We are on the third installment of the wellness series! If you are just now joining in on the conversation, you can find the first one here and the second here. I wanted to cover something we use on a daily basis in our household and that is…cleaning products. You probably use at least one cleaner a day whether it’s laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, surface cleaner, window cleaner, etc.
When we use products that aren’t safe, it’s often that we are ingesting toxic chemicals, hurting our quality of air, and creating internal/external damage to our bodies. Scary stuff, right? Not to mention, we are poisoning the water supply. I remember when I had an addiction to those disinfecting cleaning wipes and used them on basically every surface in our home and studio. My hands felt so dry after (I never wore gloves) and I’m certain they were the cause of a few afternoon headaches. Needless to say, I do not use them anymore. I used to spend a lot of money on cleaning products, I was the girl who fell for the marketing scams. Oh this makes your floor literally SPARKLE?! DONE.
So if you are looking to make a change in your cleaning products but don’t know where to start and don’t want to just throw everything away until they are gone…here’s what I recommend. Begin with getting rid of bleach. You do not need bleach. Throw it out. I won’t go into much detail, but the EPA states the dangerous impacts of it on the bottle and yet we still use it in our homes. Why?! Because we were “taught” that it’s the only product that will make your “whites whiter” and kill germs? Well, this is false. There are healthy alternatives that do the same thing without the toxic chemicals.
Moving right along as I don’t want to dwell on the bad stuff. 🙂
Instead, I will show you what I use on a weekly basis that keep my home clean + healthy. I hope this encourages you to do the same.
one: I use a lot of The Optimist Co. products! They smell so good and are made of simple and whole ingredients. This is the Time to Shine – All Purpose Cleaner (Rosemary + Mint). It’s my favorite of her products! I use it everyday and am so happy that I don’t have to stress about picking up Evie after I’ve used it. The ingredients include: distilled water, Castile soap, club soda, essential oils. Devin, the owner/creative brains behind The Optimist Co., encourages you to create your own at home as well. How great is that?! I prefer to buy it from her because the packaging is so cute and I don’t always have time.
two: Keeping lemons stocked in our fridge is a must. Since they help get rid of mold and mildew, I scrub my bathroom faucets with them. I also use them to clean our cutting boards, the microwave and then will throw the rinds in the disposal so it makes the sink smell good!
three: white vinegar. After mixing it with baking soda…I clean our oven, or if Bella is a bad girl and goes potty on our rug (ughhhh), it’s a great floor cleaner mixed with Castile soap, etc. Here’s a great article from the Glitter Guide with more ways to use white vinegar.
four: Castile soap. From using it as body wash to cleaning tile with it with baking soda… I love this soap. It’s incredibly versatile. Here is another article of how else you can use this soap.
five: I love this bathtub brush. I have to admit, I only added this is because it’s on my wish list. I love that it’s eco-friendly as once it’s thrown out…the materials will degrade much faster than plastic. That’s my kind of product. Attractive and not bad for our earth!
six: Loads of Laugh laundry detergent. I started using this when I had Evie because I didn’t trust the baby laundry detergents at the store. I absolutely love this product and along with the all-purpose cleaner… I probably will never stop using it. Hear that Devin? You have a forever customer. 🙂
seven: baking soda is another must-have at our house. I mix it with white vinegar for a lot of cleaning purposes. I literally clean everything with this stuff and keep a box in our refrigerator so it hides smells if something goes bad that I didn’t notice. Ever had broccoli go bad? That smell is HORRIBLE.
Also, exciting news!! Devin of The Optimist Co. kindly extended a 20% discount to you guys! Use the promo code: OhIclean at checkout (make sure to capitalize the O and I).
This is NOT a sponsored post. I genuinely care about natural products and keeping our homes + bodies healthy and wanted to share this with you all! I would love to know if you have any good natural cleaning recipes or products you use!