Are you sick and tired of having to spend so much of your time cleaning? Does the smell of bleach and chemical sprays give you irritated eyes, lungs and skin? We would all prefer to spend less of our time cleaning. and the sad truth is that a lot of the cleaning products that we use can also be harmful to our health. Thankfully, there are a few natural cleaning solutions that will help to make life a little easier and most importantly healthier. Read on to find out what they are…
Minimise Clutter To Reduce Anxiety
Clutter can cause stress and anxiety. Do away with the closed off, cluttered feeling you get in your home and opt for more calm open spaces that have a more minimalist touch. Clutter isn’t just the junk that we haven’t picked up, it can be the knick-knacks and little decor items that might have once seemed like a good idea, but now just add to your cleaning regime. To put it simply, clutter attracts dust. The more items there are in an area of space, the more dust is going to get trapped in the edges and corners, meaning more dusting. Less clutter, less dust, less cleaning, less stress and anxiety- it’s as simple as that.
Air-Purifying Houseplants
NASA’s Clean Air Study found that there are a number of air purifying plants that can actually detoxify your home from the airborne toxins, dusts and germs that can be found in a variety of household products, materials and furniture! That’s great news for any plant lovers out there looking effective ways to improve the air quality in the home. Here are a few air-purifying houseplants you could bring into your home:
- Barberton Daisy
- English Ivy
- Aloe Vera
- Snake Plant AKA Mother-in-law’s Tongue
- Chrysanthemum
- Spider Plant
- Broad Lady Palm
- Dragon Tree
Choose Easy-Clean Natural Materials
Different materials attract and cling onto dirt differently. Meaning some materials are going to be much harder to clean. Using the right materials in the right spaces can change how much dirt sticks. Using smoother floors, such as wooden floor boards, instead of carpet, for instance, means that most of your cleaning is going to be the occasional hoover and mop, as opposed to having to get carpet cleaner. This is well complemented with entrance matting. Not only do these mats help to define and create a warm welcome, but their sole purpose is for helping people to get the dirt off their shoes before they come into your home.
Make Natural Multi-Purpose Spray
Previously, I shared my Natural Multi-Purpose Cleaner Recipe, this is a simple non-toxic cleaning product that is suitable for wiping surfaces around the house. Natural cleaning products that contain essential oils will leave you feeling calm and relaxed instead of having itchy eyes, skin and irritated lungs from cleaning with toxic, chemical products. Using natural cleaning products also means you that if you have children around the house the risks of them being harmed by chemicals are reduced. Making your own cleaning products will work out to be simple, economical and healthier.
Clean Everything With Castille Soap
One of the most versatile natural cleaning solutions I’ve found is the Dr Bronner Castille Soap. With 18-in-1 uses, the Castille soaps are perfect for your washing your face and body, as well as for rinsing food, cleaning dishes, mopping, and doing laundry. As the soap is concentrated a few drops will go a long way.
Opt For Simple Storage Baskets
Beautiful wicker baskets are the perfect natural solution to everyday clutter. If you have any children, pets, or you simply have a busy lifestyle, then you may find that your floor and home is occasionally littered with items that don’t belong where they’re left, like toys, clothes, a magazine. You might not immediately have the time to clean and make sure that everything goes back to its rightful place. However, if you do have a smart setup of hampers, small clothes bins, and other storage spaces throughout the home, you could have a temporary place to hold them. It makes it much easier to tidy away things left out while going about your day, before you can then come back and tidy the place up more thoroughly when you have the time.
Invest In Reusable Cloths
A lot of the synthetic cloths and sponge scourers are not biodegradable and end up floating in the ocean harming marine life or in a landfill. Investing in reusable cloths, sponges and scourers is a very eco-friendly and economical natural cleaning solution. I’ve found that the EcoForce Recycled Sponge Scourer to be a very worthwhile investment for cleaning pots and pans.
Delegate To De-Stress
If you have family or housemates, then make sure they’re doing their fair share rather than leaving the cleaning up to you. Get together for a household meeting, and start throwing chores out there, seeing who is willing to do what. Or you can rotate different household tasks every day of the week, so that individuals don’t become frustrated with always doing the same thing. Of course, you really want to save time in cleaning and you’re not afraid to put some money towards it, you could look to household cleaning teams in your area. Needless to say, this isn’t cheap. However, having them occasionally come in to take care of the biggest cleans could mean you only have to do the little maintenance tasks yourself.
There’s no way to completely eliminate the need to clean (sadly). You’re always going to have to give the home some TLC. However, the above natural cleaning solutions, will mean that keeping your home clean will hopefully be less stressful and way healthier.
Stay fabulous
Christine
