10 Natural Cleaning Swaps
Ten natural cleaning swaps anyone can make to clean without chemicals. We’ve included homemade cleaning recipes and checklists too!
With the popularity of natural living growing by the day, many questions are being raised about using chemicals in cleaners. To me, something has always felt off with using horrendous chemicals to clean windows or take out stains, both of which could easily be touched by the tiny hands of a toddler. Whether or not you’re a mom, common sense alone makes something about that seem- off.
Unfortunately for us, though, the FDA lets just about anything go when it comes to the chemicals put in our cleaners, and we’re left to just deal with it. Well, at least that’s what they want you to think… What you may not know is that natural cleaners can achieve the same spotlessness without all the toxins!
So how do you clean without chemicals? Well, believe it or not, a lot of natural materials make great cleaners.
Are you ready to give them a go and ditch the chemical cleaners for some truly clean alternatives? We’ve got you covered!
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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 chemical 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; we’re 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 can kill a multitude of bacteria from E. Coli to salmonella bacteria. 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 chemicals 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 chemicals. 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. Chemicals truly aren’t needed to clean your home; ever heard of sodium chloride? Yep! That’s a mild disinfectant and can prevent mold in your home. 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? Ready to throw away those chemical and toxic 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
Whether you’ve had previous success with dishwasher detergent or not (I, for one, had not had success with it), the mixture of chemicals makes their safety level a big NO. After years and years of searching, though, I finally found my solution in this homemade dishwasher detergent.
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 vomit? Well, search no further because this natural stain remover is a hero to the rescue!
5. Herbal Homemade Scouring Powder
As not fun as it can be, 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 chemicals known to cause health risks. So what to do? Well, while on a liquid laundry soap journey, I made a discovery, and thus, this DIY laundry detergent was born!
7. Natural Streak Free Glass Cleaner
There’s no denying that chemical glass cleaners give your nose a burn, and just smelling them feels intoxicating to the system. This is the glass cleaner to end all glass cleaners! There’s no more need to ventilate a room by opening windows when using this natural streak free glass cleaner.
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! But, if you prefer a disinfecting spray, see my recipe for a natural disinfectant spray.
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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