After having our daughter, we went down the rabbit hole of learning all about everyday ingredients and materials that are harmful to our bodies. We want the best for our daughter, and through this learning process, we have made a lot of changes at home!
We wanted to share some of our easy cleaning switches to help make your home more gentle and safe for you and your family. This is part 1 of the series, focused on household items!
1. All Purpose Cleaner - 1/2 Vinegar + 1/2 Water + Lemon Rinds +/- Lemongrass EO
Many household cleaners contain ingredients in them that are extremely toxic and not safe for skin contact or ingestion. With little ones running around putting their mouths on everything, pets, or even just your food touching surfaces you've cleaned, this was an area to consider improving. This recipe contains all body safe ingredients that you probably have at home and will not harm you, your food, or your babies.
An awesome tip is to repurpose baby burp rags (like the muslin ones pictured) for cleaning! They are super absorbent and work awesome as a cleaning rag.
2. Homemade "Febreze" - 1 Cup Water + 1/4 Cup Vinegar +1/4 Cup Alcohol + 10 Drops of EO (We like lemongrass)
Traditional fabric deodorizers are filled with chemicals and fragrances. Even on their labels, they mention how inhalation can cause lung irritation... They contain ingredients like BHT, which is thought to be an endocrine/immune system disruptor and toxic to our skin and lungs. While maybe the research isn't there 100% ro prove all of the claims, there's absolutely nothing to lose when trying to make improvements. This recipe smells delightful and deodorizes fabrics fabulously!
3. Candles - Our favorite is Milkhouse Candle Company. There's also a lot of companies that make tallow-based candles! Maybe this can be something we work on eventually...
We LOVE burning candles at home. It makes the space feel cozy and inviting. Giving up candles was not something I was willing to do, but I also didn't want to burn the traditional paraffin candles at home.
Milkhouse candles are American made soy & beeswax candles from Iowa. They locally source their soybeans and use 100% cotton wicks. They are also lead, paraben, phthalate, and paraffin free. They have long burn times and smell amazing.
Most candles are made from paraffin wax (Yankee, BBW, almost any brand unless they explicitly say otherwise). Paraffin wax is a by product of petroleum processing of crude oil. To me, that fact alone made me weary of them. They also release benzene and toluene when burned, which are lung irritants, cause headaches, and are potential carcinogens. Many candles also contain parabens, phthalates, and have the possibility of lead in the wicks! Considering there's perfectly good alternatives to this, this was an easy and undisappointing switch!
4. Hand Soap - Our favorite is Hippie Dippie Ohio Soap (coming soon 😉)
Most soaps leave our hands feeling dried out or can cause eczema flares and irritation. Not to mention the fragrances and ingredients like dioxane, pthalates, and parabens....
We figured we make other tallow products, why not make a tallow soap! Our soap contains our 100% saponified grass-fed tallow, organic coconut oil, and local pure honey. It is super moisturizing, lathers amazing, and feels so luxurious when using it. We are still perfecting the recipe and other details for all of you, but it is coming soon!
5. Mop Solution - Fill Bucket with Warm Water + 1/2 Cup Vinegar + 5-10 drops EO (We use lemongrass)
This is a great solution to mop your floors with! It is safe for wood or vinyl floors and is super easy to throw together with ingredients you likely have at home. Why waste money on toxic, fragrance filled solutions that are super expensive, when you can make an effective on yourself at home.
6. Laundry Detergent - Our favorite is Biokleen Laundry Powder.
Most free and clear detergents are likely alright for most people. However, we wanted to avoid synthetic ingredients as much as possible and use a brand that has a short, consistent ingredient list. We have used 'Molly Sudds' before and it's not bad! It is just too gentle for washing our cloth diapers.
We ultimately chose biokleen because it is effective, uses plant derived ingredients, and is not expensive. It is a strong enough cleaner for cloth diapers, but gentle enough for babies.
We also use wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. They contain no chemicals or toxins, and still prevent static! A fun tip is to add a couple drop of essential oil to the balls before you dry your clothes to make them smell like your favorite scents, without any synthetic fragrances!
Hopefully this helps you find some clean and effective alternatives to common commercial household items in your home. Try them and let us know what you think!