Wow. That's a lot of hyphens in that title. Am I right?
It's no secret that I've got a little bit of hippie in me. From my days as an undergrad at College of Charleston to my love of Dispatch to my affinity for wall tapestries (I seriously have to restrain myself to keep them out of my house to this day), one thing is clear: I'm a secret hippie.
So it’s no surprise that I am all about keeping harmful chemical junk out of my body and home. And you really don’t need to be a fake/secret hippie to feel this way. Don’t we all love surrounding ourselves and our loved ones with good-for-you things? Geez, there I go with the hyphens again.
A couple of months ago, when HDawg started sitting in his highchair, I realized that I didn’t have a good way to clean the chair after he ate. We use mostly “all natural” products around our house, but I’ve quickly learned that even when the label on the product says “green” or “natural,” it could still have some chemical junk in it. You have to be very careful to read the ingredients on that stuff!
It really bothered me that I was cleaning an item that HDawg basically licks three times a day with chemical-based substances. So I did a little research and found a recipe for this awesome DIY natural cleaner. Here’s the recipe breakdown.
R E C I P E :
1/2 gallon of water
1/2 cup of vinegar
1/4 cup of baking soda
Simply mix all ingredients and pour into a spray bottle for use.
At first, I was a little skeptical of how well this DIY cleaner would work. But after testing it, it proved itself. One morning after a banana smashing breakfast adventure, I tried to wipe down the chair with just water and a paper towel. It had been about thirty minutes since HDawg ate, so the food was a little… well, grounded to the highchair. [Ew, who does that?! I do it all the time. Not me.] The water didn’t budge the gross, dried food. But the DIY spray? One squirt and the mess wiped right up. Boo-yah.
After each time he eats, I spray the highchair down with the homemade spray and then every other day I spray the highchair down with Method Antibacterial Kitchen spray. It’s only something like 5% natural ingredients, but it has a great smell and important antibacterial power. I use pretty much the same routine on my kitchen counters. By using both types of sprays, I feel like it’s the best of both worlds.
I know some of you might disagree and say, Michelle, just use the regular old kitchen cleaner. We all grew up with it and we’re fine. I totally get that. But my thoughts are, if there’s a natural version available, that’s a better choice for my family. I’m actually reading Jessica Alba’s book, The Honest Life, right now. It’s such an eye-opener! I’m definitely taking it with a grain of salt, but it’s such good information about incorporating an all-natural approach in all elements of your life, including home, food, baby and beauty.
Speaking of beauty, I’ve been hard at work researching and testing some products that you guys recommended in this post. So far, I’ve got some great skin care tips and ideas (make-up is next!) that I plan to share with you next week. Get excited!
And for kicks, I have to include my favorite HDawg high chair picture, ev-er.
So tell me, do you guys use natural cleaners? Have any DIY recipes of your own to share?
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We use a baking soda scrub for the bathtub and showers, and my sister in India uses it for just about everything! It's cheap and works well, two things we really appreciate.
ReplyDeleteI will have to try that cleaner! I am reading Jessica's book, too and I feel like I need to throw out everything and just start over again! It is really an eye-opener. I hope you and HDawg have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI've recently started using my own cleaner made from water, vinegar, and dish soap which works really well too. I love a truly all natural product though. So many companies are guilty of "green washing" and calling their product "green" or saying it's good for the environment when it really isn't.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing that! I am just beginning to look into safer household items as well with an 8 week old baby. Loving that high chair pic.
ReplyDeleteWe use a vinegar/water mixture ALL The time for cleaning, and baking soda for the sink, tub, and rugs! I think it smells nicer than some of the chemical alternatives.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we use bleach but that's usually when we move into a new place and I am on a cleaning rampage.
This was actually on my to-do list for today! We've been needing a spray bottle to clean our new floors and I wanted to make a natural cleaner for the high chair (right now I use Honest multi-surface spray... more Alba love)
ReplyDeleteI'd really skip the baking soda and use it on its own. When vinegar and baking soda combine, it neutralizes them (acid and a base, chemistry 101), so to speak, so you lose the disinfectant powers of the vinegar!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this! I am big into making my own cleaning products as well...can't wait to try this one!
ReplyDeleteI just clean the high chair with dish soap water. I get a clean rag, with just water, and clean the baby, and then I clean the rag in clean, soapy dishwater, and use that to clean the counter/high chair/table/etc. I am kind of anit-anti bacterial stuff...I think we need bacteria. But I love having a clean house...I guess just not a germ free one? Your baby is adorable.
ReplyDeleteWilma
I agree with Nicole. Vinegar has anti-bacterial properties, so you could just spray down with straight vinegar once a week and skip the Method cleaner all together, unless you are really addicted to the smell. :) Of course, I also agree with anonymous, we've got to build our immune systems, and there are good bacteria around, too. Everything in moderation, right? Yay hippies!
ReplyDeleteRight now we don't overly make an effort to be all natural, but I have a feeling that will change greatly after we start to have children. We're careful about what we eat, but we use the big dog cleaners when it comes to the house. Vinegar never really gets the mold and things out in our older house.
ReplyDeleteWe've been getting really into natural cleaner lately- vinegar is an awesomeeee cleaner when mixed with so many different things (baking soda, dawn dish detergent, etC). now we're moving into natural foods too (farm fresh eggs, farm stand veggies)...it makes me feel much more comfortable with what we're surrounding ourselves with and what we're putting into our bodies.
ReplyDeleteHilarious picture! I use an all natural cleaner from here: http://mbgreencleaning.myshaklee.com/us/en/category.php?main_cat=HomeCare&
ReplyDeleteLove it!
I can't wait to hear what you have found with the skincare and makeup options! I love that you are taking your chemical free attitude to cleaning supplies too! Was there any residual smell with the vinegar solution?
ReplyDeleteFor the high chair tray: hot, soapy water in the sink. Occasional spins through the dishwasher.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been using these wonderful recipe for months and LOVE them! Most important thing I like about them is their "Eco friendly " nature. That is suitable for my family. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat recipe. Instead of vinegar I add lemon juice. It smells fantastic. I started to clean with natural ingredients few years ago. Greetings!
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