{"id":21370,"date":"2018-07-25T13:40:14","date_gmt":"2018-07-25T11:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/?p=21370"},"modified":"2018-07-30T13:21:12","modified_gmt":"2018-07-30T11:21:12","slug":"non-toxic-home-cleaners-diy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/non-toxic-home-cleaners-diy\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s Talk: DIY Non-Toxic Home Cleaners"},"content":{"rendered":"

Home is somewhere we should feel safe & sound. Yet our homes are unknowingly exposing us to more toxins than ever. Be it in regards to indoor air quality<\/a>, furniture, food, or self-care and cleaning products, the living spaces we share indoors are becoming even more polluted than the ecosystems we are failing to protect outside. That’s why having non-toxic home cleaners is an important step towards keeping a healthy home.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Commercial home cleaning products are laden with all sorts of chemicals, promising to get even the toughest domestic cleaning jobs done. But the true cost of these products is high. The long-term health & environmental risks of these cleaners is a lot more damaging than we think. It\u2019s not an uncommon phenomenon that you or someone you know experiences allergies, eczema, asthma, or other sensitivities. But in combination with other lifestyle choices\/factors, reducing exposure to synthetic chemicals is definitely a part of treating these types of ailments.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s in your cleaning products<\/h2>\n

Here are a few toxic ingredients to look out for:<\/em><\/p>\n

Formaldehyde<\/strong>, which is used as a preservative and known to be carcinogenic.
\nFragrance<\/strong>, which is an umbrella term used to disguise hundreds of chemicals<\/a>\u00a0which can cause endocrine disruption; synthetic fragrances may also lead to allergies or asthma.
\nQuaternary Ammonium Compounds, or \u201cQuats\u201d<\/strong>, which are found most often in fabric softeners; can cause respiratory irritation and is considered to be one of the most likely causes of allergic contact dermatitis<\/a> of the hands.
\nChlorine Bleach, <\/strong>which\u00a0contains both chloroform and chlorine, and it is most often associated with respiratory and\/or neurological side effects.<\/p>\n

Non-toxic home cleaning substitutes<\/h2>\n

There are certain lengths you can go to if you\u2019re trying to detoxify your home<\/a>. But the purpose of this article is to give you some safe & effective DIY formulas for common cleaning products which can spruce up every part of your home \u2013 leaving it a little more sanitary and a little less toxic.<\/p>\n

The Essentials<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vinegar:<\/strong> It seems like there is nothing vinegar can\u2019t do. It cleans by degreasing & disinfecting, as well as removing mildew, odours and stains. (Note: vinegar can slowly ruin marble and granite, so proceed with caution if using it on counter tops).
\nBaking Soda:<\/strong> When used with vinegar, it gives sinks and toilet bowls that sparkling finish. It works as a basic scourer to remove food build-up \u2013 or to soften particularly \u2018hard\u2019 water \u2013 and can also be mixed in with your daily laundry load as a fabric softener.
\nEucalyptus or Tea Tree Essential Oil:<\/strong> Adding a few drops to any cleaner will grant it some basic antibacterial properties.
\nSoap (liquid form):<\/strong> Castile soap is versatile and biodegradable<\/a>. This makes it a good option for outdoor cleaning, as the soap will wash away without you having to worry about it harming your plants or washing off into the local waterways. Works well to clean just about anything<\/a>, including dishes, floors, and anywhere else that needs basic, gentle cleaning.
\nRags<\/strong>: Buy yourself the reusable kind. Then they can be easily color-coded to reference different areas of the house.<\/p>\n

DIY non-toxic, all-natural spray cleansers<\/h2>\n

Method: mix ingredients together in a spray bottle.<\/em><\/p>\n

For windows & mirrors, and removing water stains in the bathroom or showering area:<\/strong>
\n1L water
\n60mL vinegar
\n15g baking soda<\/p>\n

For the kitchen areas, fridge & table:<\/strong>
\n160mL cup water
\n80mL white vinegar
\n1 tbsp. baking soda
\n15 drops of essential oil (<\/em>e.g. tea tree, lavender or lemon)<\/em><\/p>\n

Bathroom, toilet & sink areas:<\/strong>
\n450mL warm water
\n2 tbsp. soap
\n2 tbsp. white vinegar
\nOptional: essential oil<\/em><\/p>\n

Liquid soap for dishes:<\/strong>
\n400mL water
\n120mL soap
\n2 tbsp. baking soda
\n15 drops essential oil (citrus works well here!)<\/em><\/p>\n

Switching out your cleaning products<\/h2>\n

As you can see, you don\u2019t always need separate cleaning products for every single surface of the home. With a few essentials, you can give yourself a DIY arsenal that can become your all-purpose home cleaning kit. They’re not only effective, affordable & easy, but they also really limit all those toxic & irritant chemicals \u2013 typically found in commercial cleaners \u2013 from damaging our environment. So you can clean well & rest easy.<\/p>\n

Always make sure cleaning products (even the homemade ones) are labelled and kept out of reach from children.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you have any DIY faves, please share them with me! I\u2019m always looking for more to add to my repertoire.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover photo:<\/em> Daiga Ellaby<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Home is somewhere we should feel safe & sound. Yet our homes are unknowingly exposing us to more toxins than<\/p>\n

Continue reading…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":21390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2397,105],"tags":[1477,93,1963,2061],"brand":[1267],"problems-concerns":[1768,1744,1741],"class_list":["post-21370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diy","category-eco-organic-lifestyle","tag-detox","tag-do-it-yourself-diy","tag-environment","tag-health","brand-dr-bronner-articles","problems-concerns-allergies","problems-concerns-eczema","problems-concerns-sensitive-skin"],"yoast_head":"\nDIY Non-Toxic & All-Natural Home Cleaners | Amazingy Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Looking for some safe & effective DIY formulas for common cleaning products? These tips can help you spruce up each & every part of your home \u2665\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/non-toxic-home-cleaners-diy\/\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amazingy.com\\\/magazine\\\/non-toxic-home-cleaners-diy\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amazingy.com\\\/magazine\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Let\u2019s Talk: DIY Non-Toxic Home Cleaners\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"DIY Non-Toxic & All-Natural Home Cleaners | Amazingy Magazine","description":"Looking for some safe & effective DIY formulas for common cleaning products? These tips can help you spruce up each & every part of your home \u2665","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/non-toxic-home-cleaners-diy\/","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/non-toxic-home-cleaners-diy\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Let\u2019s Talk: DIY Non-Toxic Home Cleaners"}]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21370"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21370\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21370"},{"taxonomy":"brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/brand?post=21370"},{"taxonomy":"problems-concerns","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/problems-concerns?post=21370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}