Healthy Home: How to Clean

A small house will get dirtier a lot faster than a large one, and it’s important to make your home feel welcoming, tidy and well…clean! Keep a duster around and do a whole house vacuum a few times a week. The good news is with fewer square feet comes fewer carpets.

One thing you really should look out for is avoiding harmful chemicals in conventional cleaners by choosing plant-based options instead. Many regular house hold cleaning products have toxic chemicals in them that we are often spreading throughout the house, without realizing.

We often are even tracking in unkown chemicals into our homes through shoes which collect outdoor pollutants like pesticides, heavy metals and bacteria, and if you don’t stop at the front door, these pollutants will be tracked all over your home. Put a chair or bench in your entryway to encourage your family members and your guests to sit and take their shoes off as soon as they enter your home. 

Here are some steps you can take to make your home a more healthy place:

• Use vinegar instead of bleach, baking soda to scrub your tiles, and hydrogen peroxide to remove stains.

• Vinegar also removes grease and soap buildup.

• Need a window cleaner? Try diluted lemon juice or vinegar. Use borax to inhibit mold growth, boost the cleaning power of soap or detergent, remove stains -- even kill cockroaches, when sugar is mixed in.

• Vaccuum at least twice a week to avoid dust build-up (and save your lungs).

• You can even make your own homemade cleaners. (click the link to learn more).