Like most Moms, I love having my home clean! (I also love having it clutter-free, but with six people and three dogs, that is another story!)
But, who doesn’t like the idea that their home is clean? Unfortunately, most homes are cleaned with toxic chemicals and products that can lead to damaged immune systems and illness and even make it hard to breathe while doing the cleaning. And many of us don’t have enough hours in the day, so we feel like household cleaning and maintenance can fall to the wayside.
Here are just a few ways to naturally clean your home, quickly, and without harming your health:
- Change it up and create your own non-toxic blends:
- For crystal clear windows: Mix 10-15 drops of Lemon essential oil with 1 cup white vinegar and 1 quart water in a spray bottle.
- For kitchen and bathroom cleansing: Mix a few drops of Rosemary, Lemon, Eucalyptus, and Lavender essential oils together into 1 quart water. Use in a spray bottle.
- For cleaning floors: Add 5-10 drops Lemon and Spruce essential oils and 1/4 cup vinegar to a bucket of water.
- For general housecleaning: Add 3-5 drops of Lavender, Lemon, and Pine essential oils to a spray bottle with water and a squirt of dishwashing soap.
- Keep it simple – Instead of trying to figure out which cleaner to use for what, do what we do and use Young Living’s Thieves household cleaner for ALL cleaning needs (including windows and mirrors.) It has Rosemary, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Cinnamon Bark, and Cloves essential oils in it, so it cleans all while getting wonderful essential oils and smells into your home!
- Order your dish duty – When washing dishes, start with the items that touch your lips first (glasses, flatware, etc.) and then move from the cleanest to the dirtiest. If you want to refresh your water mid-way through, drain half of the water, add more dishwashing soap and/or essential oils as needed and refill the sink with hot water.
- Make it a race! – Time yourself to see how quickly you can breeze through the cleaning. Or better yet, set a race for your kiddos! They have fun competing and you don’t have to do the dirty work. It’s a win-win! 🙂
- Create a system – When I vacuum, I go the same route every time so that I maximize my strength and use the most efficient process. Figure out what things need to be done and do them in the same order every time. When you do, your brain will kick into autopilot so you can be coming up with new things and solving problems whilst cleaning!
- Don’t Overdo it – Leave the deep clean for once every couple weeks (or more if you have a really busy family). Remember that your husband and children won’t remember how dirty or clean your house was, but they’ll remember the time you spent with them. So don’t stress if your floors have dog hair or your ceiling fan isn’t dusted—do what you can and enjoy the little things.
You CAN have a healthy, clean home that doesn’t make you sick in order to get it clean! Here’s to your health and a clean home!
