Happy Sunday Beer Squad!
What are you all up to today?
Nursing a hangover? Enjoying some junk TV and your third latte? (Okay, that might have been me this morning…) Or are you getting ready for the week ahead?
If you’re preparing for a successful week, how do you do it? Do you meal prep, plan your week and list of to-dos, do you engage in a little self care (check out these two blogs for self care/skincare tips: Maskcne-No-More and Skincare Sunday!), or do you get your house sparkly clean (one less thing to worry about during the week!)?
While my Sundays always seem to bring something new (today it was a day date for micheladas), my ideal Sunday schedule is: sleeping in, staying in my comfy clothes, cleaning the house, and writing out my schedule for the next week. Slow, quiet, relaxing, and productive. Add in a newly discovered michelada, and ahhh… perfection.
Sundays are the perfect day to rest, relax, reflect, and get ready for the week. I try to hit on each of these aspects, especially the “getting ready” part, which usually entails a bit of cleaning. My home is my quiet, relaxing, safe place, so when it is messy or dirty it really distracts and adds undue stress. In order to stay productive, focused, and happy throughout the week, I try to get everything lined out on Sunday. Even though I try and keep things picked up and tidy around the house during the week, it seems like there is always plenty to do on Sundays. A mini-deep clean always seems to be necessary, and provides relief as my weekly schedule fills up.
But cleaning has changed a lot for me in the past year… Don’t get me wrong, it still provides me comfort, happiness, and a sense of relief, but with changes I’ve made to my cleaning products I feel more confident and safe when it comes to cleaning. I also feel like I have more freedom. I’m free to customize my cleaners – I can easily adjust the type, scent, and strength. I’m free to use them wherever, whenever, and however I want – I don’t have to worry about getting light-headed from the chemical smells, or that my cleaners could harm my family and pets. As I have learned more about household cleaners, toxins, and our body’s ability to absorb them, I’ve upgraded up my cleaning game.
I have made the choice to use products that I feel confident about, and safe using around my family. Our world is inundated with chemicals and toxins, many of which we can’t control. But what I choose to use in my home, and on surfaces/products that my family uses everyday, is in my control. I want to reduce our exposure to chemicals and toxins as much as possible.
I’ve shared some of my non toxic cleaning tips, products, and recipes on Insta and the FB, but since it is Sunday, I thought I’d share them here, too. I hope this post helps answer some of your questions on the how, what, and where, when it comes to transitioning to non-toxic cleaning. If oils and non-toxic-everything interests you, check out the guest blog written by friend Rebecca, Essential Everything, and for more on my “why” and other natural swaps I’ve made, read: Tried running, now I’m swapping. and My Natural Livin’ Journey Cont’d.
Where to start when moving to non-toxic cleaning:
- Do some research, ask questions, and take a look at what you’re using in your house. Read the ingredients and warning labels. Do you understand all the ingredients?
- As you learn more and understand what you currently have, figure out where you want to go/what you want to use – products, brands, and communities you feel confident talking to. I choose Young Living oils personally, and have enjoyed my experience with their products, kits, and the community that comes with it (oily groups and forums). Find a community, brand, and company that you are comfortable with and trust is so important! Non-toxic and oily things make up a really big world. One that can feel daunting. It helps when you have people you are comfortable asking all of those initial questions, and asking for suggestions.
- The next step for most people, is to start with simple, small swap-outs as you run out of old, toxic cleaners. This is more cost effective, and less overwhelming. I am a little to gung-ho for that, so I went blasting out of the gates and bought the Thieves Cleaning Kit. It was a one-stop-shop for everything I needed to get started with non toxic cleaning, and gave me some comfort knowing I was making positive changes for my family.
- Continue to evolve and look for new recipes and swap outs. “Know better, do better.” As you continue down this path, continuing to ask questions, follow groups that happily provide recipes and uses, get an essential oil book (this is the one I have), and use resources like Pinterest! It is amazing the recipes and information there.
- Remember – there are no rules! You can mix and match recipes. There is some amount of trial as you navigate this new world.
More specifics on my non-toxic cleaning –
My favorite cleaning oils are:
- Thieves (bye bye germs!)
- Lemon (the anti-gunk oil – good for all things sticky and degreasing)
- Pine (yummy smelling!)
- Lavender (calming and “happy” scented)
- Purification (adios bad smells)
- Rosemary
- Citrus Fresh
- Tea Tree (add to your foaming hand soap for skin support!)
- Orange
I found this graphic that is helpful, too:
Other non-toxic cleaning ingredients:
- Thieves Cleaner
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Vinegar
- Baking soda
- Borax
- Castille soap
- Cleaning brushes (steel wool is the best!)
- Glass spray bottles
General cleaning tips:
- Clean from top to bottom. As you clean, things will fall down, so don’t double to the work for yourself! Start with knocking down cobwebs, dusting, wiping off counters, and end with the floors.
- Keep your bathroom cleaning tools isolated to the bathroom (don’t wipe your bathroom counters and then use the same towel to wipe your kitchen counters). Or at least clean your bathroom last! Be cognizant of where you use specific cleaning tools, as you don’t want to spread germs!
- Take advantage of all multi-tasking opportunities! Start the laundry right off the get-go, so you can get multiple loads of laundry done while you clean. Start the dishwasher right off the bat so dishes are ready to be put away before you’re done, etc.
I hope you found this blog helpful! I hope it got you curious about non-toxic cleaning, has you asking questions, and doing research. Oh, and inspired you to clean up! Which I should probably take my own advise and go do… (sigh).
Until next time Beer Fam! Share this post, tag your friends and family, and tag me in your non-toxic cleaning posts! I’d love to see how you’re incorporating oils, how you’re going non-toxic, and what your favorite recipes are. I am always looking to adjust and revamp mine!
Cheers!
Beer in a Martini World 