Healthy Green Cleaning

So, we all have heard how commercial cleaning products are bad for our environment and health, right? Some of you have maybe made the switch, some may have tried them and didn’t like them or others may have thought it was a whole bunch of nonsense. I decided to write a little piece giving you information you may or may not know about what is in everything you use daily and what the effects can be. I will give you some great alternatives I use and love. I have tried a ton and have loved some and hated others. I’ll save you from walking in blind like I did buying countless products that just plain sucked. I’m seriously type A when it comes to cleanliness and organization so if I’m going to use it, it better work. I also love that they are safe for myself and my family. Win win right?!

    Ok so here is the lowdown, cleaning products aren’t regulated by the FDA because they are not food or drugs that you put in your body, they are regulated by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) instead.  However, they are nowhere near as strict as the FDA (which is also sketchy but that’s for another day) , which leads to loopholes where they do not have to list all ingredients in their products. Awesome. This sucks because many of them are harmful causing a number of health issues such as cancer, heart disease, reproductive and birth defects, the list goes on.

    I remember when I was 17, my mom was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. She was going through the kitchen sink one day tossing products in the trash. Then she went to my bathroom and did the same thing! I was a teenager who loved my bath and body products and was distraught by the fact they were getting tossed in the trash. Mom, why!? Next thing I know, my shampoo smelled like grass, my toothpaste tasted like a flower and my deodorant was a crystal. I was so mad. She explained to me that these products have harmful ingredients in them that may cause cancer. She was trying to protect me and her family. I didn’t quite understand but went along with it because well, my mom had cancer and I was scared. Fast forward 16 years later to my household. We are a very green home. My mom ultimately passed away from cancer 7 years after her initial diagnosis which is when I got tested to see if I also have the gene mutation she had. Turns out I do. That’s when I took what she said to me years ago very seriously and decided to completely make a change.  Do I know for fact that these things we put on our body or in our environment cause cancer? No. Why? A lot of companies are not transparent with what is actually in their products. The best way to assure that you are not taking chances with something harmful being in your product that you use on or around yourself and your family is to go as natural as possible.

            “Fragrance” is made one of two ways, through plant botanicals or petroleum based. When you look at the back of the bottle, if the word “fragrance” is listed, that could literally be 100 different unknown chemicals hidden under that one word. Many of which cause cancer, diseases, reproductive issues and so on, which is why they are not listed. Also through the loopholes that I mentioned earlier, they are not required to tell the consumer what is in their fragrance. If you call the company and ask, they will either say they don’t know, they are not at liberty to disclose that information or “don’t worry, it’s safe”. Yeah, I’m going to worry, sorry guy.

            If the product is made with botanicals, most likely they will list them in the ingredients instead of putting the word “fragrance”, they will say lavender, papaya, grapefruit and so on. You know exactly what is in the bottle. Those products are usually more expensive because the process of extracting botanicals are more costly then using petroleum based chemicals to make fake “vanilla” scented products. However, I would rather pay a few dollars more, knowing exactly what I am spraying around or putting on my body.  I can’t afford to chance the unknown on my health and wellbeing.

            So, what can you do? I recommend not tossing everything all at once. That’s overwhelming and honestly expensive. I waited until something ran out and then the next time I replaced it with a natural alternative. We are moms, we don’t have trees made of money and if we did, we would probably be in our vacation beach home in the Caribbean and not replacing our cleaning products, our maid would be doing that for us. Haha!

Here’s some of my favorite products to get you started:

Mrs. Meyers brand is by FAR my favorite brand of cleaning products! When I was in college I used to clean million dollar homes as a side job between classes with a maid company. We only used Meyers. The reason why is because it is a deep cleanser but it is safe on natural materials and the owner of the company didn’t want to be sued when we destroyed the clients amazing marble counters with Scrubbing Bubbles or some harsh chemical. Also, I was having a lot of allergies and breathing issues every time I would clean my bathroom with my old commercial products. My dad went so far as to giving me a respirator to wear while cleaning. Shouldn’t that be the first clue that I shouldn’t have this in my home?

I usually buy the Mrs. Meyer’s concentration.  I do a 10% ratio of concentrate to 90% water in a glass spray bottle. I purchase the plastic multi-purpose bottles when they have seasonal scents because they don’t come in concentrates.  I did notice the pre- made bottles sometimes can leave a film on my counter if I don’t pour out half of the bottle into another bottle and fill it up the rest of the way with water. You do not have to do this, you can use as it. I just noticed on my particular counters, it needed to be diluted. This is what I successfully use my multi-purpose cleaner on:

• Bathroom counters and toilets
• Kitchen counter, stove, stainless steel microwave
• My car interior
• Basically any surface that isn’t wood

    Instead of using paper towels I use these tea towels. I got a big 10 pack at Walmart for super cheap. I toss it in the washer and it comes out perfectly clean. They clean better then paper towels without leaving steaks on my stove or mirrors, and are eco-friendly!!

    For my oven, sinks and bathtubs I use this Mrs. Meyers Baking Soda Cream Cleanser. I put it on my oven door and scrub with an walnut abrasive scrubber that I got from Grove.co. It has no fumes, pleasant botanical smell and it worked better then toxic oven cleaner!! It’s a paste that you spread around with a sponge and then rinse. Easy right?

     Toilets, Mrs. Meyers hands down. I have used pretty much every natural toilet bowl cleaner on the market and this has been my favorite. I do however clean the bowl twice a week so I haven’t tested it on a completely gross toilet bowl but for what we are working with, it does the job!

            Before I get off the topic of Mrs. Meyers, I will say that I love LOVE their hand soap. Can you tell?! Their scents are so good and I get a ton of compliments when people come over. I’m a sucker for the seasonal scents and right now I may have 3 bottles of their Peony under my sink because it’s only sold for about a 3 month period. I wish they sold them in big bottles so I could use re-fillable glass bottles but at this time they don’t. So I do my due-diligence and recycle the plastic ones, can’t win them all.

    Instead of Febreeze that basically masks smells I use Counter Culture Air and Fabric Refresh. It is a probiotic cleaning tonic. It is made with probiotics, good bacteria, like the probiotics you may take daily orally. If you are prescribed antibiotics, your doctor usually tells you to take a probiotic to make sure you still have good gut bacteria. Same thing in your home, bad smells are caused by bad bacteria. If you introduce good bacteria to the environment, you are letting those bugs take over the bad and poof, no more bad smells. I use this stuff in my girls stinky shoes, pillows, my dogs beds, the couch, you name it. It has been a game changer! This also goes for their Counter spray. Instead of using Lysol on your counter or light switches, I will use this to help neutralize the bad bacteria. I do admit that if there is a nasty Virus (not bacteria) in the house I will use Lysol Disinfecting spray because we have had some doozies this year. I make sure to extremely ventilate the home and turn my air purifier on. I have been told there are alternatives but I am still doing research on that so I won’t give you advice if I don’t follow it myself. I’m real here, no smoke and mirrors!

           Another amazing product I HAVE to talk about is this bar. It is called Fels-Naptha and you can find it in the laundry isle of the grocery store. It is called the magic bar by me, my friends and family. My stepmom actually introduced me to it and I could kiss her! I use a toothbrush (my husbands, haha just kidding) a toothbrush just for stains, the bar and water. Here are some of the adventures I got to test the bar soap out on:

• HOT Pink lipstain on the carpet, white duvet cover, linen colored decorative chair in my room, and clothes.
• Blue marker that my toddler and her bestie decided to color directly on the carpet.
• Every color marker imaginable on my middle girls comforter, including some ink pens
• Grease, chocolate, poop, vomit and dry erase non washable markers

This bar literally removed all of these things. I would just launder after in the washer and it was brand new. If I couldn’t launder it, like the carpet, I would just get it wet with water and blot with a cloth and it would be good to go. Just wet the toothbrush, get some soap on it and scrub the stain. Rinse and done! No more Shout or Resolve needed in this house!! It’s around $1 per bar, I kid you not. You have nothing to lose!

      Everything I have listed can be found pretty much everywhere, however I order them all from Grove.co. I have a monthly order that is delivered to my house and their prices have beat every store I have looked at. I am not sponsored by them, I just have been using them for a year and recommend everyone to check it out! You also get free gifts when you sign up and there is no “monthly fee” or anything, and they run offers sometimes with your first order you get a gift, pretty cool right?!

            I hope all of these recommendations help you start switching to a green, more sustainable household when it comes to cleaning. I can breathe better physically and mentally knowing that the products I’m using aren’t harming my kids or myself. I know I can’t control every environment that I am in but my home is our save haven and I want to make sure it’s a healthy one!