Spring cleaning

Is it just me, or now that’s it’s March is anyone else already thinking it’s time for spring cleaning? I personally would love for a leprechaun to show up and dust off my house and mop my floors, but sadly I know that’s not going to happen. 

With the bitter cold, oftentimes we keep our houses sealed up leading to poorer indoor air quality. Poor air quality inside the home may lead to headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and insomnia. All symptoms that make the long winter feel even longer. 

Some easy ways to improve indoor air quality is to improve ventilation by opening windows on our slightly warmer days, reducing pollutants, and using air filtration. Some common air pollutants are heavily scented candles, air fresheners, and harsh surface cleaners. So for your spring cleaning, I’m going to suggest a few of my favorite low tox cleaners. 

My current favorite is Branch Basics. I purchased their starter bundle a few years back. So now I just purchase their cleaning concentrate. What’s nice is you simply dilute the same concentrate by adding different amounts of water to their pre-marked spray bottles. They have bottles to make foaming hand soap, multipurpose cleaner, bathroom cleaner, etc. Surprisingly Branch Basics does very well even in the kitchen, cleaning more difficult surfaces like the stovetop (I’m a messy chef and oftentimes have some decent spills on the stove). I personally don’t enjoy the concentrate for laundry or cleaning windows, but you may have a different experience. 

My number two favorite easy to make and use cleaner is the Doterra Abode Multipurpose Cleaner. This is another cleaner that you dilute the concentrate with water in a (glass) spray bottle. Abode cleaner does well in the kitchen and bathroom but since the essential oils are so strong, you have to avoid porous materials and surfaces such as wood. 

A great classic cleaner is diluting white vinegar with water in a 1:1 ratio. Most of us have white vinegar in our kitchen, and if you don’t mind the smell of it, white vinegar has been shown to work effectively against E. coli, Salmonella, and other bacteria but it’s not technically a true disinfectant. White vinegar is also helpful for removing hard water stains and mineral buildup. If you truly can’t stand the smell, some people soak lemon peels in the water and vinegar for two weeks then strain the solution to give it a slightly lemony scent. 

The last low tox cleaner I’ve read really good things about is Force of Nature. I personally haven’t tried it yet, but it’s on my list. It’s a little more techy— it uses an electrolyzer to “activate” salt, vinegar, and water to make Hypochlorous acid. Essentially it’s a less harsh chlorine. Each bottle once it’s activated only lasts two weeks before it “loses” its disinfectant properties. Force of Nature is registered as a true medical grade disinfectant and sanitizer. 

If you’re wondering how your current cleaners score in regards to how healthy they are for you to be using, a great online resource is the Environmental Working Group (EWG’s) Guide to Healthy Cleaning. It scores different products from a range of EWG verified (very good) then A to F- with F being the worst. It’s definitely worth checking out. They have a version for cleaning products, skin care products, and food brands as well. It’s a great resource if you’re wanting to start looking into different ingredients and products. Happy cleaning! And if you happen to find the cleaning leprechaun, please send them to my house next! ​