All Natural Cleaning Essentials for the Busy Mama
My favorite all natural cleaning essentials are safe, effective and affordable…but most important? They save this busy mama so much time!
Today I’m sharing my list of all natural cleaning essentials, and I’ll show you just how easy it is to have a clean home that is safe for your family!
When my husband and I decided that we wanted to reduce the toxins and chemicals in our home, I was very overwhelmed at first. There were so many products on the cleaning aisle…I stood there reading labels and ingredients for a good fifteen or twenty minutes.
Which ones were safe?
Which were affordable?
Which ones actually worked?
I’ll be honest…I loved my chemicals. Before kids, everything had to be sparkling perfectly all the time. When Ethan was born, all of that changed. I loosened up a lot, but cleaning was still so stressful for me.
I was constantly looking over my shoulder, hoping he wasn’t getting a hold of my cleaning products and drinking them. Or rushing around during nap time, hoping I could get it all done before he woke up.
One day it finally clicked. There’s got to be a better way – a SAFER way – to have a clean home.
Was it really possible without Windex? Or Pledge? What about my beloved Clorox Toilet Gel?
I can assure you, it is possible! Believe me. If anyone has a high standard, it’s me – and these all natural cleaning essentials will ease your mind in a heart beat.
I have been safely cleaning my home for six years now, chemical free. And what I use now works just as well, in fact BETTER and FASTER than any of the cleaners listed above.
This post contains affiliate links. For my full disclosure, click here. I am a Norwex Independent Sales Consultant.
Why All Natural Cleaning? Are conventional cleaners really that dangerous?
Yes! They truly are.
A lot of the products you find on the cleaning aisle contain harsh chemical compounds that could cause serious long-term damage after repeated use. Many of them contain phthalates, ammonia, chlorine bleach, and fragrances which contain hormone disrupters.
I could go on and on, but don’t take my word for it, do your own research!
Is All Natural Cleaning expensive?
No! In fact you will SAVE so much money by switching to safer, all natural options!
Do All-Natural Cleaners take up more of your time?
Absolutely not! In fact, my absolute FAVORITE cleaning cloth will save you HOURS.
All Natural Cleaning Essentials
So here’s a list of my favorite all natural cleaning must-haves, and why you should have them, too!
Norwex Microfiber Cloths
The first item on my list of all natural cleaning essentials are my Norwex microfiber cloths. Mama, if you get nothing else from this article, please – do yourself a favor and get one of these enviro-cloths.
I clean my ENTIRE home with these cloths and all you need is water. No chemicals, no fumes, no harmful toxins. Just water!
It sounds too good to be true, but these cloths were a miracle for me. They remove 99.9% of bacteria from surfaces, and they have silver woven throughout them so that the cloths literally self purify as they hang to dry.
If you want to know more about these cloths, I made an entire video that’s devoted to them that you can find in this post, ha! That’s how much I love these things.
I use them to dust my entire home, to wash windows and mirrors, to clean bathroom sinks, my stainless steel appliances, my kitchen countertops, pretty much everything.
And by the way, they leave every surface sparkling clean and streak free. No more buffing your stove top over and over and over…you are free to cook bacon daily if you want to!
Vinegar
Distilled white vinegar has so many great uses! It cuts through mold and mildew in the bathroom, and I love using it to give my kitchen sink a good cleaning. I will share one of my favorite vinegar cleaning recipes below!
Castile Soap
While the enviro cloth is wonderful for wiping down surfaces and removing bacteria, every once in a while you need something stronger to cut through soap scup that has built up over time. Enter Castile soap!
I love Castile soap for so many reasons. I used it to help clear up my adult acne and I also love using it for hand soap and body wash. Did you know that Castile soap is actually safe enough to use as toothpaste! I’ve never tried it, but how amazing to have such a powerful, all natural cleaning tool that is safe for our families!
Essential Oils
We are big essential oil users here! My all time favorite essential oil for cleaning is lemon oil. It’s both antibacterial and antiviral, but best of all it leaves a fresh, citrus scent behind when you clean! I have also used wild orange and grapefruit oil which have similar properties and smell amazing.
Another favorite essential oil of mine is melaleuca or tea tree oil. Melaleuca is antibacterial, antimicrobial and anti-fungal. It has awesome cleaning power and fights germs and mildew.
Glass Spray Bottles
I love using these bottles for homemade cleaning solutions, all natural odor removers and room sprays. The best thing about them? They are pretty and I can leave them right out on the countertop!
All Natural Cleaning Essential Recipe
I primarily use this spray for cleaning my kitchen and bathroom sinks. I also spray our showers with it and follow up with Castile soap. I don’t ever mix vinegar with Castile soap in the same bottle, it’s just never worked well for me. The mixture always gets chunky and clogs up my sprayer.
For this recipe I use a 16 oz glass spray bottle (linked above).
My Favorite All Natural Cleaning Recipe:
Equal parts distilled white vinegar and water
20-25 drops of essential oils
Sometimes I will spray my entire shower with this mixture, then pump some Castile soap onto my sponge and scrub my tile if the soap scup is really built up.
If you aren’t the DIY/homemade cleaner type, Norwex also sells some amazing all-natural cleaning products that do wonders.
This cleaning paste removes soap scum and cuts through grime. It’s a little pricey, but I save mine for the big, dirty jobs and it has lasted me six years.
This descaler works to cut through lime and scale deposits as well as calcium and rust. I LOVE this stuff! Again, it isn’t cheap but I just ran out of mine and I purchased it 6 years ago. I try to save these products for the deep deep cleaning I do every few months. My envirocloth does the rest!
So there you have it! I hope this post was a help to you. Of course there are other all natural cleaning solutions that I didn’t mention here, but this is what works for me.
Do you love to clean naturally like we do? Let me know in the comments below!
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HelloAndrea, i just read your cleaning safely. If i order Norwex from the link will you get the credit? Also I was wondering what is the bar soap in the picture? Thank you so much for the tips. I am going to do them. What do you use for the toilet?
I grew up with 3 brothers😊 the only girl, i was the oldest. We had great fun. My grandma told my mom she was raising puppies not boys😁 God Bless
Hello Shelley!!
Hahaha that is so funny!! 🙂 Yes, if you order through that link I will get credit! Thank you so much for asking!! I use my vinegar spray for the initial wipe down, but every once and a while I use the Descaler for those dark rings that appear. It is a little pricey but it lasts months and months and I love that it’s all natural!
Hope this helps! 🙂
Thank you so much andrea!:) what do you use to clean surfaces like wood ?
I use my Enviro Cloth actually! For my dining room table I use a soapy sponge, but my enviro cloth works great on my coffee and side tables. 🙂
Yes my neighbor has a setting for 12 and also a platter 2big bowls and the salt&pepper shakers that she is wanting to sale and I was wondering if you might be able to help her out with these which would be better for her to sale them as a set or part them out ty and waiting for a answer from you
Hmm I would say maybe check ebay for pricing and see what they go for? I honestly don’t know. I usually pay thrift store prices so $1-$2 per piece…it all depends on what she is looking to get out of them!
Hello Andrea,
I was wondering if you could please let me know the exact kind and brand of Castile soap you used to clear up your adult acne. I struggle with the same since having my son. Thanks!
Hello, I would love to! This is the brand I use, and this lasts me forever! https://amzn.to/3iFroWw
Hi Andrea, I really enjoyed this post. I also have 3 boys (all under 4 right now!) and have been thinking about switching to natural cleaners, but felt overwhelmed. This post was so great in getting me started, so thank you for that! I was curious what you use for dish soap, stain remover for clothing (you know how it is with 3 boys!), and laundry detergent? I feel like I have at least one piece of clothing soaking in my sink at all times. Thank you again for your tips!
Hello! I am so glad it was helpful, I actually use Norwex detergent as well, it works wonders and cleans my microfiber cloths well. I know Norwex can be an investment, but their products work so well and last forever for me. I think any pure and clean detergent would work. For a stain remover, I have tried a few different homemade recipes, but I’ve learned it depends on the stain to be honest. Soaking does help too when the stains are bad! For dish soap, I use a pure and clean one as well. I just try to avoid fragrances and dyes. I hope this helps momma! I understand with the boys! Praying for you!