Keeping Your Hands and House Clean Without Chemicals
In an age when practically everyone on social media is an expert on something and the “aesthetic goals” of a tidy, organized living space invade your screen, leaving you overwhelmed and envious…we’re here to help you get back to the basics of safe cleaning products for you and your family.
Over the past few months, products like hand sanitizer and all-purpose cleaner spray bottles have seen their prime.
Crowds have cleared out entire shelves of disinfectant wipes making even the most novice cleaners resort to DIY cleaning products.
Just a simple search for “hand sanitizer” on Pinterest can result in thousands of images of pristine glass bottles with essential oil scents labeled on the front in typewriter font.
It feels like even the most mundane of household objects like glass cleaner can be glamorized thanks to social media.
Homemade Hand Sanitizer
The good news is that a mason jar filled with homemade hand sanitizer can be effective at killing germs and surprisingly simple to make.
While experts advise that you should always rely on soap and water first to effectively and successfully wash away virus germs, there is no harm in making your own hand sanitizer as an additional precaution.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), your homemade hand sanitizer should be alcohol-based containing at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water aren’t available.
To make your hand-sanitizer tough on harmful germs as per CDC guidelines, you should maintain a 2:1 proportion of alcohol to aloe vera.
In order to make an effective and simple hand sanitizer to keep at home or take with you as you bravely face the grocery store (face mask on, of course), you need a few easy-to-find ingredients:
- Isopropyl or rubbing alcohol (99 percent alcohol volume)
- Aloe vera gel
- An essential oil you like or lemon juice
To prepare: Clean the area that you will be using to make your hand sanitizer, and then wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly. Finally, ensure that the alcohol you’re using is NOT diluted.
Step 1: Take two parts isopropyl alcohol and one part aloe vera along with a few drops of lemon juice or your preferred essential oils, and mix them together in a thoroughly washed bowl with a clean spoon or whisk. Continue to mix all of the ingredients until they’re well blended.
Step 2: Without compromising the effectiveness of your hand sanitizer, transfer your hand sanitizer in a cleaned and dried bottle with a resealable lid or hand pump.
Safe and Non-toxic Cleaning Products for Your Home
Many brands claim to be “organic” or “all-natural,” but what does it take for a product to actually be considered non-toxic and a good alternative to traditional and harsh cleaning products?
One way to ensure that your products are safer for you and the environment is to make them at home.
Simply, a mixture of regular white vinegar and baking soda is the most natural way to clean your home. If you add some essential oils or lemon juice to your mixture, you have a clean and fresh scented cleaning solution for your kitchen and bathrooms.
However, if you’re looking for something even easier, you can find better smelling and ready-to-use products in stores.
Dr. Bronner’s
I have been a fan of Dr. Bronner’s products for a while now and have used their pure castile soap to wash my dishes, fresh produce and even my face and body.
This product is inherently simple and can be used to clean pretty much anything. With familiar ingredients, you don’t need to worry about using this soap–just make sure you dilute it.
When I purchase a bottle of their pure-castile liquid soap, it typically lasts an entire year. If this hasn’t sold you, their scents will. Some fan favorites include fresh and invigorating peppermint, often sold-out cherry blossom, and calming lavender.
Mrs. Myer’s Clean Day
If you really just want a cleaning product that smells heavenly and an added bonus is that it is good for you and better for the environment, Mrs. Meyer’s products are for you.
The brand’s multi-surface cleaning spray is an effective and safe essential that you can use to make your kitchen smell like a garden in peak bloom.
Well-known for the pleasant and dreamy basil scent, this product is a delight to have under your kitchen sink.
Bon Ami
One product that has been used for generations that your parents and grandparents probably swear by is Bon Ami Powder Cleanser.
Bon Ami is a gentle, yet effective scrub that can clean your countertops, bathtubs and kitchen sinks.
It’s pretty simple here, Bon Ami has been a household staple since 1886. Plus, it isn’t tested on animals, which means you can clean peacefully knowing this product is ethically sourced.
Clean Happy Without Chemicals
The next time you clean your house, hopefully you’ll find security in knowing a little more about safe solutions for scrubbing your tub or washing your fresh produce.
You don’t have to be a professional in order to do a good job cleaning without harsh chemicals, and you no longer have to worry about finding hand sanitizer that isn’t sold out.
Here at One’s Own, we want you to worry less about things like your mattress protector and focus on the important things. Your mattress protector should be something reliable, safe, simple and clean.
A One’s Own mattress protector helps you practice your dedication to clean, safe products and create your dream home safe from harsh chemicals.
These easy and affordable solutions might make life easier in this uncertain time so that you can spend your energy on more important things like starting that book series you’ve always wanted to read or family movie night!