Unfortunately, house cleaning is a task that we will continue to do for the rest of our lives. We are all guilty of stocking up on the cheapest products or buying bulk when our favourite one is on sale. However, just because these products are good for our wallet doesn’t mean they are good for our health or the environment.
Did you know these cleaning products contain harmful chemicals that can trigger or cause allergies and also leave you with long term health problems? Next time, instead of reaching for your favourite store bought all-purpose spray & antiseptic wipes, consider swapping to one or more of the below Eco & family-friendly cleaning solutions.
Lemon
Lemons will become your new best friend! Lemons are natures antiseptic and odour control. Due to their high acidic content they can be used in all areas of your home. How you can incorporate lemons into your cleaning routine:
- Dipping a half cut lemon in salt can give your copper/silver pots their shine back after a good scrub
- Marinate lemon peel & white vinegar in a jar or bottle for a couple of days and enjoy a fresh smelling, powerful all purpose cleaner (remove the peel before use)
- Use slices of lemon to disinfect surfaces such as your chopping boards
Baking soda - otherwise known as Bicarbarbonate of Soda or Bi Carb.
Due to the mildly alkaline nature of baking soda, you can use this product to remove baked on grime, food and rust. Due to baking soda’s absorbent nature using this method on greasy areas will be a walk in the park. Baking soda uses:
- Stove, pot & baking trays: Combined with water or vinegar, create a small paste and scrub on affected areas. If you are needed a more powerful solution leave the paste on the affected areas for a few hours and scrub off.
- Oven cleaning: A great family friendly oven cleaning method is to create a thick paste of baking soda and water, apply it all over your oven (or just the affected areas) leave over night before scraping off and wiping down – No more harmful chemical near your food!
- Carpet & Mattress Cleaning: To keep your carpets & mattresses smelling and looking fresh, sprinkle some baking soda and let it rest for 15 minutes or more before vacuuming. The baking soda absorbs odour quickly and effectively.
Vinegar
The one and only champion of Eco-friendly cleaning! Due to white vinegar’s acidity is makes for a great cleaner, dissolving soap scum, streak free glass cleaning and much more.Here are some of our top vinegar cleaning tips:
- By combining equal parts vinegar and baking soda you can scrub away tough stains such as coffee and red wine from cups.
- Run vinegar through your dishwasher and washing machine monthly to keep them clean.
- Pour a cup of diluted white vinegar in the toilet bowl and leave over night before scrubbing and watch it return to a pearly white state
Cloths
Another area of Eco-Cleaning revolves around what you use to wipe and wash surfaces with. Disinfectant wipes can be handy as they are both a cloth and spray in one. However, they overflow land fill (as they are single use) and have harmful chemicals in them. Options for biodegradable wash cloths can be using old face towels, using biodegradable cloths from speciality online stores or for a cheaper option reuse your old tees or leggings - just wash them in the washing machine after a few washes to clean them before reusing them.
Dr Bronners Castile Soap 18-in-1 uses
You can use Dr. Bronner’s soaps for washing your face, body, hands and hair, for bathing, shaving, brushing your teeth, rinsing fruit, aromatherapy, washing dishes by hand, doing laundry, mopping floors, all-purpose cleaning, washing windows, scrubbing toilets, washing dogs, controlling dust mites, and killing ants and aphids. Now, that’s eighteen uses right there.
We love using Dr Bronners as an all purpose household cleaner - it's all about perfecting your own recipe!
Dr Bronners All Purpose Household Cleaner
Ingredients:
1 Litre Spray Bottle
1/4 cup Dr Bronners Castille Soap in your favourite fragrance
(we like peppermint, tea tree or citrus for freshness)
10-20 drops tea tree or eucalyptus oil
Distilled or boiled and cooled water
How To:
Fill the spray bottle halfway with distilled or cooled boiled water.
Add Dr Bronners and essential oil of your choice
Top up with water leaving 5cm clear at top
Shake together well and always shake before use
For stubborn stains, add 1 tsp of Bicarb for extra cleaning power!