I hope you are enjoying this very exciting time leading up to the official start of Spring! The energy is bursting open everywhere.
With all the freshness in the air, it reminds me of the great importance of keeping our indoor air and environment clean, but also toxin-free. We breathe the air in our home all night long when our bodies are resting and repairing, as well as many other hours. Some even say that indoor pollution can be more harmful to us than outdoor pollution.
Choosing cleaning products should not be made casually. It is a choice that should be made consciously! We can really bring in harmful chemicals and toxins into our home with such products (!). Of course we have to make the effort to always choose the good stuff! Here are some household cleaning tips:
– My favorite product is Simple Green, which is a concentrate you mix with water and is a non-toxic, all purpose cleaner. I dilute it with water in a spray bottle, and clean my bathroom with it constantly.
– I have about a zillion lemon halves that have been cut in half and squeezed on my salad. I take the leftover lemon halves and use them to scrub around the stove. I still use my stove to heat water for various kinds of tea every single day! :)
– For deeper scrubbing, we can also add some baking soda.
– White vinegar is good to be used as a disinfectant. Dilute with water and use to clean your floors. It cleanses the floors from bacteria, mold, fungi and other microbes. Commercial floor cleaners are full of chemicals!
– Household bleach is made of something called sodium hypochlorite. You’re probably more familiar with the name “Clorox.” It becomes a dangerous substance when it is combined with many other ingredients found in cleaning products, including ammonia and various kinds of acids. When mixed together, chlorine gas or volatile organic compounds can be produced (!). Here are some alternatives:
o Seventh Generation Chlorine-free bleach.
(Totally unrelated ☺, but I also like this brands’ laundry detergent, which I recently started using.)
o Ecover Non-Chlorine Bleach*
o Oxo Brite Non-Clorie Bleach*
o Bio-O-Kleen Oxygen Bleach Plus*
* Made of percarbonate, which is environmentally friendly. It is made up of salt, limestone and oxygenated water.
Look into these good choices and give your cleaning routine a makeover! It will support your health and beauty goals immensely, and probably provide some headache relief! Our environment is very important!
In love and health,
Kimberly
That picture at the top is priceless! It belongs in National Geographic or Time…or something! :D
These are great tips. Strong cleaning products always bother me smell-wise; it’s good to know that there is actually a reason they are repulsive (they’re toxic!). I also like that you give specific suggestions of good brands to buy. That helps so much when one is actually in the store. Thanks, Kimberly, for another great post!!!
Great suggestions! I am going to try the lemons for my stove, I use Mrs. Meyers, but it doesn’t work on that hard to get stuff!
Thanks yet again for the insight, Kim; I am certain you’re feeling pretty ace right about now. Probably all last week, too… Probably for the rest of this year… Probably for the rest- you get the picture!
I remember a (long) while back being in a small room, using a bottle of cheap pine disinfectant to mop the floor. It was… tolerable.
A family member then thought it’d be really clever to mix bleach with the pine disinfectant. That’s when I literally had to bail – my eyes begun to water h-a-r-d-c-o-r-e. I was much younger and unaware of what was going on, but I felt strongly something seriously dangerous was afoot!
It’s good to see you’re actually explaining the Chemisty behind it all; white vinegar and baking soda are definitely amongst my faves, and this lemon idea sounds pretty nifty! Serious value.
Epic blessings,
Esop
P.S. The Andy Warhol tribby is a masterstroke.
HI Esop! I’m so happy you got that!!! No one else commented on that, but I do love various forms of art, so very much. :)
More power to you then, Kim!
Speaking of art, when you have a moment you might like to check out this dude:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William-Adolphe_Bouguereau :)
I threw out all of my former housecleaning products two years ago.I’ve only been using white vinegar and baking soda ever since!(My hubby’s garage is another story.Full of chemicals.The last time he sneaked in and used a drain cleaner in our bathroom sink,I almost threw him out!He now knows that the only way to unclog a drain in our house,is to take apart the pipes and clean them w/hot water!).Another thing people have to stop using are the “Swiffer” products,especially on their floors.Children are getting very ill (they play on the floor alot then place their hands in their mouth) and in-house pets are dying (because they lick the floor)!Also have to stop using those horrible carpet cleaners and “air fresheners”.Far too many people who are using caustic chemicals to “clean” their houses, are putting their childrens and their pets at high risk to their health,and their LIVES,everyday!Here’s a great quote to remember;”REAL clean DOESN’T have a SMELL!”.(Unless it smells like baking soda,lemon or vinegar ;-)
I collect lemon halves from juicing and put them in a container filled with water in my fridge. Then I chuck the soaked lemons with the water into a blender, grind them up, soak the ground-up mix for a day, add vinegar for acidity, and strain. It’s now in my spray bottle left over from glass cleaner. It works well as a degreaser and also as bathroom cleaner, and smells like lemons.
So glad you posted something about green cleaning! It’s the best. Another favorite is hydrogen peroxide.
A fun site to reference
https://www.eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm
Very nice information.
Dear beautiful, Kimberly
your site is absolutely fantastic in a fresh gentle way…thank-you for your insight and organic awareness.
In addition to all that you have mentioned I have been loving the Dr. Bronner’s cleanser by the name, SAL SUDS which is concetrated much like your mentioned, Simple Green product. Everyone could probably cut back on the amount of product used also… I take note of this for myself as I mention this…. “if a little bit is good, then a whole lot us better!” not necessarily so. The Sal Suds has a teriffic pine scent and a surprisingly efficient degreasing ability, wipes clean without streaking on glass and mirrors and lasts for so long in multiple uses-even in laundry. Thank you for the inspiration to get energized!!
Best wishes to you.
Hi Kim!
What do you use for the rest of your kitchen (counter tops, sink etc.)?
Lemons for all of it?
On another note, the talk about toxic products and pets made me wonder: Do you have any recommendations about what is best to feed cats and dogs?
I really hate making myself all this great, fresh, nutritious food, and then feeding my cats their typical “all natural” processed dry cat food!
Thank you so much for all this great information! You have made a significant impact on my life through your book and your blog!
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If you want to cut down on indoor pollutants then you have to check the ingredients of cleaning products and then perhaps go for a more natural products. I agree with Lauren, lemons are an amazing natural cleaner.
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