Am I the only one curious on what people use to clean their house? Like if I see a cleaning product out at someone’s house I’m curious about it. “Hey. Do you like this stuff? Does it get rid of stains? How does it smell? Is it a ‘clean’ product?” In the winter of 2017 I started to become more aware of what I was cleaning with and started to look more into ‘clean’ cleaning products. Products that are supposedly more healthy to use in your home. I have to admit I still use the occasional bleach, and our stain remover probably isn’t ‘clean’ but if it gets the stain out, it’s a winner in my book. And when it comes to farm clothes and our shower it’s fair game if it gets it clean.
That being said I will share with you my favorite cleaning products and I would love feedback on what’s your favorite products.
As far as ‘clean’ cleaning products I love the Thieves Household Cleaner. Pour a small amount into a glass bottle (like the picture shown) and fill the rest with water.
I use this on all of our bathroom and kitchen counters. I use it to clean Vander’s bath tub, as I like it’s a “clean and safer” alternative, than most tub and shower cleaners you buy off the shelf. I use it on mirrors. I use it on surfaces like closet shelves and when cleaning out the refrigerator. I use it on my son’s high chair because that thing is nasty. I use it to clean out decorative vases. I use it when I’m faced with a nasty, crusty baking dish. And I will use some as a rinse agent in my dishwasher. If you haven’t got the idea, I use it for everything.
I also like making some of my own mixtures with Essential oils. Like this linen spray to spray our bed pillows and mattresses.
Linen Spray:
2oz glass bottle
1oz water
1oz witch hazel
3 drops lavender
3 drops lemon
3 drops peppermint
I diffuse oils as well. Mainly thieves, RC, peppermint, lemon, lemongrass and lavender. Basically if I’m in a cleaning mood it’s straight lemon or lemongrass and lavender. Lemongrass and lavender are my favorite springtime mix! If there are sniffles in our house it’s thieves and RC all the way. Otherwise I’m not that adventurous with my oils for myself.
I love Mrs Meyers hand soap and dish soap. There are some smells I don’t care for but so far I love the Lemon Verbena and Honeysuckle. The dish soap is all I use now. I’m not opposed to Dawn at all, like they use it to clean animals it can’t be that bad, I just saw Mrs Meyers advertised and thought I would try it and I’m hooked.
For dusting wood work I love this 7th Generation wood cleaner. I’ve used it probably since 2016 or early 2017. It has a very faint smell and doesn’t leave a film like I feel like other cleaners do.
This past summer I started to really be mindful of our laundry. My son has eczema so I’m cautious what I use for his blankets and clothes. Also after a conversation with one of my sister in law and her mother in law I started to think of my laundry soap. They were telling me what’s in laundry soap and that if has a fragrance the “dirtier” it is. I started using this 7th Generation clean and free soap and I really like it. Our clothes smell plain but clean. It’s a safe alternative for our family and it doesn’t bother Vander’s skin. It is a dollar more than Tide but it’s the only detergent I have to buy now.
I also switched to using wool drier balls. I have always for Vander’s clothes but once I switched to “cleaner” detergent I figured we would eliminate drier sheets as well. (And it’s much more cost effective.)
As far as our stand up shower I still use Scrubbing bubbles. When you live on a farm the shower gets nasty, so whatever will cut through dirt and grim is okay with me. Also I will still use Mr Clean when I scrub the floors and when wiping our white woodwork down. Speaking of our white woodwork Magic Erasers are life.
We vacuum with whatever will pick it.😂 We have a Roomba and utilize it but it does not replace a regular vacuum. We have a Dyson for a vacuum and am happy with it. The Dyson product that we can’t live without is our Dyson Trigger hand vac. If you have kids, you need this. We can quick clean up his food mess or any small mess. Best investment of 2018!
I utilize bulk cleaning rags bought at Sams Club and rip up old cotton T-shirts.
If you are curious about how clean your cleaning products or just household items are I suggest downloading the “Think Dirty” app. Not only does it make you aware of what you use, the name is hilarious!
Happy Spring cleaning friends!
Midwest Mabel 