Every good homemaker needs some cleaning hacks in her apron pocket. They are even more valuable when they are non-toxic and don’t compromise your health. Almost gone are the days were wives would visit with each other and chat about the weather over tea while sharing their nearest and dearest cleaning secrets, but I’m here to share my favorite solutions for a happy, healthy home. Let’s dive right in!
This first one is an actual cleaning solution, specifically for the bathroom. It is all-purpose so can be used for toilets, tubs, showers, sinks, and more. I’ve been using this for years when I want a deeper clean than just the ‘ol wipe-down, and it does the trick every time.
Find an old spray bottle, add in your vinegar and water, put the dish soap in last (it will be super sudsy if you put it in first), and spray down your surfaces. I like to let it sit for about 30 minutes before I start scrubbing because it really helps to lift the grime and scum away.
1 cup vinegar (I use white, but ACV is fine)
1 cup water
ΒΌ cup dish soap (anything like Castille or Dawn soap works great)
Let’s take it back to chemistry basics: in order for a liquid to work as a solvent (thing you are dissolving into), the solute (thing you want to mix in) must be of the same nature, i.e. oil dissolves oil, water dissolves water.
Some of the stains we acquire are water-soluble, but many, especially if they are food stains, are oil-soluble. Now, I don’t particularly like the idea of dumping more oil on my shirt to try to dissolve the already established oil stain, but there are options! Next time you find an ugly food stain on your shirt when you’re sorting through laundry, pour milk into a small bowl and submerge the stain in the milk. The milk will stain and start degrading the food bonds as it sits. After 20 minutes or so, rub the fabric against itself or use an old toothbrush to gently brush the area, and watch it go away!
Now this may not work for everything so don’t send me hate mail when milk doesn’t remove the turmeric from your curry stain. However, I have had great success with this trick and removed oil, chocolate, paint, among other things from clothing this way. A deliciously beautiful new hand towel got grimy chocolate hands rubbed on it a few months ago and I totally panicked until I pulled out the milk. It worked amazing and now my beige Turkish cotton hand towel remains as beautiful as it was when I got it at the farmers’ market.
If you’ve read the blog for any amount of time, you know how much I love my Norwex. They are so versatile, absorbent, and they actually work! There are numerous types, but the basic is the EnviroCloth. It works wet or dry because the tiny microfibers work as little garden tillers with the patented BacLock technology tilling up all the dirty mess on surfaces and not letting go. These are not your average microfiber cloths, seeing that the requirement is to be 1/6th the width of a human hair to be considered microfiber. Norwex cloths are made with fibers 1/200th the size of a human hair and the length in one EnviroCloth could span from Canada to Florida!
Paired with the BacLock technology and the woven antimicrobial microsilver that prevents bacteria from building up and allowing you to reuse your cloths for up to two weeks without washing (talk about a laundry hack!), the cloths have been 3rd party tested to show how effective and safe their cleaning power is. They will pick up microorganisms as small as protein from a surface!
I could go on forever on the awesome cleaning power of Norwex cloths, but it’s easier if you try them yourself. It’s all I use in my kitchen, bathrooms, and cleaning routine. Head over to the website here to get the Superior Mop System in Nordic Naturals for $15 off!Β
If you are a pet owner or a child-bearer, I’m sure by now you have used this trick a time or two. Most are used to the baking soda box in the fridge, but it’s so versatile and can applied numerous other ways. If your dog has an accident, or last night’s dinner came up on the carpet, or juice get spilled on your favorite rug- whatever the ailment is, here’s how I treat it.
I always wipe up the mess with a wet rag and then give it a gentle “scrub.” Then I generously sprinkle baking soda over the affected area, work it into the fibers if it is something like shag carpet or a thick pile rug, add some more on top and let it sit until dry. This can be anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours, but let it sit! Once dry, it will vacuum right up. The soda will absorb any nasty odors and it has a lightening effect that keeps darker stains from setting in well if applied right away.
I shiver when I see bleach under people’s kitchen sinks. The effects to your health are detrimental and I vowed years ago to never go anywhere near it. That being said, it is a powerful whitening and disinfecting agent than many homemakers rely on to get the job done. So what’s the alternative?
Hydrogen peroxide is a first aid staple in my house but also for cleaning. It has the same properties as bleach, but with a much less costly health effect. H2O2 can be used to remove oil stains from marble, brighten your white laundry, disinfect wounds, clean your bathroom, you name it! Any of the places you would use bleach, hydrogen peroxide will work as a replacement.
If you’ve been mulling over in your brain how to create better cleaning habits than what you currently have, I hope this list has been helpful to you. Keeping a clean home matters, but it matters even more WHAT you clean with. Exposing yourself and your family to toxic chemicals is no one’s desire, and there are options and alternatives if you look hard enough.
Sometimes non-toxic cleaning solutions can be finicky and some of them just don’t work, but these are my tried and true tricks that I use on the regular. I hope these bring a little ease to your next messy situation and a fresh take on your cleaning routine. Happy homemaking!