This cleaner is easy and quick to make, and it actually works. It will save you trips to the store, the expense of ‘premium’ household cleaning supplies, and it’s completely free of VOCs.
Making a homemade all-purpose cleaner was one of the best decisions we ever made in creating a healthy home for ourselves and our kids, and we want to help you make that choice too.
With three young boys running around, dirt quite literally everywhere, and potty training in progress, we were finding ourselves pulling out the cleaner more often than ever. We never really used the mega-harsh cleaners because the smells of them always gave us headaches, but we were definitely guilty of using some floor cleaners and some bathroom cleaners that weren’t at the top of the health scale.
I was noticing that I was being affected mostly by the scents in the cleaners, especially when I was using them so often. I noticed it more often in smaller spaces I was cleaning such as the bathrooms (definitely poorer ventilation than larger rooms). It is just such a strong presence, and it has lingering effects such as headaches and nose irritation.
I’m sure many of us have had headaches or irritations from unknown causes, that we can now link back to times when we were cleaning or in the presence of harsh chemicals.
We got thinking about how if it was affecting us this much, it must be affecting the kids.
Not only are they much smaller than us, but
Not good.
So here we are. We have been using this recipe since 2019, and it’s here to stay.
Combine equal parts of water and vinegar into a glass spray bottle, add ½ tsp of dish soap. Shake it up, and use it for wood, glass, countertops, and appliances.
This makes a streak-free cleaner, and we use it for everything except the floors. It’s surprisingly good at removing oil and residue from countertops and cleans the bathrooms like a charm.
Needless to say, since the switch to this recipe, the kids help with cleaning a lot more these days, and nobody gets wild headaches from the smells of cleaners anymore. It’s a win-win!
To learn more about volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in cleaning products, read our article breaking down the information on ingredients, side effects, and what to look out for.
Cheers to your health!
Bailey
