I’m on a gluten-free keto/paleo diet where I focus on mainly healthy foods with the best ingredients that will nurture my body. But what we expose our body to on the outside is actually just as important as what we I expose it to on the inside, meaning the foods we eat.
In the world we live in today, it is almost impossible to live a life without chemicals. All exposures to these toxins add to our ‘toxic load’. Toxic load refers to all the toxins and chemicals that accumulate in our body. We get toxins in our system from the food we eat, the beauty products we use, the water we drink and the polluted air we breathe.
The build up of toxins in our body can lead to endocrine disruptions such as estrogen dominance, increased risk of cancer, neurological disorders, autoimmune disorders and metabolic disorders.
Natural cleaning products
To minimize my exposure to toxins, I cleaned out my closet with cleaning products and replaced the chemical cleaning products with some natural ingredients that work just as well, or even better!
There are 4 completely non-toxic natural ingredients that I use to make my own cleaning products:
– Water
– Vinegar
– Baking soda (bicarbonate)
– Essential oils
Water is the basic ingredient of any cleaning product. Tap water works great for making cleaning products.
Vinegar has some great antibacterial properties and can be used to clean surfaces in combination with some essential oil or lemon juice. It works great for removing water stains, unclogging pipes and as a laundry softener (combined with essential oil for a nice scent). Use distilled vinegar with less than 10% acidity.
Baking soda helps remove odours and has antibacterial properties. It works great for scrubbing the tub and shower and removing tough stains from fabrics when combined with some vinegar and essential oil.
Essential oils work great to leave a nice scent everywhere you clean. For most cleaning tasks, you combine water with vinegar. However, vinegar does not leave such a pleasant smell. Adding a few drops of essential oil will remove the vinegar smell and give you a fresh, relaxing scent. Essential oils also have antimicrobial properties.
All purpose cleaner
To clean any surface, you can use water with vinegar and a few drops of essential oil. There are several ways to use this:
Fill half a bucket with warm water and add 1 cup of vinegar and 10 drops of essential oil (I like to use lemon or lavender). Soak a cloth in the water, wring out the water and clean the surface you want to clean.
In a 17 oz. spray bottle , fill 1/3 with vinegar and the rest with water, add 10 drops of essential oil. Spray on the surface you want to clean and wipe with a clean cloth.
Bathroom cleaner
The bathroom can be cleaned in different ways for different purposes using water, vinegar, baking soda and essential oils.
To remove soap scum and water stains in the bathroom, you can add: 1 cup of vinegar, 3/4 cup water and 10 drops of essential oil in a 17 oz. spray bottle. Spray on the surface, leave for a few minutes and wipe with a cloth.
To thoroughly scrub the tub or shower, you can sprinkle about 1 cup of baking soda and spray some of the bathroom cleaner mentioned above on top. Scrub with a sponge, rinse with water and wipe with a clean cloth.
Stain remover for textiles
As a mom with a toddler who walks around the house and spills food everywhere, I have a lot of stains to clean up. Stains are best removed right after they are applied so they don’t have a chance to stay in the fabric for too long and become permanent. For this I combine water, baking soda and essential oil.
In a bowl, add 2 cups of warm water, 2 tablespoons of baking soda (bicarbonate) and 5 drops of essential oil. Scrub the stain with a brush and wipe dry with a clean cloth.
Switching to natural cleaning products is not only good for your health, but it will also save you a lot of money on branded cleaning products. This will also declutter your closets because you only need a few items to clean almost everything.
