While it might be tempting to spray your whole place with bleach (that makes things “clean,” right?), a lot of common household cleaning products are actually pretty toxic to our health. Cleaning products are one of the first places to turn to eliminate toxins and chemicals from our households.
Common commercial cleaners are loaded with toxic and polluting substances designed to make domestic life easier. Many of the ingredients used in regular household ingredients are carcinogenic, trigger asthma and allergies, cause endocrine disruption, antibiotic resistance, and skin irritation, to name a few things. Keeping it simple and switching to DIY cleaners can provide you with all you need for a sparkling clean and sanitary home.
Making your own will not only reduce your use of plastic, but dramatically lessen the environmental and household pollution caused by the manufacture, use, and disposal of these products.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) examined the safety data of over 1000 ingredients used in commercial household cleaning products. They found that more than half of those products contained ingredients harmful to the lungs. One in five had ingredients that can trigger asthma, even in healthy individuals.
Below are some of the most dangerous chemicals currently used in home cleaning products:
- 1,4-Dioxane
- Antibacterials
- 2-Butoxyethanol
- Bleach
- Formaldehyde
- Ammonia
Luckily, there are alternative ways to keep things fresh and sanitary. The vast majority of cleaning projects can be tackled with nothing more than vinegar, baking soda, soap, and water, but other ingredients are useful for specific jobs.
We’ve rounded up 3 Healthy Huemans who have shared their favorite DIY home cleaning recipes.
Melissa of Clean My Space shares 7 of her favorite cleaners to clean better, faster, and get incredible results in the least amount of time. Her simple floor cleaner recipe is perfect for hardwood or laminate.
Riche of AllThingsRiche shares how to make simple, natural DIY cleaning products for spring cleaning using just a few basic ingredients! Her 3 ingredient grout cleaning recipe is a Godsend for cleaning the shower!
Madeleine Olivia shares a whopping 20 DIY cleaning recipes that are sure to cover every area of your home. From Castille soap, for everyday surfaces to soapnuts from laundry, this list is sure to cover your needs.
Cleaning, deodorizing, disinfecting, and removing stains don’t have to be an expensive, arduous process. With a few household items and a bit of elbow grease, you can clean just about anything in your home using clean ingredients to product your home and hsmily. Plus, it’s an eco-friendly choice for green living.