Does a Clean House Have to be Filled with Toxins?
Most people agree when you spend time cleaning your home you want to know that it is actually clean. This is why many of us have defaulted to the same cleaning products for years without much thought or evaluation. In addition, if someone in the household is sick one of the first products you probably reach for is Clorox or lysol to kill unwanted germs. However, we don’t necessarily think through the harm that the chemicals in these products are contributing to the toxin load of the house. Many household cleaning products such as Clorox contain phthalates, have unwanted harmful interactions with other cleaning products, and can be absorbed through the skin. Just think about how many times a surface that has been wiped down with a Clorox wipe is touched by a child and then their hands wander into their mouth. This can not only disrupt the intestinal tract but according to the Safety Data Sheet provided by the Clorox company ,0.08% of the mixture consists of ingredient(s) of unknown toxicity. This means there are certain ingredients that there is no knowledge as to what the dangers and long term impacts are and therefore they cannot be disclosed. This is not to mention that many cleaning products are filled with heavy fragrance which contains endocrine disrupting chemicals.
But does this mean that it is unattainable to want a clean home?
Absolutely not!
This is one reason why one of the first vendors we decided to carry at T.E. Market is Nood Clean. We have spent an enormous amount of time testing cleaning products that are not only safe, but actually work. Not to mention this is a local multigenerational family owned company that believes heavily in the mission of developing safe and effective cleaning products for every home. One of my favorite things is that all of the ingredients used inside the products are disclosed on the front of each container. In addition, they make their products in small 5lb batches to ensure they never compromise quality. The All Purpose Cleaner (I use it on almost every surface) is my top favorite item, however, the product I want to talk about today is their Castile soap which does not get as much attention as it deserves. Castile soap is derived from different quality oils such as olive oil, coconut, jojoba, and almond oils. It can be used to make a variety of cleaning products in your home with very few other ingredients such as foaming hand soap, hardwood floor mop soap, and fruit and vegetable wash. I am going to post a few recipes below to make cleaning products from Castile soap as well as link a large dilution cheat sheet. The ability to have an all in one concentrate makes lower toxic cleaning more affordable and allows you to add scent via essential oils that reflect your personal preferences.
Mopping Recipe:
(wood, laminate, vinyl, stone & tile flooring): 2 ½ Tbsp. (38 mL) in 1 gallon (4 L) hot water.
Foaming Hand Soap :
1 part soap in 3 parts water.
Fruit and Vegetable Wash:
1/4 tsp added to a bowl of water. Add fruit and vegetables and rinse after 15 minutes.
Research Link and Cheat Sheets:
Castile Soap Recipes Sheet https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0424/3475/6772/files/GG-Dilutions_Cheat_Sheet-Liquid_Soap_Carton-8p5x11-012024.jpg?v=1704992927
Clorox Safety Data Sheet https://www.thecloroxcompany.com/wp-content/uploads/cloroxclean-upcleanerbleach1-originaljw.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441921/
https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/contaminants/bleach-mixing-dangers
Cleaning Product Swaps: