Spring has arrived and that means that it’s time for picnics in the park, barbecuing with friends, seeing flowers in bloom, and deep-cleaning your living space. That’s right, folks, it is time to start scrubbing! Given the current times we are living in, sanitizing every surface is of the utmost importance. One of the most integral steps to keeping your home free of external threats is by keeping it clean. Before you bust out the chemicals, though, we want to warn you about to toxic effects of spraying your house with chemical cleaning products.
While common household cleaners can make your living space appear clean, they can damage your health as they linger in your home. Exposing children to these chemical cleaners has been associated with mild skin irritations, asthma, and other poisonings. This is attributed to the inhalation of the chemicals in the cleaning products, but also to the fact that touching the “cleaned” surfaces in the house means that one can absorb the chemicals via the skin.
Indoor air pollution, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), nearly tops the list of environmental dangers. The pollution is primarily caused by the use of cleaning products. If you feel dizzy, fatigued, or experience eye irritation, sore throat, runny nose, or headaches, you are most likely sensitive to the cleaning products. Even though the EPA has ranked indoor air pollution as dangerous, the government doesn’t regulate the safety of cleaning products. Fortunately for you, we have several non-toxic, homemade cleaners that are much healthier than commercial, chemical-laden cleaning products.
DIY Disinfectant Spray
Ingredients
- Enough lemon peels to fill up a quart-size mason jar
- Enough distilled white vinegar to fill that mason jar
- A spray bottle
Instructions
- Fill a quart-size mason jar with lemon peels.
- Fill the jar almost to the brim with distilled white vinegar. Seal the jar and allow it to sit for about one day in a cool dry place.
- Strain the vinegar through fine mesh strainer into another jar or bowl.
- Pour the strained vinegar into a spray bottle, screw the top on, and spray away and start cleaning!
Appliance Cleaner
Ingredients
- 1 part distilled white vinegar
- 1 part water
Instructions
- In a spray bottle, mix one part distilled white vinegar and 1 part water. Spray on your appliances and wipe away with a microfiber cloth.
All Purpose Cleaning Spray
Ingredients
- ¾ cup + 5 teaspoons distilled water, boiled
- 3 tablespoons +1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- 1 drop liquid castile soap
- 5 drops lavender essential oil
- 3 drops pine essential oil
- 3 drops spruce essential oil
- 1 drop geranium essential oil
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients into a spray bottle and shake well. Make sure you shake it up every time before you use it. Spray whatever surface you want clean and then wipe the germs away.
Citrusy Dish Soap
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons washing soda
- 5 cups boiling water
- 5 tablespoons liquid castile soap
- 10 drops lemon essential oil
- 10 drops grapefruit essential oil
- 10 drops tea tree essential oil
Instructions
- Dissolve the washing soda in the boiling water. Add the liquid castile soap and stir until everything is dissolved. Let this cool.
- When the mixture is cooled, stir in the essential oils and pour it into a bottle. It is important to shake well before you use it.
