Come see how I use natural cleaning methods and products for a clean home. Keeping a clean home can be done in an eco-friendly and affordable way, all with naturally safe ingredients.
It is so important for me to keep my home clean.
I personally like to use natural cleaning methods to keep my home clean because I don’t like to use tons of wild chemicals unless absolutely necessary. Believe me, there are instances when I feel I need to use something really heavy duty to clean something in particular, but overall I like to keep these to a minimum.
Instead I focus on either buying or making my own products with simple ingredients around the house. I do this for several reasons.
Why I Prefer Natural Cleaning Methods and Products
Cost
I like to make my own cleaning products because I don’t like to spend more money than I need to. I personally know I can use vinegar for numerous cleaning purposes, so it just makes sense to invest in large jugs of this instead of multiple expensive bottles of harsh chemicals.
Sustainability
I am always trying to be more low waste and sustainable. I hate buying tons of plastic bottles of different cleaning agents. Especially when I can mix up something in a reusable bottle at home and reuse this indefinitely.
Health & Safety
I worry that once my husband and I decide to start a family, we’ll have little ones trying to get their hands into everything–including any harsh chemicals in cabinets. Yes, I know I could always move them… and I still plan on moving any natural cleaning products I’ve made, too. But I don’t see a point in risking having harsh chemicals laying around just waiting to be ingested. I want to know that if I just got done cleaning the floors and the baby starts crawling around on them minutes later that I don’t have to worry about them licking it and having to contact poison control. It’s not just a storage issue, but an application issue, too.
I also worry about mine and my husband’s health working with chemicals. I always read about scientists saying, “It’s the dose that makes the poison.” Well, clearly, but I still don’t want to risk it and have to worry about everytime I clean and accidentally spilling products on my skin or inhaling them. There are so many chemicals doctors warn about in everyday products, and changing my cleaning products has been such an affordable and easy one to swap out.
Now that you understand a little bit more about my reasons for using natural cleaning methods we can get into all the great natural cleaning tips and products I use.
Natural Cleaning Tools and Methods
Vinegar water
Vinegar water is so versatile! You can literally clean just about anything with it. You can make a concoction to clean glass, you can keep it simple with the standard 1:1 vinegar to water ratio in a spray bottle (using it for mopping floors or wiping counters) or you can add in essential oils to really freshen up the home and have it smell wonderful. Make it fresh each time, heating the water first, and you’ll really kill germs. Vinegar really is the hero of natural cleaning. It’s gentle, effective, affordable, and really can be used on just about anything.
Lemon juice & coarse salt
Here’s what I like to do to get grime off the inside of my oven. I slice a lemon in half and microwave it for about 20-30 seconds. I carefully (since it could be too hot) take the lemon and grind coarse salt on the flesh of it and then proceed to rub it on the inside of my oven. After scrubbing with this, I take a razor blade and scrape off any remaining grease and it glides off like butter. I’ve tried using store-bought cleaners, just a razor, vinegar water, etc. and nothing works like some hot, acidic lemon juice.
Feather duster
Yep. Sometimes you don’t need to spread a bunch of liquid all over something to get it clean. Sometimes you just need to feather dust some of that stuff off. When it comes to cleaning wood in my home, I prefer the route of feather dusting. It’s great for hard to reach places (and those stubborn little nooks and crannies) and cleans nicely without having to worry about which products will and won’t harm your wood furniture. Maybe I am just old-fashioned, but I wish more people still used these.
Seventh Generation toilet bowl cleaner
For cleaning the inside of my toilet, I prefer something a little more heavy duty since toilet bowls are full of all kinds of bacteria. I opt for Seventh Generation because it’s plant based, not tested on animals, and meets U.S. EPA safer product standards. It’s eco-friendly, and it cleans my toilet really well every single time. It is all I’ll use inside my toilet.
Razor
I got this idea from my grandpa’s girlfriend. She is a great cleaner and likes more old-school methods of cleaning, so I’ve seen her use this technique and love it. A razor is an especially helpful tool for cleaning on top of the stovetop or inside the oven. I clean the surface first and then, at a 45° angle, carefully glide the razor blade across the surface. Get any caked on gunk off the stove with this method. It cleans so well for something so small and cheap.
Baking soda/washing soda
A fun fact about me: I don’t use laundry detergent and I haven’t in years. I don’t like fragrances and find detergents to be expensive and full of potential irritants for the skin. Instead I use vinegar (which also keeps the washer itself very clean) and washing soda. I’ve even added baking soda with it before, too. It cleans clothes very well, is very affordable, and I just plain like it. Baking soda can also be used to clean so many other things. I’ve heard of using it to clean grout and other stubborn areas in the bathroom. It really is a wonderful product to keep on hand.
Mrs. Meyer’s hand and dish soap
Okay, so this one is for dishes and washing hands, but they are still important. I seriously LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this organic soap. The different scents smell so natural and aren’t overpowering. They clean dishes well but don’t dry my hands out terribly. Plus, they use essential oils to add scents to the soap varieties–which makes me worry less about fragrances on my skin. I am a die-hard fan of Mrs. Meyer’s and you won’t change my mind.
Dr. Bronner’s soap
Dr. Bronner’s is not only one of the most ethical corporations in existence, but their soap bottles also last forever. Take the tiniest teaspoon mixed with water and you’ve got like a bucket full of suds to clean with. Soap and water are also great for those of us who want to not only clean our homes but also disinfect them. There’s nothing quite like good old hot, soapy water. When we first moved into our home we had to do what felt like decades worth of cleaning since the previous owners really neglected cleaning the house. This soap was used a lot during that time. Wiping baseboards, cleaning black gunk stuck on the sliding closet door tracks, and wiping down cabinet doors and insides all required Dr. Bronner’s soap. It can be used for cleaning so many different things.
Microfiber cloths
This is an essential for any home. I’m sorry but paper towels just won’t cut it. When you’re scrubbing something to get it clean, you need a sturdy, durable towel with texture that can really get dirt and other gross stuff out. Paper towels may be okay for smooth surfaces, but microfiber towels last longer (just be sure to wash after each use!), they won’t fall apart, and absorb way more than a paper towel ever could. Plus I’m not having to buy them every week at the grocery store. A penny saved is a penny earned.
I hope after reading through my list of essential, natural cleaning methods you were able to realize that cleaning can actually be pretty low maintenance. I’ve come to learn that most store-bought products are not needed but are the result of clever, strategic marketing. Simple, natural cleaning materials that are likely already in your home can be some of the best cleaning agents.
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