I let my kids clean the bathroom. When I say "let," of course, you know that I mean it's a chore. But the point is that my kids CAN clean the bathroom, because it's not unsafe for them to do so. We make our own homemade cleaners, which means we don't have to worry about the same issues as those folks using traditional chemical-based cleaners. Oh, what... you don't know about those issues? Ahhh, that explains it! See, once you know the dangers of traditional cleaners, and just how easy it is to make your own, you'll never want to go back to spending oodles of money on anything sold at the grocery store. So, let's start with why you may want to consider making your own cleaners to begin with.
Traditional chemical cleaners are loaded with nasty chemicals that can contribute to a host of problems including: birth defects and infertility, respiratory problems, skin irritation, asthma, allergies, and more. These chemicals enter our bodies through the air we breathe (ever get bothered by vapors from your cleaning supplies?) and though our skin, the largest organ in our body. Some chemicals to watch our for include, but are not limited to: fragrance (this includes fragrances from your plug-ins!), sodium borate, sodium laureate sulfates, formaldehyde, artificial colors (same as with your food, stay away from artificial colors), ammonium, glycol ethers, phthalates, triclosan, sodium hydroxide, chlorine, and more! Feeling at all uncomfortable yet? You should be. What's more, there are a variety of governmental organizations that hold regulatory oversight over cleaning products (which agency a product falls under is partly determined by who will be using the products and whether they're marketed for home or commercial use), but companies are only responsible for listing the ACTIVE ingredients in a product. Go ahead, go find one of the cleaners you use. OK, now find the ingredient list and look for the percentage of ingredients listed. Is it more than 3%? You're lucky if it is!
Another reason to make your own cleaners is that it's inexpensive (and if you shop at Costco and can buy vinegar and baking soda in bulk, it's REALLY inexpensive). It's also much better for the environment and it's EASY!!! So, come on, folks, let's get to it!
Some of the Ingredients I Use for Homemade Cleaners
Vinegar
Baking Soda
Unscented Castille Soap
Salt (don't bring out the pink stuff, use the cheap container of iodized salt)
Essential Oils (I LOVE Purify and Lemon for my cleaners)
Bathroom Cleaner/Disinfectant spray
I use a 32 fl oz spray bottle that I bought from Home Depot
Fill half way with water and half way with vinegar
Drop in 15-30 drops of your favorite Essential Oil (I love Purify for this!)
All-Purpose Cleaner
I use the same type bottle as above and fill the bottle with water
Add in two tablespoons of unscented liquid castille soap (I use Dr. Bronner's)
Add your Essential Oil (in addition to Purify and Lemon, I love OnGaurd in this cleaner)
* This mix is going to be soapy, which means you need to rinse it!
** dōTERRA makes an incredible cleaner concentrate with OnGuard- you can't go wrong there!
Need Something Scrubby?
Baking soda and salt make incredible scrubbing agents. I like to mix up a small bowl of this mix (you can add a bit of citric acid, as well) and use it in the sinks, bath, shower and toilets. Sprinkle it on the area to be used and then spray one of the above sprays before scrubbing. I use this mix, along with Lemon Essential Oil and the All Purpose Cleaner above for my glass shower doors and it's lovely!
You guys, there is SO MUCH MORE out there you can do with Essential Oils when it comes to making your own cleaning products. Keep your eyes peeled for my upcoming Green Cleaning E-Book!