10 Natural Cleaning Swaps
These ten gentle natural cleaning swaps makes it beautifully simple to refresh your home from top to bottom using time-tested, eco-friendly staples instead of harsh synthetics
With the beauty of natural living growing by the day, many of us are pausing to look a little closer at the ingredients we bring into our homes. To me, there’s no great shift, than choosing to step away from harsh, heavy commercial detergents—especially for the everyday things like wiping down windows or washing clothes that will be held by the tiny hands of a toddler.
You don’t have to be a parent to appreciate the incredible peace of mind that comes from a simpler, more mindful approach to housekeeping. Thankfully, simple, time-tested plant and mineral-based ingredients can achieve that exact same spotless finish, completely free of harsh synthetic residues.
If you are ready to swap out store-bought solutions for truly eco-friendly alternatives, I’ve got you covered with ten recipes you make to replace each one!
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How do you make natural cleaners?
It may seem like some pretty intense chemistry skills would be needed to make natural cleaners. However, that would be wrong! Making homemade cleaning products is not nearly as complicated as it sounds! Using just a few green living staples can make all the difference.
Not only can you replace current synthetic cleaners in your house with natural ones, but there’s also plenty of room for customization. Meaning you decide the strength of a homemade cleaner and even the scent when you use essential oils.
This may seem a bit daunting at first but don’t worry; I’m here to guide you through every step of the way. It’s actually very easy to make your own natural cleaners once, you’ve gotten the hang of it.
Related To: 20 Must-Have Green Living Essentials
What common household materials can be used as a cleaner?
Believe it or not, there are a lot of items in your home that can be used as a natural cleaner.
Vinegar, for example, is an unlikely hero that effortlessly cuts through tough kitchen grease, neutralizes odors, and breaks down hard water stains.
Other common household materials such as; washing soda (sodium carbonate), citric acid, baking soda, table salt, and essential oils can be used in natural cleaning recipes.
A cleaning recipe can be simple as a paste of water and baking soda. Seems pretty easy, right? Truly making these products is as simple as mixing ingredients in a bowl when you know what works!
Related To: How To Clean a Cutting Board
Do natural cleaners really work?
Even though cleaning products with synthetics and solvents are more commonly seen these days, the first-ever cleaning product was a soap that dates back to 2800 BC! That’s quite a long time before we had the advancements of science. Now granted, ancient soaps didn’t have “lavender” or “ocean breeze” scents to them, but they worked.
Fast forward to today, and we know so much about natural elements that our great ancestors didn’t. Heavy detergents and synthetic fragrances truly aren’t needed to clean your home; ever heard of sodium chloride? It’s salt. And it acts as a fantastic, mild natural abrasive to help scrub stubborn messes away without scratching surfaces. That is just one of many examples of natural cleaners working.
Now that some light has been shed on the reliability of green cleaning, let’s get to some healthy cleaning swaps that you can make with ease!
10 Ingenious Natural Cleaning Swaps Anyone Can Make
Are you searching for natural cleaning recipes? Or are you ready to throw away heavy solvents cleaners? You’ve come to the right place! Here are ten natural cleaning swap DIYs that will make it a breeze to trash synthetics.
1. Dish Soap Bar
No matter how much you do them, it always seems like there’s another dish in the sink every time you turn around. If you’ve tried liquid dish soap DIYs but felt like something was missing, then this DIY dish soap bar recipe is the answer you’ve been looking for!
2. Toilet Bowl Cleaner Bomb
I’m pretty sure no one enjoys the hassle of having to clean the toilet with a pair of rubber gloves and the magic wand. This clever toilet bowl cleaner bomb is not only simple and natural, but it does all the work of cleaning the toilet for you!
3. Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
Finding a dishwasher detergent that actually works without relying on heavy artificial fillers or harsh synthetic ingredients can be a real challenge (I, for one, struggled for a long time to find one that worked!).
After years of experimenting, I finally found the perfect balance with this homemade dishwasher detergent—it leaves dishes beautifully clean using simple, recognizable household staples.
4. Natural Stain Remover
No one denies it; stains are a pain to get out. There’s no way to avoid them for good, and there’s always a hassle to deal with. Don’t you think it’s high time for a natural stain remover? One that can handle anything from wine to chocolate?
Well, search no further because this natural stain remover is a hero to the rescue!
5. Herbal Homemade Scouring Powder
Some things just need a good scrub. The kitchen sink is just one of those places. The multitude of items that can stain a sink really does add up! This homemade scouring powder has your back, just a little scrub, and all the built-up gunk is gone.
6. DIY Laundry Detergent
“All-natural” laundry detergent gets expensive fast, and cheap detergent is filled with a laundry list of commercial solvents and synthetic fragrances. So what to do? Make our own!
It took my several attempts, to get it right. But, I proudly shared this DIY laundry detergent solution and it quickly became reader approved.
7. Natural Streak Free Glass Cleaner
We all know how overwhelming heavy commercial glass cleaners can be with their sharp, pungent smells that instantly take over a room. That is why switching to a eco alternative makes such a beautiful difference.
When you use this natural streak free glass cleaner, you can happily skip those harsh fumes and instead enjoy fresh clean glass and mirrors without it.
8. All Purpose Natural Surface Cleaner
Whether it’s a quick after supper clean-up on the counters, a spill on the floor, or some random gunk on the wall – this all purpose natural surface cleaner is the answer to all your quick clean needs!
9. Easy Natural Carpet Stain Remover
If you happen to have carpeted floors anywhere in your house, then you’ll know how aggravating it can be to try to get a stain out of it. Entirely different from regular stain remover but the perfect fit for the job, this natural carpet stain remover has got your back!
10. Lemon Cedar Dust Spray
Wood can be one of the most challenging surfaces to clean as it always needs specific care to stay in good shape. And polishes and sprays can add up quickly. Save money with a natural lemon cedar dust spray and polish in one!
It’s just that simple! Natural cleaning is safe and a big time saver. So no matter if you’ve only just started on your simple living journey or you’ve been simple living for a decade, these natural cleaners are a must-have. Need a little extra inspiration? Check out our Cleaning Checklist Archive!
Grab all room by room and seasoanl cleaning checklists for spring, summer, fall, and winter in the Life-n-Reflection Resource Library!
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Pin these ten natural cleaning swaps to start tidying your home! Tag #lifenreflection on Instagram to share your natural cleaning tips.