Non-Toxic Cleaning During a Pandemic
I got the idea for a blog post on finding a balance with non-toxic cleaning during flu season when Harper came down with the second virus in a month this winter. In January he had the flu and in early February we both got a stomach bug, so I was ready to throw in the towel with the non-toxic cleaning products I had previously sworn by. We bleached our house from top to bottom and went overboard with the clorox wipes. I ordered a case of hand sanitizer… and then the pandemic happened.
I already had all of my new toxic products hoarded from the clesaning spree from prior events. So naturally, I continued using them on everything… including Harper’s toys which makes me CRINGE when I think about. I would clorox wipe them, then use baby wipes to clean it off. But I am sure the chemicals were still there. I had gotten so wrapped up in the emotions and fear of illness that I was putting our entire family’s health on the line just so I could feel at ease like I was protecting us frok the virus.
As I learned more about COVID-19 and how it affects the system, I realized I was potemtially causing more harm than good. If this virus (and any virus) requires a healthy immune system to fight it if, then why would I inundate our bodies with toxic chemicals that put that at jeopardy? I have since found a balance. We do 99% of our cleaning with non-toxic products and I save the harsh chemicals for when I feel they’re truly necessary. I would probably still bleach the house and use clorox wipes when we are sick, but otherwise will rely on products that I feel I can trust for long term health and well-being.
If you are looking to start using some non-toxic products or searching for ones that are actually clean (labeling can be so deceiving!) and effective… I’ve rounded up the ones I have used and recommend!
A few of the cleaner home products we use and love (see more below!)
Laundry Products
I’ll admit that I have some oxyclean from my cold/flu season chemical spree that I still use on my really harsh stains, but try to rely on the more natural stuff! This Puracy stain spray has done the trick for most of the mysterious splotches that seems to only pop up on Harper’s extra cute outfits! I order this Biokleen Free + Clear unscented detergent in cases and am obsessed with it- so clean and works really well.
All Purpose Cleaner
There are some great recipes for homemade all purpose cleaners with essential oils! For an essential oil blend, anything citrus or lemongrass leaves the house smelling incredible. I also love this ECOS all purpose cleaner which has such a lovely natural, clean citrus scent.
Bathroom Cleaners
This is my favorite Ecover toilet bowl cleaner, which actually smells amazing! This Attitude hypoallergenic unscented bathroom spray is great for the surfaces and bath/shower and can also be used for the toilet bowl. It doesn’t do as well as a true toilet bowl cleaner but if you want one bathroom product this is a great option.
Dishes
I have yet to find amazingly clean dishwasher pods that work but these Seventh Generation pods are what we use. They are the best of what I have tried and most dishwasher pods have a lot of yucky stuff in them. If you want to use natural dish pods, you have to commit to really rinsing off your dishes prior, which is annoying but worth it in my opinion. These are two great dish soap options. This ECOS one I can usually find at health food stores. This Ecover one I can only find online- both are great. Both have worked very well for us and are super clean. For baby stuff, I felt at ease knowing that I had a really clean soap to wash bottles/pump parts in, especially when Harper was a newborn. Now I throw most things in the dishwasher, but I use dishsoap to wash toys/playmats, etc.
Baby Cleaning Products
I have used water wipes since day 1. They are super gentle and work well. I also use these Babyganics wipes for hand/face. I feel like they do a little more since they have essential oils! I have used the Babyganics toy and high chair spray and toy and highchair wipes (currently sold out), but also just use dishsoap (mentioned above) and water for a lot of the cleaning.
Hand Soap/Sanitizer
I got lucky and had ordered a case of EO hand sanitizer before the Pandemic hoarding ensued (currently sold out), after we battled our second round of winter virus. I also really like the Dr. Bronners lavendar hand sanitizer for an on the go and scented option. I don’t have a favorite handsoap- I usually just buy whichever one is an organic brand that is on sale- it’s all about balance and these are hard to find anyways these days.
Produce Wash
I didn’t start doing this until the pandemic. I think using it was a peace of mind thing, because I’m not sure this virus can even live on food or if using a produce wash would even help! But I do like the idea of washing our produce in case any chemicals/bacteria are lingering on it. I just made a lemon juice, water and vinegar blend similar to this and keep it in a spray bottle for a quick spritz and wipe while unloading groceries.
