Clean With Natural Ingredients

This blog post was sponsored by e-cloth. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

This summer I have made it a priority to work with our kids and really take the time to teach them how to clean the home. We’ve spent time learning how to clean the toilet properly, how to mop the floors, and how to thoroughly vacuum a room. Because our children are helping more in the house I’m very aware of the products they are using to clean. Are they using SAFE products? Cleaning products are notorious for being chock full of harmful chemicals that can damage your family’s health.

Using natural cleaning remedies can help eliminate dangerous chemicals and the health risks they can create. Below I’m sharing several of my go-to favorite eco-friendly and safe cleaning products and tools.

Reusable Cleaning Materials

Paper towels and disposable wipes are convenient, but they aren’t the best for the environment. Most wipes are not biodegradable and paper towels create more waste that sits in landfills. Instead of using products that are going to create more waste, choose to do a little more laundry. Use cloth products to clean your home.

My favorite cleaning clothes are from E-cloth. I’ve been using E-cloth for years and I can’t imagine going back to using rags. I have been loving my glass cloths, all purpose cloths, and especially my E-cloth mop. E-cloths remove dirt, grease, and grime and are proven to remove over 99% of bacteria using just water. So not only are you helping to avoid using paper products you can also skip over those chemical-filled cleaners. E-cloth is excellent for homes that have sensitivities, allergic reactions, or asthma, as e-cloth does not contain any chemicals, fragrances, or dyes that aggravate these conditions.

This year, thanks to the generosity of e-cloth, I was lucky to add the e-cloth floor and wall duster to my collection. This duster is amazing! I can quickly swipe the mop along the edge of my ceiling to grab all of the little webs and dust. I was shocked at how much dust this mop grabbed!

If you’d like to give E-cloth a try they are now available at Ace Hardware. Visit the store locator at to find your local participating store.

Clean All The Things With Vinegar

Vinegar is nature’s all-purpose cleaner. Whether you are using white or apple cider, you can be sure that you are going to be able to disinfect your surfaces, remove bad odors, and leave glass sparkling. Vinegar is going to leave your house looking and smelling great!

All Purpose Cleaner. Mix 1 1/4 cups water, 1/2 cup white vinegar, and a few drops of your favorite essential oil (optional). Use this cleaner on all kinds of surfaces:

• windows and mirrors
• kitchen and bathroom countertops (not natural stone),
• clean up your shoes
• microwave
• door handles
• baseboards
• almost anything!

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Related: Cleaning Schedule for Working Moms

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Scent Your Home With Essential Oils

They say you only get one chance to make a first impression, and the smell of our home is one of the first things that we encounter when we cross the threshold. Everyone loves a house that smells fresh and clean. The problem is that many commercial air fresheners contain toxins that we don’t need to breathe in. A great alternative is to set up diffusers with your favorite essential oils to keep everything clean smelling AND safe.

Liquid Castile Soap

Soaps like Dr. Bronners is incredible for cleaning; they are concentrated, relatively inexpensive and all-natural. Use your favorite scent to fill your mop bucket, wash your dishes, and scrub down your shower stalls. For extra sparkle where you need it, rinse clean with vinegar.

Here are a few ways you can use Liquid Castile Soap to clean your home:

All-purpose cleaner:  Mix 1/4 cup of Castile soap with 1 quart of warm water. I like to add in a few drops of lemon essential oil to make everything smell nice.

Clean your veggies. Add 1/4 tsp. of Castile soap to a big bowl of water. Wash your veggies and fruit then rinse.

Window cleaner. Mix 1 TBS of Castile soap to 1 quart of water in your spray bottle.

Homemade soft scrub. Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda, 1/4 cup Castile soap and 1/2-1 TBS water. Add several drops of essential oils if you would like.

Baking Soda is your friend

Just like vinegar, baking soda is a natural deodorizer. You can use it to keep your refrigerators and freezers smelling fresh, and even put it in your shoes. Is there a clogged sink or slow-running drain in your house? Combine baking soda and vinegar to get that drain cleared and moving again!

Here are a few ways you can use baking soda for cleaning:

• Gentle Abrasive to clean your counters and sinks. Simply make a paste with baking soda and water.
• Deodorize your carpets. Sprinkle on your carpets, let sit for a few minutes and vacuum.
• Clean your grout. Sprinkle baking soda on your grout line then spray with water. Leave it to sit for 10 minutes and wash off.
• Clean your drain. Add one cup of baking soda to any drain. Let it sit for one hour then pour 1 cup of boiling vinegar down the drain. Rinse with hot water. Your drain should be sparkling clean!
• Freshen your laundry. Add a cup of baking soda in your laundry to freshen up stinky towels.

Do you try to use natural products to clean your house? Do you have any favorites? Let me know in the comments.