3 Simple Tips for Natural Cleaning Alternatives

Commonly used cleaning products on the market today, contain a host of harmful chemicals, dyes, and fragrances that can cause undo stress to your body.  To make the transition to more natural living, give these natural homemade products a try.  These, not only keep our toxin exposure down in our farmhouse, but they also help bring the contents of our wallets up, by saving us some extra money.

Proverbs 31:27

I know that many folks out there have their own tried and true methods and that’s great!  Find what works for you and go with it.  These tips have served us well over the years and the great thing about them is that you’ll find yourself restocking less frequently.  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. We are always testing, researching, and repeating what, in our opinion works the best for our growing family’s specific needs.  We are looking for progress over perfection so that we keep moving in the direction of a healthier and happier lifestyle.

 

DISHWASHING LIQUID SPRAY

This is a neat little trick that we have used for years.  We basically cut the amount of store bought dishwashing liquid by cutting the concentrated liquid with water.  We used to buy the plastic spray bottles at Lowe’s or Fred’s, but they would quickly break for one reason or another.  So we made the switch to glass amber spray bottles like these beauties. The amber color is great if you want to add your favorite essential oils to your soap.  I seriously love how sturdy these babies are!  Plus they will fit right into my future farmhouse kitchen upgrade. Can’t wait!  They are affordable and are on Amazon’s Best Seller list.  They come in a two pack for $10.98 (16 oz each).  In addition, we purchase the store brand natural free and clear dishwashing liquid (Seventh Generation is good too).  We have found that by filling the bottle a 1/4 of the way up and then adding water to fill the remaining portion, it really stretches the original product because you’re just spraying a little on the dishes, rather than pouring concentrated soap on a sponge or dish cloth.  Remember, a little goes a long way!

 

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HANDWASHING SOAP

We reuse our pump bottles from past purchases and also regular push-type bottles like those featured below.  We initially used the Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap brand in Baby Unscented for handwashing.  They come in several different sizes and scents.  We used to buy it in bulk like the gallon size pictured below, but then we found out that our local grocery store’s organic brand comes in a smaller bottle, but is a couple dollars cheaper locally, so we just buy it here and earn fuel points.  You can shop around to see if other places sell an equivalent type of liquid soap for cheaper.

Take your vessel of choice and fill the bottle about 1/4 of the way up with the soap and add water to fill the rest of the way. Lightly shake from side to side.  If you get the unscented like we do, you can add your favorite essential oils.  I love the smell of lavender oil in our hand soap and peppermint oil in our dishwashing soap. It’s like a surprise aroma therapy session with every pump or spray.  (smile) You can use your favorite essential oil of choice too.  We have been pleased with the brand that we have purchased for over eight years now.  I will say that for the reasons others use their “go-to” essential oil brands, we have found that targeting CORE health helps overall health and happiness from the inside out which makes our need for essential oil use less.  Just food for thought.  Getting to the Root Cause is so important!  I can’t stress it enough. Also, you may have to experiment with the water to liquid soap ratio.  Use more water for a more runny consistency or less water for more bubble action.  Either way, you will see a difference.

CAUTION:  NEVER mix your dishwashing liquid with your Castile soap.  They do not mix well and you will get a cloudy and not so good smelling mixture that you may just want to dispose of.  Not too bad, but definitely not good either.  We had guests in our 1840’s log cabin do that and that’s how we discovered that little piece of advice.  (wink)

Here are other examples of vessels that we use for handwashing.

 

We have had this bottle for years and we just keep filling it up.

 

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This brand (just the bottle, but any empty foaming pump bottle will work) is what we have in our bathrooms and have also had them for years, but I found them at TJ Maxx for less.  So next time you’re at TJ Maxx, look in the health and beauty section and you may find a good deal.

 

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UPDATE:  I found these fun Mason Jar foaming soap dispenser lids recently and love that we can switch out the plastic bottles for glass that we already have. Mason Jars have so many useful applications, don’t they?  Check out my Mason Jar button link on the right side of the home page to see even more ways to use these versatile jars.  I love that they are inexpensive, reusable, simple and nicer to look at!  (wink)

 

ALL-PURPOSE DISINFECTANT SPRAY CLEANER FOR WIPING DOWN SURFACES

We use white vinegar (undiluted) on all our solid surfaces.  If you buy white vinegar in the larger jugs, you know how inexpensive it really is.  It works well on counters, islands, sinks, outside and top of toilets, shower walls, floors, refrigerator, etc.  It really is an all-purpose disinfectant cleaner!

 

BONUS TIP:  ALL-PURPOSE POWDER CLEANER FOR SCRUBBING ACTION

We use both a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar and make a paste and then scrub with a sponge or an old toothbrush for tight crevices or we also use Bon Ami ($1 per can) which I like to use on our stove top because when cooking with gas, things can get rather messy and caked on a white stove.

Well, there you have it.  The budget-friendly secrets of how our family promotes a more natural home in the hollow.  Hope you have found this helpful.  I’ll be sharing other natural living health tools that our family loves in future posts.  Hope you’ll follow along.

 

 

Disclaimer: The health and wellness posts shared here on GracefullyHome.com are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any illness or disease.  The information provided on this blog is for general educational purposes, has not been  reviewed nor approved by the FDA and is not intended to take the place of advice from your medical professional, licensed dietician or nutritionist.

You are solely responsible for your health care and activity choices.  Use of any of the recommendations or helpful tools and tips on the GracefullyHome.com blog does not constitute a client-coach relationship.