“The objective of cleaning is not just to clean, but to feel happiness living within that environment.”
Marie Kondo
In the natural living community, it goes without saying that many of us prefer more safe options when it comes to household products. Natural is an often overused term when someone could argue that everything is “natural” and it’s the dosage that makes the poison, not the chemical per say. “Safe” I find to be a more appropriate terminology in this scenario. I personally like the feeling of knowing that if any of my cleaners were accidentally swallowed by my children or animals, I wouldn’t necessarily be rushing to the hospital. I wouldn’t be at minimum obsessing over what background damage those chemicals may be doing simply by building up in the air, on surfaces, in carpets or in our bodies over the long term. By making homemade and safe cleaners, I’m saving money as well as making less plastic and chemical waste.
I try to use natural bamboo scrub brushes or hemp products when possible. Given bamboo and hemp’s fast growing rate and hardiness, they have a lower environmental impact and break down easier, unlike plastic brushes. Vinegar is my best friend! I know it’s stinky for some but honestly, the smell dissipates quickly. When you pair its use while you’ve got an essential oil diffuser running, it’s really not that bad! It’s also only mildly antibacterial but that’s a good thing. Living in a completely sterile environment is not natural nor beneficial to our immune systems as there are many good microbes out there that are killed when using “kills 99.9%” antibacterial products. Actually, it’s thought that less than 1% of bacteria are truly harmful and these good microbes are needed to fight off the 1% baddies. More on this later. Let’s move on to the cleaning products…
All Purpose Antibacterial Cleaner
16 oz. or 2 cups water
16 oz. or 2 cups white vinegar
10-20 drops of your favorite essential oil (lemon or rose are my favorites)
If you decide to go with lemon oil, you can add a 1/4 cup of lemon juice to make your all purpose cleaner “extra strength”. Shake well before each use.
Wood Polish and Cleaner
2 oz. or 1/4 cup water
4 oz. or 1/2 cup white vinegar
2 oz. or 1/4 cup olive oil
10-20 drops of your favorite essential oil (sandalwood or frankincense are my favorites)
Shake well before each use and apply with a soft microfiber cloth.
Glass Cleaner
16 oz. or 2 cups water
4 oz. or 1/2 cup white vinegar
2 oz. or 1/4 rubbing alcohol
10-20 drops of your favorite essential oil (orange or lavender are my favorites)
Shake well before each use and apply with a soft microfiber cloth.
Heavy-duty Scrub
4 oz. or 1/2 cup borax
half of a lemon
Dip the lemon in the borax and scrub the hard stains on sink or tub surfaces.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
8 oz. or 1 cup white vinegar
4 oz. or 1/2 cup baking soda
rubber cleaning gloves
toilet brush
10-20 drops of your favorite essential oil (patchouli or jasmine are my favorites)
Combine vinegar and essential oil. Shake well. Spray the mixture inside the bowl and let sit for at least 5 min. Sprinkle baking soda around the bowl over top of the spray mixture and gently scrub. Use borax for extra tough stains.
Shower and Tub Cleaner
16 oz. or 2 cups white vinegar
16 oz. or 2 cups dawn dish soap
cleaning brush
Combine vinegar and dish soap. Shake well. Spray over the entirety of your shower or tub. Let it soak for at least 30 min. Scrub clean with a cleaning brush. For extra tough soap scum, heat the vinegar up in the microwave for 1 min. before application or scrub using borax.
Dishwashing Detergent
8 oz. or 1 cup washing soda
8 oz. or 1 cup baking soda
3 packages lemonade drink mix
8 oz. or 1 cup kosher salt
container with lid
Mix all ingredients together and place in an easily accessible container with a lid. Add a tablespoon to your dishwasher dispenser and wash as usual. If you want to make tabs, add 1 cup of water to mixture, wait until its done fizzing and stir. Place mixture in ice cube trays filling them up 3/4 of the way. Let them dry for at least 24 hours to pop them out. Place in container.
Polishing Brass
1 oz. or 1/8 cup salt
1 oz. or 1/8 cup lemon juice
dish sponge
Sprinkle lemon juice and salt on sponge and scrub.
Polishing Copper
2 oz. or 1/4 cup ketchup
2 oz. or 1/4 cup salt
dish sponge
Put ketchup and salt on sponge and scrub.
Polishing Silver
2 oz. or 1/4 cup water
2 oz. or 1/4 cup baking soda
soft cloth
Mix water and baking soda together in a paste. Put on soft cloth and scrub.
Carpet Deodorizer
Sprinkle sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) evenly across your carpet
Leave on for a few hours before vacuuming.
Did You Know?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found the levels of air pollution inside the home can be two to five times higher (and sometimes even 100 times higher) than outdoor levels.
1 out of every 3 chemical cleaning products contains ingredients known to cause human health or environmental problems.
Unintentional ingestion of toxic household chemicals is associated with an annual average of 39 deaths to children under age 5, and an estimated 87,700 children treated in hospital emergency rooms. These poisoning incidents resulted in an estimated societal cost of almost $2.3 billion.
The average person spends approx. 87% of their time indoors – make cleaning your home and the products you use a priority.
Most antibacterial cleaner (including vinegar or citrus based cleaners) must be left on surfaces for at least a minute before wiping away to really work. I typically leave my vinegar solutions on until they completely dry (20 min.) and then respray it before wiping it clean.
70% of dust particles are comprised of dead skin flakes.
Cleaning burns approx. 100 calories an hour.
Kitchen sinks are typically the dirtiest places in the house, including being dirtier than the toilet. To clean sinks sprinkle with baking soda, then spray it down with vinegar. Use a vinegar soaked scrub brush to scrub it.
Isla Skye Herbals 