Have you taken stock of your household cleaning products recently? Bringing home a new little life is a great opportunity to take stock of your household cleaning products and weed out the frighteningly toxic ones. Head to GoodGuide to see just how nasty your products are, then make the switch to cleaner ones.
All-Purpose Household Cleaner
My favorite do-it-all DIY household cleaner is stupidly simple to make. It is great for cleaning everything from kitchen counters to floors to bathrooms when used regularly and often. Combine all the ingredients together in a spray bottle and voila!
- 1 1/2 Cup Water
- 3/4 Cup White Vinegar (cheapest when bought in bulk from Costco)
- 15-20 Drops Essential Oil (I love Saje's Liquid Sunshine blend.)
- Amber Glass Spray Bottle / Stainless Steel Spray Bottle
- Pouring Funnel
If you're trying to reduce paper towel waste, you might also want some rags and a basket for storing them between laundry loads. (This basket will fit neatly under your sink once you clean out all those chemical products you don't want to be using anymore anyway.)
Dish Soap
This is another stupidly simple favorite recipe (if it can even be called that) that's great for scrubbing dishes in hot water. One thing to note: Castile soap is thinner than many dish soaps, so it can tend to squirt out of the bottle at odd angles! Just place your hand or sponge around the nozzle and all should be fine.
More DIY Cleaning Supplies
For more DIY cleaning supply recipes, including head to this post from Amanda Watters of the Home Song Blog. She's the queen of clean (and lovely homemaking in general.) This post includes recipes for:
- Wood Floor Cleaner
- Glass Spray
- Tub Scrub
- Toilet Bowl Cleaner
- Dishwasher Powder (this is the only one I'm not convinced works very well)
Happy cleaning!