Fall Cleaning Using ONLY Non-Toxic Products and Simple DIYs
I love doing a thorough deep clean at the start of a new season. So now that Fall is here, I'm giving my apartment a refresh and taking you along with me!
Using low-tox cleaning products is a simple and effective way to reduce the overall amount of toxins in your home. If you think about it, your cleaning products touch virtually every surface in your home. Switching to low-tox cleaners can make a huge impact!
My other favorite part about low-tox cleaning?
It's inexpensive! Having different cleaners for every area of your home can add up in toxic load and cost. All the DIYs I use in my home are multi-purpose and only take a few simple and cost-effective ingredients.
Now, let's get cleaning…
I'm starting by sprinkling the carpets with Carpet Deoderizer, so it can set for about 2 hours while I clean the rest of my house. This is a great way to lift odors from your carpet - especially if you have pets.
DIY Carpet Deodorizer
2 cups baking soda
20 drops of essential oil
Mix together in a 16oz glass jar, sprinkle over your floors, and let sit for about 2 hours before vacuuming.
I'm using grapefruit essential oil because I love its uplifting citrus scent, but you can use whatever essential oil you want!
While that sits, I'm tackling the dishes in the sink. I'm using Jusu Dish Soap, which is all-natural and plant-based. You can read more about Jusu products here. If you want to opt for a DIY version, here's a simple one.
DIY Dish Soap
1¼ cup water
⅔ cup castile soap
20 drops of lemon essential oil
Lemon is a natural degreaser, so it's great for adding to your dish soap or cleaning sticky or greasy messes.
After the dishes are done, I take the carpet deodorizer and sprinkle it in the sink. This DIY works double duty to get your skin shining and refresh your garbage disposal. Give it a good scrub, and your sink will look brand new.
Next, I'm tackling windows, mirrors, and surfaces. For this, I'm using my simple vinegar-based multi-purpose cleaner. When you hear vinegar, you're probably wondering, "but the smell," or the other concern - "does it really clean?"
Let me put your mind at ease…
White distilled vinegar contains 5% acetic acid, which can dissolve dirt and grime and is an excellent disinfectant. I add essential oils to my cleaning products to mask the vinegar scent and for extra cleaning power.
DIY Multi-Purpose Cleaner
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
10-15 drops of lemon essential oil
Bonus - Add a drop of peppermint essential oil when cleaning windowsills to keep bugs out of your house!
After that's done, it's time to tackle the shower. This is probably everyone's least favorite chore, but it always feels so good when it's done! To tackle soap scum and hard water stains, I spray the shower and tub with my multi-purpose cleaner and then sprinkle it with baking soda.
Baking soda is a great, natural cleaner when you need to give surfaces, or even dishes, a good scrub.
Now that the bathroom is spotless, it's time to head to the bedroom. After throwing my sheets in the wash, I'm giving my mattress a refresh with DIY Furniture Refresher. Just sprinkle it on your bed, underneath your sheets!
DIY Furniture Refresher
¼ baking soda
20 drops of essential oils
*You can use whatever essential oils you want, but I'm doing 10 drops each of geranium and ylang ylang
Now that it's been about 2 hours, I'm going back and vacuuming up the carpet refresher. And let me tell you…my apartment smells amazing!
After that, it's time to throw my sheets in the dryer with my DIY dryer sheets. You can watch my full video of laundry DIYs here.
DIY Dryer Sheets
4oz vinegar
10-20 drops of essential oils
5 thin cloths
Store in a small glass jar.
You can clean along with me in my latest YouTube video linked below!
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