January Cleaning-Part One: The Natural and Healthy Way to Clean Your Home

 Hello there! I hope you are all having a fabulous Friday! For today's post I want to expand a bit on something I mentioned in my previous post: January Cleaning! What perfect timing, too because many of of clean on Saturday and the end of the month is near! For the usual "spring cleaning" enthusiast, may I suggest a deviation in routine? Try doing your over-haul, re-organizing, spiff-up-the-place fest in January and February instead. Why? Because when it is finally warm enough to venture outside (which is a very exciting thing to someone in upper state NY -like me), who even wants the temptation to spend hours cleaning indoors! Of course, if you live in a year-round warm climate, or if you don't have a yard to prep or a strong desire to go outside until the temps are safely in the 70's, then I suppose the only draw to spring clean early is that it will be done and over with and it is also a great thing to do to accompany the "I will start over fresh" and "I am motivated to clean body and soul" feeling that seems January's right. 

For those of you who know me, I am an absolute neat freak -to the point where I seriously need to chill out a bit -and actually, I am improving significantly since having three children. I will even take a picture of the supply of crumbs on my kitchen floor substantial enough to sustain a nest of field mice through the winter if you want the proof. (I need to blog a separate post on my journey in over-coming neat-freak-itis and actually loving the mess because I love who made it, while also not abandoning my firm belief that a clean house is important and reduces stress and that children MUST be taught to do chores -but perhaps another day when I am not trying to beat the napping baby clock) . 

 Another tidbit about my mom and I is that we are a couple of tree-huggin', granola lovin', environmental advocating, organic and natural promoting, whole living, holistic hippies (and I mean that in the very nicest way). Ask me later how dynamic and interesting (in a very GOOD way) my life is being an natural, holistic gal and also being married to a doctor. :-) Wait! Don't leave! Let me try to explain our cause and perhaps shed some light on the subject. Just stick with me here because this may be a bit lengthy -but I am a writer so if you are ever expecting a quick blurb from me you will be sorely disappointed and you may find me quite annoying. That said, I will continue on for the sake of those enduring enough to stick around. Being the 'strange' way we are and being advocates of these things, my mother and I occasionally encounter skeptics and nay-sayers in terms of how we live, the products we use, and the food we buy. One of the points of this blog is to further explain why we chose the things we do and live the way we live -to demystify the process of embracing a natural lifestyle, and to invite you to really do your research in terms of the conventional main-stream way of health and wellness, versus the natural path aka take-on the taboo. 

My mom and I have done over a decade of research and personal experimentation and we feel fully confident in the things we suggest, promote, or condone on this blog. (Be aware that nothing we post, of course, is meant to override or trump what your personal physician says or to diagnose or take over physician prescribed treatments). I used to use the main-stream, popular cleaning products out there years ago, but when I researched the facts about these products and made the switch to natural, our families health (and my now obsolete asthma) improved beyond measure. One trick to realize is that some bacteria is GOOD! If you are disinfecting your house with awful things like bleach, even after an illness, you are setting yourself up for further health problems and hazards down the road. There is wisdom to the old adage, "a little dirt won't kill you". It is actually vital to you. And by a little dirt, I don't mean willingly playing host to staph and flu virus, there are natural ways that are just as effective as the usual strong chemicals in ridding your home of these dangerous bugs. I literally cringe when I see the Clorox wipes abounding in my sons classroom at school. :-( In terms of environmental impact, well -natural cleaning companies are FAR more environmentally responsible in production and manufacturing than conventional or large corporations which pump out countless harmful products with abandon and little to no concern over their environmental footprint. Statistics in this area are disturbing to say the least, but there are things we can do as individuals that DO make a difference -contrary to what some may say. 

Some of you may be asking: "Doesn't this cost more?" and "How can I afford natural cleaning products on my budget?" Let me assure you, my family subsists on a medical residents income -not the greatest. We also used natural cleaners in medical school and there was almost no income at all. In other words, we know ALL about tight budgets. The fact is that many cleaners can be made using household ingredients such as baking soda, thyme, and lemons.Here are some websites with recipes for homemade cleaning solutions: http://www.allyou.com/budget-home/organizing-cleaning/homemade-cleaning-products-00411000074397/ and http://organizedhome.com/clean-house/pantry-recipes-homemade-cleaning-products. Many natural cleaning companies make their products concentrated in form and provide you with a refill bottle of their product so all you do is pour the concentrated solution into the bottle you use to spray and dilute the solution with water. I had one of these refill cleaners last me over a year.That is right, I didn't have to buy glass cleaner for over a YEAR! That said, sure, the bottle of Seventh Generation disinfectant is a few dollars more than Clorox, but this is an investment in the health of my family. I am more than willing to cut back on some other things in life to make room for their well-being. Also, it is pretty nice not having to fork it over for my inhaler prescription each month (mind you that my asthma is better under control from increased cardio and eating right in addition to lessening my exposure to household chemicals). Another benefit of natural cleaning is my peace of mind concerning the immediate risk to my children being reduced. If my child accidentally ingests (still, keep ALL products out of chidlren's reach -even natural ones) my natural toilet cleaner made mainly from Fir, Cyprus, and Thyme, the advice is to give them a full glass of water and report it to a physician -not call poison control right away because my kids insides are melting.

I know, to many of you I sound nuts, but as I said before, my mom and I would not suggest or promote anything to others that I have not extensively researched and tried for myself and my family. I hope that you will do your own research and learn more about protecting your families health and well-being. Here are some wonderful websites, scientifically based or accredited ones at that, to further or begin your own research into household cleaning products.:

http://www.seventhgeneration.com/seventh-generation-mission/environmental-footprint

http://www.melaleuca.com/

http://planet-hugger.com/articles/green-cleaning-vs-conventional/

http://www.sierraclubgreenhome.com/go-green/cleaning/green-household-cleaning/

http://www.ehow.com/list_7200219_pros-cons-green-cleaning-products.html

http://www.motherearthliving.com/natural-cleaning/eight-natural-homemade-cleaners.aspx

Phew! Now that is out in the open I feel like I can freely post topics and photos concerning this subject without having to explain myself every time! Aaaaand, there is the baby buzzer. I will post a few pictures while she plays in her crib before she starts screeching for lunch (and her screech is adorable, by the way.:-) The pictures included are some cleaners I have in my home that I adore. I make my own cleaners as well, but I buy pre made, too just depending on what I have, what I am out of, and what errands I can run the day that I am out. I hope that you at least skim through the websites provided and get to know the benefits of using natural home cleaning products for yourself! Have a great day! 

My current array of store-bought natural cleaners. I also refrain from using paper towels and instead use cleaning cloths with I simply throw in the wash when I am done.

These are my go-to laundry products.

This is a bit off subject, but in case you are looking for a hand-cleaner when you can't wash your hands, this is the best product I have found sans alcohol or harmful anti-bacterial ingredients.

I can't believe I am posting a picture of a throne, but I want to show you how squeaky clean the Seventh Generation toilet cleaner gets this pot. Did I mention that this is in the boys bathroom -the two boys inclined to make sport and games of doing their business? It get's messy in here, but the Emerald Cyprus and Fir (sans hydrochloric acid and nasty petroleum) makes it look like this throne has never seen a bum.