I have been trying to create a more natural life, one that harms the environment less and yet still provides me with everything I need. One of the first steps I took was to start recycling. Since I’ve spent most of my life in a town of less than 3,000 people, recycling has never been the forethought in people’s minds. Moving to a bigger city allowed me to embrace recycling and the enjoyment I received from it was beyond description. Every week when I took the recycling out, I just stood there and acknowledged the sheer amount of items I was saving from being shipped off to the landfill. It amazed me how much trash a two person household could create. Unfortunate events lead me back to living in a small town recently, so I haven’t been able to recycle the way I want, but it has inspired me to apply this concept to other parts of my life.
Another benefit of moving to more natural endeavors is that I can save my family a lot of money. One of the largest unnecessary expenses, as I see it, are cleaning supplies. I must have bought 20 different cleaning products for my home, most of which I rarely used (being a homemaker has never been my strong suit) and the expense was nuts. At at least $3 a pop, that’s $60 in cleaning supplies that needs to be bought at least once a year. That doesn’t include things like laundry detergent, dish soap, dishwashing liquid, and hygiene products. Of course, with cleaning products a concern is always whether natural products can clean as well as the commercial ones. Vinegar, which is natural and really inexpensive, is reported to kill 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of germs (viruses). This is the same vinegar that can be purchased in any grocery store and is easily accessible to most anyone. So it doesn’t take a lot of money or privilege to keep a house sanitary.
Vinegar isn’t perfect, as reported by CNN this natural disinfectant didn’t do as well as commercial products like Lysol, Mr. Clean and Clorox. To some people this may not dissuade you because you know that our Society’s obsession with killing germs will eventually lead all of us to living in plastic bubbles because our immune systems will be unable to handle contact with the outside. For others you may be concerned for your kids and personal health, especially if you already have a disease which compromises your immune system. Well, you don’t have to go back to commercial cleaners. In addition to Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide makes an excellent natural disinfectant. Hydrogen Peroxide is just an oxygenated bleach*, similar to the Oxiclean product that is being sold nationwide. Used in conjunction with Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide can help bridge the gap between natural and commercial cleaners. Just remember not to mix these two together into one solution, as it creates Peracetic Acid which is toxic; apply them both separately to the needed area. Peracetic Acid is toxic through inhalation, absorption through the skin and ingestion.
The vinegar most often used for this sterilization process is plain white, but there have been reports of success using apple cider vinegar as well. The hydrogen peroxide is the same 3% solution found in most stores. For those who dislike the smell of vinegar, or have loved ones who do, a dash of lemon juice, or essential oil, can nip that in the bud.
Another great disinfectant that is natural is Tea Tree Oil. The disinfectant was first researched in the early 20th century. Tea Tree Oil is also used as an essential oil, though some find the aroma too potent (like my dear husband), and Tea Tree Oil, like most essential oils, can be lethal to cats. Tea Tree Oil can be applied directly, or diluted in water. It can also be mixed with soap or lotion for beauty regiments.
I don’t know anything about commercial natural cleaners, but I figure why pay for the label when I can get the same results for much less
* In every-day culture, the word “bleach” is almost exclusively defined as the sodium hypochlorite, A.K.A. chlorine bleach, but that’s not technically correct
