As a homemaker, wife and mother I have used a lot of home-keeping products over the years. As times change, so have the cleaning products. When I was a young wife and new mother, the main cleaning products during that time were powder cleansers like Ajax, Comet and Borax. We also had the tried and true Lysol, Mr. Clean and Formula 409. However, when I was growing up my dad always used Ajax, so that is what I used for quite some time. To see what I use now, please watch the video below.
The cleaning industry has gone through a lot of changes and so have my favorite products. Due to toxic chemicals and adverse reactions to some of the cleaning agents many have become a lot more conscious about the ingredients of their cleaning products. Mrs. Meyer’s, Grove Collaborative, Seventh Generation and Method are just a few of today’s companies offering non-toxic, natural and sustainable cleaning options.
A few very important things I want you to remember is to NEVER, EVER, EVER use ammonia and bleach together because it can be deadly. When used together they release toxic chloramine gas. Also, I use vinegar quite a bit. In fact I use it in the laundry and when I am cleaning. However, be mindful that even though vinegar is natural it is also acidic which can be a bad thing depending on what you’re cleaning. It is not good to use vinegar to clean any type of stone, on wood floors or anything with a wax finish. When vinegar is used on wood or stone it can cause it to corrode and it dulls wood floors. It also destroys a wax finish that many wood pieces have and it can kill plants. So, just be careful when using it.
One thing my baby sister, Micky, always says, “Just because something is all natural it does not mean that it is a good thing for everything and for everyone.” She said that because she is highly allergic to nuts. Nut oils like almond, peanut and sesame are sometimes used in cleaning products and are masked as fragrance. Something most people wouldn’t even give serious thought could be very detrimental to her and others like her who have severe allergies. Just another thing to think about.
Cleaning doesn’t always have to be a daunting chore, it can actually be a lot of fun. Most times when I am cleaning I will pop in an audio book which is always great. But if you’re not into audio books, then cleaning is a great time to listen to your favorite podcast, new cd or you can always let my videos play. That will give you great inspiration!
