A Clean and Chemical Free Home

​When I started this journey with Authentic Skin Remedies, I thought a lot about what “clean” means for our skin and for beauty products. As the body’s largest organ, our skin is really our shelter, and keeping it clean means more than washing up and making it look good – it means keeping it as free of damaging chemicals as possible.
 
As I researched that idea of clean, it clicked on another level too. What about the homes that shelter us and the ways we keep them clean? Just reading the labels of household cleaning products, from toilet bowl cleaners, dishwashing detergents, window and glass cleaner, you name it – the list of toxins like isopropanol, phosphates, something called 5-dimethyldantoin popped up.
 
What good is this brand of clean if it comes with corrosive, dangerous chemicals? According to a chart published by the Cleveland Clinic, common household cleaners can cause severe problems for our nervous and circulatory systems, corrode and burn our skin, and cause cancer, just to name a few of the risks we take using those products. It might seem daunting at first to change the way we clean our homes. But I’ve found some simple and cheap solutions that clean my home and keep it smelling fresh! 
 
I’m talking about baking soda, lemons, vinegar, and a spray bottle. That’s it! And you can really clean your whole house. Here are some excellent tips from the myhealthygreenfamily blog that I like to refer to:

• Take one part water to one part distilled white vinegar and you’ve got your windows covered. Mix some baking soda with some water to make a paste, and you’ve got a degreaser for those stubborn stovetops.
• Baking soda is also a great deodorizer for your carpets and rugs – you can sprinkle it right on and leave for about half an hour before vacuuming it up.
• Infuse your vinegar in the spray bottle with some lemon when you’re dusting, and you’ve got that scent of clean you’re looking for too.

Check out some more resources at EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning and let’s keep our homes safe and clean for our bodies. I bet you’ve got some great green cleaning tips too, and I’d love to hear them in the comments section below!

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