The Eight Essential Ingredients for ALL your Natural Household Products
Updated: Jun 25
It’s spring, which means SPRING CLEANING! Aside from the season, it feels like many of us are cleaning more due to COVID-19. We not only have more time to focus on cleaning our spaces, but we’re probably hyper-aware of germs and bacteria at this time. But with stores running out of cleaning and sanitation supplies, we may feeling extra anxious at this time.
That’s where we can turn to Mother Nature for the answers. It may seem like another hippie soapbox speech, but nature IS healing. Many of today’s common household products, pharmaceutical medicines, and cosmetics are derived from compounds found in plants and minerals.
Studies have shown the effective power of natural items for disinfecting and killing bacteria. For example, basil oils have been shown to kill E. coli, listeria and salmonella bacteria. White Vinegar is near 100% effective at killing germs if you leave it on for at least 60 seconds, before wiping away.
I’ve been making and using my own natural products for years, from toothpaste powder to floor cleaner. Aside from the joy I find in making my own products (it’s just another ‘craft’ for this witchy woman to do), I’ve discovered so many benefits in this process.
Budget Friendly | Most of the ingredients to make your own products are used in multiple DIY cleaning recipes. This means you can buy in bulk and/or utilize those cleaning ingredients without them staying on the pantry shelves for years. It also means you save more money. Most DIY cleaning supplies cost $1 total (if you factor everything out) as compared to the $5-`$10 you spend at the stores.
Healthier | Many store bought products are chalked full of harmful chemicals and toxins. These are not only unhealthy for us, but our environment (including Mother Nature). Bleach for example is extremely corrosive to our skin and lung tissue. Plus, these chemical end up in our water systems after we ‘clean’ with them. DIY products use safe ingredients found in nature.
When starting your DIY natural cleaning journey, there are TONS of homemade recipes out there to choose from. This can be overwhelming. Instea