Keep these 5 essentials in stock at all times to simplify having a nontoxic home. Quick and easy DIYs to replace toxic products in your home.
I make a lot of DIY recipes for products in our house. Yes, I know I can just go to a store and buy hand soap or dishwasher detergent. But what I also know is that while the products filling the shelves at the stores are convenient to buy, they aren’t doing our bodies any favors.
I only choose to DIY things that are extremely simple. Very few ingredients. Small number of steps to make. Minimal time needed. It is important to be proactive taking care of our bodies now, by eating the right food, exercising, and reducing the number of toxins we are exposed to. Being proactive now means that we will have less to react to later in life in terms of health concerns.
By keeping a few essentials in stock in your home at all times, the transition to a nontoxic home is much easier. You won’t have to make last minute trips to the store when you run out of something, because you have these essentials in stock and can whip more up easily.
Reasons to have a Nontoxic Home
Flip over any cleaning or personal care product in stores and see if you know any of the ingredients. Odds are that almost all of them sound like gibberish to you. And while these products get the job done, they are also doing many other things to your bodies that you may not see for years to come. And in the meantime, all of these chemicals build up in your system. Your body can’t get rid of all of them fast enough and quickly becomes overwhelmed. This leads to many different skin issues, allergies, asthma, suppression of your immune system, etc…
Making the switch to a nontoxic home also helps you feel better while you clean. Before I made the switch, I used to get massive headaches while cleaning. We have been taught to “fix” our headache by popping a magic pill, but that doesn’t resolve the underlying issue. That headache is your body telling you something. Listen to it. Don’t mask the symptoms.
My number 1 reason for wanting a nontoxic home is for my kids. Does keeping toxic cleaning products away from your kids stress you out? Do you want to teach your kids to help out around the house, but can’t hand off tasks due to the products you use? Are your kids constantly getting sick? For all of these reasons and more, I made the switch to nontoxic products in our home.
Now, my kids help me clean any area of the house, because the products are safe. I don’t need to stress out about it getting on their hands or in their mouth. AND I’m not suppressing their immune system by overloading their bodies with toxic products. This is the freedom you can have by making the switch to a nontoxic home.
Nontoxic Home Essentials
So, what are the essentials for keeping a simple nontoxic home!? This can vary from house to house, but I like to keep 5 products in stock at all times so that I can easily make refills. Although there are still a few products I buy in stores, I prefer to make my own now for the most part because I know exactly what ingredients are going in it. As long as it is a super simple DIY of course!
The most cost-effective way to purchase these nontoxic home essentials is in bulk. Stock up when it’s on sale. Utilize your Costco or Sam’s Club membership. This will help you save even more.
Castile Soap
Castile soap is a nontoxic soap that is perfect for lots of home DIYs. My favorite way to use it is to make my own foaming hand soap for the whole house. Yes, I could go to a store and buy hand soap. However, store hand soaps are filled with tons of toxic chemicals and artificial fragrances. None of these are doing any favors for our bodies. By keeping castile soap in stock at all times, I can easily refill my glass foaming hand soap bottle at a fraction of the price. It’s a DIY that is so easy, even my 6- and 8-year-olds can do it.
Make sure that you purchase unscented castile soap to avoid the chemicals used to create artificial fragrances!
Epsom Salt
Again, unscented Epsom salts are the way to go. Epsom salts are great to keep around for baths of course. During the winter months, detox baths are a great way to help your immune system out. They pull impurities out so that your immune system can work more efficiently.
I also love making a laundry scent booster and one of the main ingredients is Epsom salt. Epsom salt is dissolves easily in the washer machine water and releases the scent onto your clothes. It also acts as a natural softener.
Baking Soda
Buy baking soda in bulk! It is so versatile. Aside from baking purposes, baking soda is great if you need some extra scrubbing power. Sprinkle a little on top of the mess, spray with your cleaner, and scrub. The baking soda adds some texture that helps get tougher jobs done.
Baking soda is also a natural deodorizer. Perfect for many cleaning DIYs, or even to just stick a small dish of it in the back of the refrigerator to keep it from smelling.
I also use baking soda in a laundry scent booster to get rid of bad odors, but also because it is a natural brightener for clothes.
Citric Acid
Citric acid is a fantastic cleaning ingredient because it disinfects, killing bacteria and viruses. This is a great ingredient to add to your dishwasher powder and toilet cleaner.
Essential Oils
I have talked a lot about avoiding artificial fragrances because they are loaded with toxic chemicals. So how do you make things smell good!?
Essential oils are a nontoxic and effective way to add fragrances back into your home. The best part is that you get to use your favorite fragrances and switch it up as often as you like. Even starting out with just a few essential oils, you still can make a variety of fragrance combinations. They are also a great way to ditch the candles in your home and still have your house smell amazing!
My absolute favorite essential oil for cleaning is Lemon. It smells so fresh and clean, plus it is the best at removing sticky residue and grease! Perfect for cleaning anything and everything. Orange is another favorite for cleaning and has similar properties to Lemon. Lavender is the universal essential oil for pretty much anything, so I always keep several bottles in stock. Thieves essential oil is great at kicking germs to the curb, and Tea Tree is good to use if you are struggling with mold and mildew.
How to Transition to a Nontoxic Home
Many people hear “nontoxic”, and they think “expensive”! But that doesn’t have to be the case. Although there are some brands out there that are pricey, there is a way to do it on a budget. First, don’t throw out everything in your whole house at once! Choose one thing at a time to replace, or one room at a time if your budget allows.
Two simple swaps are your hand soap and household cleaner. These are two items that are used constantly throughout the day and make a huge impact your health. Washing hands is something we all do many times throughout the day. And each time your skin absorbs toxic chemicals. Ditch the store-bought hand soaps and go for a super simple DIY foaming hand soap that saves you money AND is toxin free!
Your household cleaner is another item that can be swapped easily. I use and LOVE my nontoxic all-purpose cleaner for our home. It is plant-based, nontoxic, and has never given me a single headache! The best part is that this is an all-purpose cleaner. By making this swap, you can throw away so many different bottles of cleaners for just this one. That simplifies the clutter in your cleaning cabinet and gets rid of loads of toxic chemicals.
By slowly replacing products with safe alternative products and DIYs, you are making a difference in your families’ current and future health. A commitment to be good stewards of the only body you have for the rest of your life.
What room or product will you start with first? Let me know in the COMMENTS or ask any questions!
My Favorite Simple DIYs:
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Shop this Post:
- Castile soap, unscented
- Epsom salt
- Baking soda
- Citric acid
- Essential oils (favorites for cleaning)
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