Everyone would prefer to have clean, germ-free houses. However, people also don’t want their cleaning products to cause more health problems than the germs. With all these cleaning products on the market, it can be challenging to determine products worth your while.
If you’re worried about your health and the environment, you may shy away from harsh chemical cleaners. Natural cleaners are a sensible alternative.
However, many brand name cleaners slap on natural labels whether or not they are natural. Worse, truly natural cleaners are often not even advertised as such. So, how do you chose the best natural cleaning products?
The Difference between Commercial Chemical Cleaners and Natural Cleaners
Chemical cleaners use harsh and often harmful chemicals, so these products are not often easily biodegradable. Some brand name cleaners claim to be natural because they use ingredients found in nature.
But, almost all brand name natural cleaners used some chemical process to obtain their product. Cleaners with “organic” labels are better. But be aware even these are not guaranteed to use any chemical processes. However, these cleaners are often biodegradable and contain fewer chemicals than their chemical-cleaner cousins.
What are Truly Natural Cleaners?
Truly natural cleaners often don’t claim to be household cleaners. In fact, they may be simple household staples. These products have not been chemically processed to kill bacteria or fight grease. However, they naturally do the job without any artificial help. You likely have a few natural cleaners in your house right now and don’t realize it.
Advantages of Natural Cleaners
- Natural cleaners are useful for many household tasks. Instead of having different cleaners for your countertops, floors, and windows, you can have one cleaner for everything. Use some household cleaners for other things, like cooking, too.
- You can combine natural cleaners to create more potent or task-specific cleaning supplies (like laundry detergent). Combining commercial cleaners, on the other hand, can cause serious health hazards.
- Natural cleaners are free of toxic chemicals and mystery ingredients. Chemical cleaners have little to no regulations and can contain many chemicals harmful to humans.
- Natural cleaners don’t often have health risks. For example, Borax can irritate your skin but is not classified as dangerous. Minor exposure to chemical cleaners is unlikely to hurt you, but prolonged exposure has serious health risks.
- Natural cleaners are often cheaper than chemical cleaners.
- Natural cleaners are better for the environment since they don’t have a bunch of chemicals. Some chemical cleaners, however, take 1000 years to biodegrade.
Do Natural Cleaners Work as Well as Chemical Cleaners?
Chemical cleaners get things clean with minimal effort. Natural cleaners may take a bit more elbow grease, but they get surfaces as clean as the chemical cleaners, and sometimes they clean better because they don’t leave chemical residue behind. Although all natural cleaners may not kill bacteria, they all remove it.
In fact, studies show that very strong disinfectants, like those in chemical cleaners, may lead to serious health problems.
Product Review – White Vinegar for Cleaning
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Distilled White Vinegar
White Vinegar is one of the most versatile natural cleaning products out there. Together with baking soda, it is easily the best natural cleaner for home cleaning.
Vinegar is an acid, but it is mostly harmless. It occurs naturally when plants ferment. Any white vinegar sold in a store is diluted, so it is safe to consume.
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What We Love
- Poses no harm to your health or the environment
- Cleans almost any surface, as well as coffee pots, irons, microwaves, refrigerators, and other appliances
- A cleaning solution with vinegar deodorizes rooms, clothes, or other items
- Brightens brick, shines wood and leather, unclogs drains, and polishes copper, silver, and brass
- Excellent to get urine smell out of carpet
- Cuts through grease and removes wax stains even from clothes
- Removes mold and mildew. Used as a base ingredient for any homemade vinyl siding cleaner.
- Sanitizes and disinfects
- Versatile, vinegar is an excellent home remedy to get rid of pimples and acne
- There are multiple uses for vinegar in the garden. It is a natural ant killer and can get rid of numerous other pests, like spiders, as well. Mix some water and vinegar in a spray bottle to keep on hand to spritz pesky bugs and for killing ants naturally without the use of harmful chemicals that have ingredients you can’t even pronounce.
- Key part of many homemade laundry and dishwasher detergents
- Easily transferred to a spray bottle or mixed with a bucket of water
- Very cheap: Can buy 128 oz for a few dollars
- Used in cooking, making it even more versatile
- Its versatility makes it easily the best natural cleaning product
- Does not leave a residue after use
- Vinegar is a great way for how to get slime out of hair and helps to get slime out of carpet
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Product Review – Baking Soda for Cleaning
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Baking Soda
Baking soda is a very versatile staple product. In addition to cleaning, people use baking soda in baking, to put out grease fires, as a homemade mold cleaner, and as an ingredient in natural laundry detergent. Also, when mixed with water, it settles an upset stomach.
Baking soda is an alkaline or a base that can dissolve in water. This is why it works on your stomach and fires. Arm & Hammer baking soda contains no additives, although some brands do.
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What We Love
- Safe for you and the environment
- Gentle cleaner
- Sprinkle on carpets, clothes, or other surfaces and in litter boxes, trash cans, and ashtrays to deodorize. You can place an open box in the fridge.
- Unclogs drains when used with vinegar. It is one of the best natural drain cleaner solutions.
- Prevents stains, removes scuff marks, works well as homemade silver polish, and cleans up grease on car windows
- Detangling effect on hair and to when you wash a wig.
- Use on pets to keep that wet dog smell at bay
- Removes stuck on food in pans
- Key part of homemade detergents
- Versatile home remedy (canker sores)
- Very cheap (sometimes as little a one cent per ounce)
- Safely cleans children’s toys
- Removes mildew
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Points to Consider
- Baking soda leaves a mess. After use, you’ll need to rinse the item or surface or vacuum the floor
- Does not disinfect areas
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Product Review – All Natural Washing Soda
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Washing Soda
Unlike baking soda and vinegar, washing soda is marketed as a household cleaner and a detergent “booster”. Washing soda is a stronger alkali than baking soda.
Although washing soda is safe and natural, it is not safe to eat. It also isn’t as gentle on the skin as baking soda. The only use for washing soda is in cleaning.
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What We Love
- Non-toxic, so safe for you and the environment
- Strong water softener
- Combine with regular laundry or dishwasher detergent to use half as much of your standard detergent
- Helps whiten clothes and contributes to a fresh smell
- Usedinhomemade liquid or powdered laundry and/or dishwasher soap
- Used to clean out pipes/drains
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Points to Consider
- Should only be used when cleaning in water
- Caustic, so wear gloves when handling
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Product Review – Borax for Cleaning
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Borax
Borax is a salt found in dried lake beds. Although it is not safe to consume, it is no more harmful than many other natural ingredients.
Both commercial and homemade recipes for cleaning products use Borax as a primary ingredient. This makes Borax one of the best base ingredients for cleaning products in general. Borax does not have the same chemical composition as boric acid. Therefore, boric acid’s dangers do not transfer to Borax.
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What We Love
- Naturally occurring
- Safe for you and the environment (Dial’s safety sheet compares Borax to salt and baking soda in terms of danger).
- Part ofmany homemade cleaners
- Anatural pesticide
- Cleans bathrooms, kitchens, and other surfaces
- Can kill weeds (large amounts) or fertilize plants (small amount) and make candle wicks
- Essential part of homemade slime and other crafts.
- Remove mildew, rust, and mold
- Adeodorizer
- Cheap
- Softens water and whitens clothes
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Points to Consider
- May cause minor skin or eye irritation
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Product Review – Liquid Castile Soap for Cleaning
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Liquid Castile Soap
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What We Love
- Contains no harsh chemicals
- Biodegradable, so safe for you and the environment
- Bronner’s comes in 100% recycled containers
- Usedin homemade laundry detergent and dish soap
- Helps to get oil stains out of delicate clothes
- Cheaperthan other commercial products
- Used in homemade all purpose cleaner spray
- Used for shaving, hand and body washes, and shampoo (with vinegar as a rinse).
- Still works when diluted, so one bottle lasts longer than another product of the same size
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Product Review – Hydrogen Peroxide for Cleaning
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Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen Peroxide is often used as an antiseptic. People also use it for bleaching materials and even to make rocket fuel.
But, any store-bought bottle is very diluted (usually 3%) and is safe. Hydrogen peroxide occurs naturally, even in the human body. Use peroxide alone or as part of a homemade disinfectant cleaner for a variety of surfaces.
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What We Love
- Cleans tile, removes stains from carpet or clothing, and whitens grout
- Disinfects surfaces and objects, including towels, toothbrushes, lunch-boxes, and cutting boards
- Used in the best homemade all-purpose cleaners
- Kills mildew and mold
- Laundry whitener
- Kills germs
- Used for other purposes, such as a mouth rinse, to lighten or dye your hair, to remove ear wax, to help acne, and to treat foot fungus
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Points to Consider
- Can discolor darker carpets and clothes.
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Product Review – Alcohol for Cleaning
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Alcohol
Like hydrogen peroxide, Isopropyl Alcohol is often marketed as a disinfectant. It is mostly the same as rubbing alcohol, but rubbing alcohol has a concentration of 70%. Isopropyl alcohol is 99%.
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What We Love
- Leaves no residue behind after cleaning
- Cleans sticky messes, and removes hair spray residue and permanent marker, making clean up much easier
- Disinfects as well as cleans all non-porous surfaces
- Used in homemade window cleaner to clean and help prevent frost build up (so it is great for car windshields and side mirrors)
- Safe for many surfaces and stainless steel
- Alcohol can be used for a simple homemade bowling ball cleaner
- Used for other purposes, such as to help prevent swimmer’s ear and as a pesticide against ticks. It is also frequently used to get rid of fruit flies and house flies
- Safe to use on a microfiber couch to remove stains
- Safe for mobile phone screens, to clean laptop screens, CDs, and the best way to clean a mechanical keyboard on your computer or laptop. It also works to clean a silicone phone case and remove yellowing.
- Ideal for getting Sharpie off countertops, walls, floors, and even leather surfaces. Dabbing a cotton ball into alcohol and gently tackling the ink stain is a virtually foolproof remedy for cleaning the material.
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Points to Consider
- Flammable and not safe to ingest
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Product Review – Microfiber Cloths for Cleaning
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Microfiber Cloths
Zwipes is a brand of ultra-soft microfiber cloths. They are on this list because they do not contain any harsh chemicals and do not require any to clean. They are an environmentally conscious alternative to paper towels.
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What We Love
- Very absorbent
- Gentle enough to use on mobile phones and computer screens
- Machine washable
- Used alone or with any type of liquid cleaner
- Do not leave streaks when cleaning glass
- Used on cars, electronic equipment, and general surfaces
- Catches lint and dirt, so greatfor dusting, with or without a DIY dusting spray
- Reasonably priced
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Points to Consider
- Zwipes are thinner and lighter than other microfiber cloths
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Product Review – Olive Oil for Cleaning
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Olive Oil
Although extra virgin olive oil is often just thought of for cooking, it can be used to clean as well. Certified organic olive oil, like Kirkland’s, ensures that the olives were grown without pesticides and harsh chemicals. You can be confident the olive oil you buy is natural.
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What We Love
- Safe for the environment and you. In fact, extra virgin oilis good for your health when consumed
- When combined with salt, olive oil is one of the best cleaning products for pans
- Polishes and shines wood and stainless steel and protects wickeritems
- Used for other purposes, like in cooking, as a shaving cream, and as a hair conditioner
- Works great to clean makeup brushes
- Repairs scratches in leather
- Perfect DIY leather cleaner for bag, purses and wallets
- Cleans grease and remove paint from hands and hair
- Used to dust and shine fake plants
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Points to Consider
- Extra virgin olive oil is oftenmore priceythan other natural cleaning options.
- Cannot be used on carpets or clothes because it will stain
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Product Review – Club Soda for Cleaning
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Club Soda
Club soda is just carbonated water that has some salt (and other minerals) added to it. It’s often used in mixed drinks or occasionally as a stand-alone drink. It is a stain remover.
Club soda is safe and more or less just bubbly water with extra minerals your body uses anyway.
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What We Love
- So safe you can even use flat soda to water your plants
- Removes stuck on food from pans
- Polishes chrome and jewelry and clean surfaces (see our homemade jewelry cleaner recipes)
- Removes fabric stains
- No need to worry about it bleaching or staining your carpet or clothing
- Removes bird droppings from cars
- Removes rust
- Used in cooking, to fixchlorine-tinted hair, and to help an upset stomach
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Points to Consider
- Does not disinfect
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Every natural cleaner on the list is worth trying out. However, distilled white vinegar is the most versatile and overall best natural option for general household cleaning products. Vinegar, especially when combined with baking soda can clean, shine, and deodorize almost everything.
It can disinfect as well as clean, and it’s cheap. Many homemade natural cleaning products use vinegar. Best of all, vinegar doesn’t leave stains, like olive oil could, and leaves no residue to clean up, like commercial cleaners or baking soda.
