4 Safe and Natural Cleaning Products to Use Around the House

Let’s be honest, cleaning the house is a task that many of us dread doing…

Why?

Because it saps your energy and take your time away from doing things you love. Being exposed to the harsh cleaning chemicals that are so commonly used today is also unpleasant – you end up with watering eyes, stinging hands and a nasty smell you can’t seem to shake.

But as undesirable as it is, house cleaning is a necessity to maintain a healthy environment and keep germs and bacteria at bay. One challenge I found when cleaning the house is that there are limited choices when shopping for cleaning solutions that are not harmful to the environment, and are safe even for kids and pets.

If you’re like me, you have probably planned to ditch the products that contain harsh chemicals, and go for environmentally friendly cleaning products.

In this post, we cover some of the eco-friendly cleaning solutions that you can use to reduce your waste:

1. Use the versatile white vinegar

Vinegar can do more than just add flavor to a recipe. It can be used to kill germs in the house and is generally readily available, as you probably have a bottle of vinegar in stock in your kitchen.

And even better, it’s super cheap, especially compared with expensive cleaning products.

Vinegar is a great multi-purpose agent that is particularly effective in removing stains, deodorizing, and disinfecting different areas within your home.

To make a natural disinfectant with vinegar, mix equal parts water and white vinegar, and store the solution in a spray bottle for convenient use. This versatile disinfectant can be used to clean doorknobs, telephones, mirrors and glass, and even freezer and refrigerator.

2. Grab that lemon

Lemons are high in citric acid, d-limonene, and lemon oil which are effective ingredients for disinfecting and deodorizing surfaces.

The citrusy scent of lemon will give your home a refreshed smell, and will inspire you to get serious in cleaning the house.

To make a lemon juice cleaning spray, simply mix the juice of one lemon with one cup of water, or you can also add lime juice and one cup of distilled white vinegar to make the solution more potent. Keep the solution in a spray bottle, and shake well before using.

Use the lemon juice spray to clean cutting boards, remove stains, get rid of tarnish from your brass or copper wares, and remove rust from your grill. Lemon juice is also great for combating germs as it creates an inhospitable environment for microorganisms to grow.

So the next time you’re making lemonade, spare one of those lemons to make a super easy cleaning solution!

3. Eucalyptus Oil

A lot of people don’t realise that eucalyptus oil is a fantastic natural cleaning alternative. Eucalyptus oil is an essential oil with many properties that make it excellent for cleaning around the home: it’s an antibacterial, anti-fungal and a deodoriser, which makes it perfect for a DIY cleaning product.

Eucalyptus oil can be used in many areas of the house as a general cleaner, but is great as a grease buster in the kitchen, and also for an air freshener, disinfectant and floor cleaner in the laundry and bathrooms.

For your kitchen mix, you’ll want it a little more concentrated to cut through the grease and grime on cooktops, pots, pans and your splash back. Add dash of natural washing up liquid (about a teaspoon) with 500ml water, and then add two generous teaspoons of eucalyptus oil.

For the laundry and bathrooms, you’ll want the mix a little less concentrated. For an air freshener, just mix a few drops into a spray bottle, and tweak as needed – depending on how strong you like it to be.

For the toilet cleaner and floor cleaner, add around 50-100ml of eucalyptus oil with a hot bucket of water – you can also add white vinegar too if so desired.

While eucalyptus oil is a great home cleaner, you should avoid if pregnant and keep away from children as it can be harmful if comes into contact with the eyes or it is ingested, so make sure you always use eucalyptus oil with caution.

4. Baking soda

Baking soda is non-toxic, and acts as an effective cleaning agent that can lift grease and dirt for easy removal. It’s also an effective deodorizer as it works to neutralize unpleasant odors to leave your home smelling fresh.

You can use baking soda for cleaning steel, glass, chrome, enamel, rugs and carpet, and even plastic. And of course it’s a natural product so it’s safe to use around kids and pets.

For beating grease in the kitchen (pots, pans, drip trays and even benchtops), just combine a sprinkle of baking soda with a dash of natural dish soap, and add some hot water. Then get scrubbing with an abrasive sponge or scourer and you’ll be amazed at how easy this mixture will cut through grease.

For bathrooms, tiles and toilets, simply add a tablespoon of baking soda to a bucket of hot water, and wipe down thoroughly with a wet sponge.

There you have it – 4 awesome and effective ways to clean your home without using harmful, toxic cleaning products that are terrible for your health and bad for the environment. The next time you need to clean the home, you can’t go wrong with the above natural cleaning products.