of time. For sinks and tubs, water and baking soda make an effective scrub, although it may take a bit more elbow grease. For toilet bowls use a combination of baking soda and vinegar, the “volcanic” action is not only fun to watch but its cleaning power will astound you.
I used to buy “green” products but for the past six or seven years have shopped the grocery store food aisle for my cleaning products. I spend less than $30 dollars a year to keep my house, clothing and body, clean and free of chemical toxins. If I can not eat it, I am not going to use it.
Baking soda is a bit more abrasive than Borax for the dishwasher. I put a bit of Borax in the closed compartment and then dump in a bit of apple cider vinegar in the bottom of the dishwasher. You will know if you used too much by the residue on your dishes. You really do not need to totally fill the compartment, let your intuition be your guide.
Kathy, thanks for the advice….now for another question…..where do you buy borax. I can’t find it in any of the stores around here. Also, why applecider vinegar…why nit white vinegar?
Hi Tam,
Distilled white vinegar is fine for cleaning. ACV is fine for cleaning too, but there’s no need to use the good stuff (raw with the mother and more expensive) when white will do for cleaning.
I had trouble finding borax myself. I usually got it at WalMart, but either they were out or just don’t carry it any more. I found it near the laundry soap at Hannafords.
Any kind of vinegar will work I prefer not to purchase white vinegar. I find Borax at Meijer and D&W where I live. You can also purchase it from Amazon.