safe household cleaners for you + your family
Quite a few of you have expressed interest in a post about the non-toxic and safe cleaning products that I have been using in our home. You may have heard about the study that was released this week showing a direct link between formaldehyde and cancer. It's of deep concern that formaldehyde is found in many common household and even beauty products. I am going to share a link here that shares the several other names that companies use to hyde the presence of formaldehyde in their products. I have become increasingly concerned with what our family puts in and on our bodies, especially since having children, so over the years I have phased out all toxic and harmful chemicals out of our home.
There has been some trial and error and I've also been trying to find ways to make this more affordable and simpler. So I thought it may be helpful to share with you guys my tried and true products. I've really narrowed it down over the years and what you see in the image above is everything I use for laundry and cleaning purposes. Below I will break it down by uses:
KITCHEN
- Seventh Generation dishwasher pods and dish soap and this brush
- For tough stains I use the Bon Ami powder and a good strong brush
- For gentler scrubbing I use an ACV and baking powder solution
- For general cleaning I used the Mrs Meyer's all purpose cleaning concentrate that I mix with water and put in a glass bottle sprayer
- I also buy stacks of Ikea dish towels that I have all over the house and wash and re-use constantly as a way to save on paper towels
BATHROOM
- Bon Ami powder for the toilet, sink and bath
- Mrs Meye'rs all purpose cleaner for everything else
- Whole Foods Market glass cleaner
- I'm also in the process of switching all soaps to the handmade bar soap variety
EVERYWHERE ELSE + LAUNDRY
- We have been loyal to Mrs Meyer's laundry detergent for years. It is pricey but literally Kevin and the kids break out like crazy from any other laundry detergent so we stick with this one
- I use Seventh Generation cleaning wipes for around the house
I also want to add that I'm not perfect. I am aware that I could make my own laundry detergent and honestly you can pretty much use ACV and baking soda to replace almost all of this but between running a business, homeschooling the kids and everything else I do I have to cut corners somewhere. I don't and have never had a housekeeper so I do all the cleaning myself. We are super strict about recycling and I always try to buy what I can in bulk or concentrate and then put it in glass containers at home. And I have one horrible cleaning habit that I can't give up - the Swiffer. With a short-haired dog that sheds constantly I rely on my Swiffer wet cloths to keep our floors from looking vile. It's on my list to switch out for a greener alternative but right now it's what is keeping me sane.
So no judgement here! It took me years to get to this place and to be comfortable with this method of cleaning. It's hard to give up habits especially when the toxic alternative is easier or more affordable. So I get it. But you can do it! And trust me it will be so worth it in the end.
Please feel free to let me know if you have any other questions or anything I can help with. I've included Amazon links for most of these products in case you are like me and rarely shop outside of Amazon anymore :). And lastly this website is an awesome resource for checking the products you buy for safety!