You eat well, you get regular exercise and you make sure your family does too. But living a healthy life is about more than just eating well and working out. If you haven’t also made an effort to reduce your exposure to nasty chemicals—like those you find in most common cleaning products—you could be undoing much of good health you’ve been working so hard for.
You owe it to yourself, and your family, to make the switch to chemical-free cleaners whenever you can. And the good news is it’s likely far easier than you might imagine.
11 ways to keep it clean WITHOUT the chemicals!
Today we’re going to share with you some super simple cleaning hacks you can start using today to help keep your house squeaky clean without risking your health. Even better, these chemical-free cleaners only require a handful of common ingredients you probably already have at home!
1. Multipurpose Cleaning Spray:
A good multipurpose cleaning spray can work wonders all over the house from the kitchen to the bathroom. They’re great for cleaning just about anything, in any room. But they’re also a bog of creepy chemicals that get left on surfaces, breathed into your lungs and absorbed by your skin. Avoid the risks by using one of these two chemical-free cleaners instead.
Option 1
Start with a spray bottle. Add 1 part water and 1 part vinegar. If it smells too strong, add some lavender, lemon, tea tree or orange essential oils. Start with 10 drops and increase according to your own preferences. Spray and wipe, just like you would with the store-bought stuff.
Option 2
Combine 4 tablespoons of baking soda with 1 quart of warm water. Pour onto a sponge, or dip the sponge, and scrub.
2. Glass Cleaner:
Want to give your windows a good cleaning, but don’t want to use a chemical clogged glass cleaner to do it? This chemical-free version can do the trick without the heavy ammonia smell.
Grab a spray bottle and add: 1 cup of regular old rubbing alcohol, 1 cup of water, and 1 tablespoon white vinegar. This mix will have your windows sparkling in no time with no blue dye required!
3. Microwave Cleaner:
Cleaning the microwave is such a pain that many of us put it off a little too long. So when we finally do break down and clean it we’re faced with such a crusty, cooked on mess that we end up using half a bottle of cleaner and tons or elbow grease to make a dent.
Sound familiar? Then you’re going to LOVE this chemical-free cleaning hack that makes wiping the microwave clean a breeze.
Fill a medium-sized bowl with water. Cut a lemon in half and squeeze both sides, getting as much juice into the water as possible. Drop the rinds in, as well. Heat the water in the microwave, uncovered, until the water is boiling.
Turn off the microwave and leave the door closed another minute or two. The steam will condense along the inside, and break-up the food and grease that’s stuck there. Once it’s all loose, you can simply wipe it clean.
4. Kitchen Sink Cleaner:
You clean food, prep veggies and drain pasta in your sink. So you want to make sure it’s really clean, and chemical free.
Rinse the sink of any left-over food or debris. Sprinkle generously with baking soda, then scrub gently in a circular motion. Pour white vinegar into the sink, being sure to rinse the sides, as well. The vinegar will fizz. Don’t worry, this is good!
Wipe the sink down again, then rinse with clean water. For a final shine, buff the sink with a bit of olive oil on a paper towel.
5. Oven Cleaner:
The same baking soda and vinegar combination you used to clean your sink can work wonders for your oven too.
Scrape any baked on food from the inside of the oven. Sprinkle baking soda on any tough spots that haven’t come up. Fill a spray bottle with vinegar, then spray directly on the baking soda. Let the vinegar and baking soda pop and fizz for 30 to 45 minutes before wiping it down. The baked on food should slide right off leaving a fresh clean surface behind.
6. Silver Polish:
Your silverware touches just about every bite of food that goes into your mouth. Why would you use harsh chemicals to polish them? Try this instead.
Line a pot or pan with aluminum foil, and fill it with water. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of salt. Bring it to a boil. Dip the silver into the boiling water – carefully! – and let it continue to boil for a few minutes. Remove the cutlery, still being careful not to burn yourself, and buff with a soft cloth.
7. Drain Cleaner:
No matter it it’s in your bathroom, kitchen or laundry room, a clogged drain will put a real damper on the day. But common drain cleaners are some of the most toxic cleaning chemicals you can have in your home. They expose you, and later the environment, to all kinds of unnecessary risks.
Try this instead.
Put water on to boil. Mix 1 cup of baking soda, 1 cup of salt, and ¼ cup of cream of tartar in another bowl. Put all of the dry ingredients into the clogged drain. Once the water is boiling, pour 2 cup down on top of the dry mixture. Let stand for an hour. Rinse with water from the faucet.
8. Laundry Stain Remover:
Here’s a chemical-free cleaner that can help get the stains out of your favorite clothes.
Combine 1 part hydrogen peroxide, with 1 part baking soda, and 2 parts water. Pour it into a spray bottle and use it as a pre-treater on your toughest stains.
9. Soap Scum Cleaner:
This soap scum cleaning secret will have your shower shining in no time. And best of all there’s no mixing or measuring required
Start by scrubbing the shower down with a soft wet sponge, then thoroughly spray all the surfaces with ordinary white vinegar. Follow up with a warm water rinse. Finish off with a squeegee for added shine.
10. Mold Remover:
Moist bathrooms are the perfect breeding ground for mold. When that happens, you need a good mold remover.
Start with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. Combine 1 part hydrogen peroxide with 2 parts water in a spray bottle. Spray a thick layer directly on the mold. Let the water peroxide mix sit for at least an hour before rinsing.
11. Dusting Spray:
Dust. It’s the bane of every homeowner’s existence. No matter how spotless your home is, dust finds a way to sneak in. Until now, you’re only real options for tackling it have been feather dusters that just move the dust around, or harsh chemical sprays. But now, you’ve got a third option, a chemical free dusting spray that’s as safe as a duster but works!
You’ll need a natural, biodegradable liquid soap for this one. Mix 1 tablespoon of the liquid soap with 15 drops of lemon essential oil, and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Use anywhere you would typically use a regular chemical dusting spray.
Eating right and exercising is important. But don’t forget to keep your house healthy, too, with these chemical free cleaners!
Healthier Talk
We believe that everyone has good ideas about how best to care for our loved ones and ourselves. Many of our contributors are doctors that have spent their life’s work invested in the health and well being of the human body and mind. Some have spent their lives tirelessly researching health and the human body, developing new vitamins and products dedicated to making people healthier.
Others are ordinary people that have natural family cures passed down from generations, or discovered an inexpensive home remedy out of necessity or even by accident.
So Healthier Talk not only offers professional advice and solutions, but also provides much sought after natural family cures and at-home remedies, right at your fingertips!
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