Tip of the week #2- Disinfecting Naturally

While I consider myself mainly a friend of the feared “bugs” that reside in our world, there does seem to be an undying need to conquer their existence by many of my friends. While there are times where it is certainly appropriate to disinfect things, not all bugs are bad and it is important to realize that many of them help us maintain a healthy balance of good and bad.

I have to admit I am not a fan of Clorox anything. I see people buying the 3 packs of their wipes at Costco all the time and it makes we wince. I watched in horror the other day when a mother wiped her child’s face with one after wiping down the shopping cart. It really seems that these cleaning product companies have an entire civilization completely fooled and are recklessly putting families at risk.

Do you know what is actually in many of the commonly found cleaners and disinfectants? The answer may surprise you. NO ONE does. The odd thing about laws in our fine country is that while you have a right to know every ingredient in any food product you buy, cleaning product companies do not have to list a single item as it has the right to keep its formula top secret. Meanwhile our children and pets are crawling all over surfaces cleaned with them. Oi.

One thing we do know is that most mainstream cleaners are composed of petroleum-based products. Yes, you read correctly. Petroleum. In fact, many cleaners contain petroleum-based products also found in pesticides. Essentially, when using these products, you are using pesticides in your home. In my mind, this is worse than using them in your garden. At least outside you have a breeze blowing the stuff away from you and bringing you fresh air. Inside, you are sealing it up to breathe in over and over. Yum. Not surprising that childhood asthma and allergies are now being linked to exposure to these sorts of substances. I have read a number of stories now written by mothers with children that have respiratory problems that have gone to natural cleaners and have seen a rapid improvement of their child’s condition.

So what do we do? The answer is simple and in many cases cheaper! Make your own. All you really need is some vinegar and essential oils and you are ready to go. There are many websites out there that have great recipes for cleaners on them. Google “natural cleaner recipes” and have at ‘er. You will find recipes for cleaning your bathroom, kitchen, children’s toys, cloth diapers, air fresheners, you name it.

I personally use essential oils for most of my disinfecting needs. There are several out there with disinfecting properties such as cinnamon, pine, tea tree oil, lavender, lemon, and cloves. I use 4-5 drops of tea tree oil in a bucket of hot water to wash my counters, floors and kid’s toys. I love the smell of it and it makes me feel good to know that I am cleaning my home without putting my children’s health or the natural environment at risk. I also use vinegar to clean cute little finger prints off my mirrors and windows.

So before you go for the bleach, give this a try. Sometimes convention isn’t right and the long term effects of using conventional cleaners are starting to manifest themselves. Keep your home and family clean and safe and did I mention smelling great!!!???