Spring is just around the corner, which means CLEANING TIME!
If you get freakishly giddy over spring cleaning like I do, you are most likely breaking out those to do checklists and spending your free time daydreaming on home improvement projects. (PLEASE tell me I am not the only one who does this!)
While I make a big point of natural living (heck, I even have a natural living tab on my blog subject line!) I am as guilty as the next gal when it comes to lapsing into using harmful chemicals and wasteful products in my home.
I am going to share the three biggest tips I have found to aid in chemical free spring cleaning, with a huge emphasis on number 3, because it is one of my newest discoveries! You ready folks? Okay, here we go!
1. MAKE YOUR OWN CLEANING SUPPLIES WITH NATURAL INGREDIENTS
Kick all those nasty chemicals to the curb, and stock up your kitchen with some all natural, powerful cleaners. Here are some heavy hitters that are completely safe, natural and perfect for cleaning:
White Vinegar
Liquid Castille Soap
Sea Salt
Baking Soda
Borax
Washing Soda
Hydrogen Peroxide
Lemons
With just a handful of these ingredients, you can take to Pinterest and make ANY cleaning concoction for ANY room!
Need someplace to start? Check out two of my favorite recipes below:
Cleaning Solution for Deep Cleaning Wool Rugs
DIY All Natural All Purpose Citrus Vinegar Cleaner
2. USE NATURAL AIR FRESHENERS
Take a walk down the cleaning aisle and thereās no doubt that fragrance is a major player in the cleaning product industry. These added aromas may encourage us to get our house smelling clean, but could actually be harming our health! Fragrances added to many cleaners can cause acute effects such as respiratory irritation, headache, sneezing, watery eyes, allergies and asthma. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has found that one-third of the substances used in fragrances are toxic and can even cause Cancer!
I am the absolute guiltiest when it comes to chemical bombing a room with Fabreeze and then calling it clean! I am still in the process of dumping the chemical air fresheners, and it really is one of the best places to start. Toss the chemical laden air fresheners and toxic candles, and instead opt for essential oil scented sprays and beeswax candles! Check out these links below for inspiration:
Need someplace to start? Check out three of my favorite air freshening posts below:
Beeswax Candles for Allergy Relief and Air Purification
DIY Essential Oil Reed Diffuser
3. SWITCH TO MICROFIBER CLEANING TOOLS
Microfiber is a new discovery for me, so if I am coming on late with this super cleaning bandwagon, please humor me here!
Not only does microfiber prevent excessive waste from paper towel usage, but they are the epitome of true chemical free cleaning. Microfiber is proven to remove over 99% of all bacteria (including e-coli and listeria) from hard flooring surfaces with JUST water.
Gone are the days of using āmysteryā chemicals to push around dirt on your floors. Microfiber cloth cleans almost all surfaces, penetrating and removing dirt, grease, oil, grime and over 99% of bacteria using just water!
Do you realize how epic this is?! Germs can multiply easily. Within eight hours, one bacterium can multiply toĀ six million.Ā Microfiber slaughters them all!
But be warned! There are MANY faux microfiber cleaning cloths out there that make lofty claim to being legit, but they are straight up fakes. I think this is why I never really cared for microfiber before finding a legit brand earlier this yearā¦ the cheap junk from the dollar store just isnāt real microfiber.
My Personal Recommendation for Microfiber Cleaning
There are only TWO microfiber cloth companies that I can recommend. One is Perfect Clean Microfiber, and the other is e-clothĀ®. Of the two, I am most impressed with e-clothĀ® as far as performance and pricing. I recently began using the e-clothĀ® microfiber mops and floor dusters, and they both perform wonderfully!
They feature modern microfiber technology, adjustable sturdy aluminum handles and a 360 degree swivel base to clean hard to reach places otherĀ mopsĀ on the market cant.
These mops, with JUST WATER ALONE, remove dust, dirt, pet hair, cobwebs, and allergens from floors, walls, and ceilings. The reusable mop and duster are machine washable and guaranteed for 100 machine washes!
[Disclaimer: There are no affiliate links in this review. I am an independent product reviewer. I only review products I am truly interested in. I donāt accept payment for reviews. The products I take the time to jabber on about are either items I have personally purchased, or the product has been provided for review after me incessantly nagging for a sample. All of my reviews are unbiased regardless of how the item wasĀ obtained.]
Learn More About Microfiber e-clothĀ®
About e-clothĀ® (CLICK HERE to visit their website):
e-clothĀ® products enable a chemical-free cleaning process that only uses water.Ā Using microfiber technology, proprietary equipment and manufacturing techniques e-clothĀ® produces superior performing products to meet specific cleaning challenges.
Since its founding in 1995, e-clothĀ® has rapidly grown into Europe’s No. 1 chemical-free cleaning company.Ā e-clothĀ® products began being sold in the United States in 2008.Ā
Our aim is to supply the most effective, healthiest and most environmentally friendly cleaning products available at a good value to the consumer.
Our single minded focus on high performanceĀ cleaning has created a range of products that clean entirelyĀ without chemicals, using just water.Ā The selection includesĀ Single Cloth Packs, Two Cloth Packs, and Multi Cloth Value PacksĀ for general cleaning, for cleaning in specific rooms such as the kitchen and bathroom, and for specific tasks such as cleaning stainless steel, stovetops, and windows.
In additional to exceptional cleaning, e-clothĀ® products provide significant cost and time savings and real health and environmental benefits versus ordinary cleaning.
Great informative post! I don’t like the smell of chemicals when I do my cleaning and I love your tips!
Yeah, I have bad allergies, so I always get headaches and congestion and itchy eyes whenever I walk into a room that had been cleaned with chemicals!
Hi Gingi, I need to make the switch, thanks for the great tips and the natural ingredients list.
For sure! I hope you found it helpful!
I started making the switch last year. Vinegar and baking soda are my best friends ;p
Vinegar is still my go to choice! haha
Excellent post (as always)!Thank you very much š
Awwww, thank you Ami!! <3
What a fabulous post, girlie! I’ll definitely be making my own diffuser, as well as trying my hand at natural cleaning supplies. All of these DIY’s seem so easy and I of course love the natural ingredients! Thanks for sharing, beauty, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead!
Xo,
Jalisa
http://www.thestylecontour.com
I am glad you found my post useful!!! <3 <3 <3
thanks for all the info and tips!
No prob Deb! Thanks for stopping by my blog! <3
We would all be better off if we used natural substances like these more often.
RIGHT?! I wonder how many health problems today are due to our addiction to toxic chemicals in, well, everything!
I’ve had my e cloths for years and they are still in excellent condition. I use a steam mop which requires very little water and no chemicals. I’m too lazy to make my own cleaning products but I sell natural and organic ones.
That is awesome that you use and are familiar with this product!! I am super jazzed to have this and Perfect Clean in my cleaning arsenal…
Great tips dear š
Thanks Ania!! <3
I think it’s time to switch to chemical free cleaning soon soon soon. I worry about chemicals residue left behind when cleaning it really freaks me out. Iām going to start with natural air fresheners.
DO IT!!!! And let me know how it works out for you!! <3
This is ironic because I’m in the process of moving and news like this is important. Really love seeing the posts you share because I’m learning a lot. Hugs…
Good, I am so glad you find my posts helpful!!! <3
I need to get better about using chemical free cleaning products…
Yes you do!! š
Gingi, I agree we should use more natural products… I didn’t know about micro fibre cloths that clean with water. That is definitely something for me to research and purchase, I will look for the good ones and not the cheap knock off xox
Yay!! Happy you found my post useful sweetie!! <3
Microfiber cloths are the real alternative for me! I wouldn’t count borax or hydrogen peroxide as natural and safe…
There is some controversy on Borax (from what I have read, it is safe and natural in certain forms) but hydrogen peroxide is 100% natural and safe! Why do you think it isn’t…? Just curious..
Great post with lots of information, thanks! I’m always trying to use less chemicals in the house and microfiber cloths are huge for me!
Yeah, I cannot believe it took me so long to start using them!
I’ve always wanted to make some of these! I want to start with my shaggy white rug too! š
Hahaha, what??
Seriously, one of the reason I hate cleaning is because of all the chemical crap in all those cleaning products! I’d love to go more natural.
You should!! I didn’t realize how easy it was to make these switches!! (Well, Fabreeze is hard to kick for me, haha)
I switched to essential oils last year. Love them. But I’d never heard of this e-broom thing. Oh, e-cloth, my bad. Also, you are a military wife??? How did I miss that?
Hahaha, yes, I am a Navy wife!!! I used to blog about it A LOT when we were moving around a lot. Now that we are stuck in the inescapable void of Lemoore NAS, life has settled down to normal. š
Thank you for these very practical tips on chemical-free cleaning! I have cats so these are awesome. I shall be using tip number 1! š
Yay!! I am glad you found this post so useful! <3
really great post, I love making cleaning products and I am huge on vinegar. I just bought my first e-cloth a few months back, OMG best thing ever and no cleaning products for it.
RIGHT!?!?!? I am saving my mops a bit till I refinish the floors in my house (in a few weeks)… I want these bad boys to stay in pristine shape for my new floor! haha!