Yesterday my sweet little injured cat that I’ve been keeping inside for the past couple of days decided to kindly go to the toilet on my bed – yes, such a lovely surprise. Lucky I had this fresh cleaning experience, with my natural household products, to inspired me to write this week’s newsletter and share some more non-toxic tips- conveniently piggybacking off last week’s newsletter ‘Natural Skin Care Hacks’ (If you missed last weeks and want to know about the chemical free products I use, please shout out!)
As we learnt, chemical use has gone up by 2000% in the past century and there are now over 80,000 chemicals on the market today, in almost everything we buy and in everything that surrounds us. Scary stuff hey!
Because of this I try to cut down my chemical use as much as possible, especially in the home and this is why I must have the following 5 natural ingredients in my home ready to go at all times.
5 natural household must haves:
- Baking soda – Its odour very good at removing tough stains because of its abrasiveness. Baking soda is completely non-toxic and I use it to clean pretty much everything.
- Vinegar – it will kill both salmonella and E.coli, two bacteria you should avoid. White or apple cider vinegar can be used to clean loads of things around your home!
- Lemon – Lemons are a natural disinfectant and stain remover because of their acidity. An added bonus, lemons will leave your house with a pleasant zesty scent!
- Natural hand soap – If you still need a bit of soap then there are plenty of all natural soaps out there that smell delicious. My personal fav is a coconut oil hand soap.
- Essential oils – You can add essential oils like lemongrass to any of your natural concoctions if you want to leave your home smelling fresh and yummy and bonus, some have anti-bacterial properties such as tea tree and eucalyptus oil.
So what did I do to remove the cat pee from my mattress and what are some other non-toxic household hacks we can use?
- Removing urine – For this I went straight to my trusty spray bottle of half apple cider vinegar (white vinegar works just as well and some even prefer this, but I like the smell of ACV better) and half water and sprayed it all over the stain. I soaked as much as I could with an old towel and sprayed it again. I then poured baking soda all over the wet patch and left it there for a few hours to soak up everything (the longer the better I think). I vacuumed all the pee soaked baking soda up rubbed a little bit of my natural soap and water over it with a clean towel (to try to give it a better smell than vinegar – vinegar better than pee though!) and left it there to dry with the heater. And that’s all you need!
- Toilet cleaner – Simply dump a cup of baking soda into the toilet and let it soak for at least an hour. Pour in a cup of vinegar, leave for 5 mins and flush OR use undiluted vinegar, pour around the top of the toilet bowl and scrub if you must.
- Tile cleaner – Mix 1 part water and 3 parts baking soda mixed into a paste. Apply to scum/grout and let sit, scrub with toothbrush, remove with sponge – boom. No breathing in those left over fumes in the shower!
- Cookwear – Use sea salt or coarse salt mixed with a little lemon juice and scrub. Also, try baking soda and water made into a paste. This also works well on stained tea cups or coffee mugs, and even the cutting board.
- Oven Cleaner- Just make a paste of baking soda and water on the bottom of the oven, leave for a few hours and wipe off for a shiny, chemical free oven. Easy peasy!
- Glass cleaner – No need for that bright blue stuff. Vinegar and water cuts through dirt and leaves glass streak-free without harsh chemicals! Why the need for the blue toxicity?
- Laundry Detergent – Ok not homemade but I looove these natural soap nuts I found on Iherb. Here’s the description on Iherb that had me sold and below is the link if you want to check them out! “Soap Nuts (Soap Berries) are a gift from Mother Nature, a sustainable natural resource that grows wild (from sapindus trees). The dried fruit produce a “soap” (saponin) – the ultimate 100% natural laundry detergent and cleanser! It leaves your laundry clean and fresh. So gentle, they are superb for delicate fabrics. They are very effective in removing soil and odors while leaving fabrics soft and absorbent. If you have allergies, are sensitive to commercial chemicals and fragrances, have MCS, or just want to do your part for a healthier green earth, soap nuts are the answer.” https://hk.iherb.com/pr/NaturOli-Organic-Hand-Sort-Select-Soap-Nuts-With-1-Muslin-Drawstring-Bag-4-oz/38318
I hope this gives you some more inspo on moving towards a chemical free home, it’s really so easy (and inexpensive) to do once you start. My advice is to go slowly and start replacing your products with these natural, non-toxic alternatives as you run out. Every little step counts!
Good luck and let me know how you go or if you already make some of your own! I’d love to know and get some more ideas J
Have a great and less toxic week! 😉