We cannot control everything that we get in contact with in our everyday life. We inhale, ingest, or absorb many toxic substances without even realizing it. The biggest benefit of keeping your household non-toxic, whether it is connected to cleaning, laundry washing, or personal care, is you reduce your and your family’s exposure to harmful and potentially harmful chemicals. The pay-off is immeasurable in terms of short- and long-term preservation of health, well-being, and peace of mind.
Cleaning belongs to less complicated “disciplines” to start with when transferring to a non-toxic lifestyle, because you do not need to understand in detail the complicated names of chemicals as well as impact of individual substances. You can start cleaning with natural ingredients almost immediately - many of the ingredients you already have at home or you can buy them in every shop. Let’s delve deeper into cleaning as in this blog we aim to show you a few easy tricks to keep your household clean while being ecological and mindful of the health of your family and yourself.
An obvious question: are natural and non-toxic cleaners effective?
Why it is an obvious question? Well, we are being bombarded with marketing every day and it might be easy to give in to the feeling that if you do not have a colorful bottle with the newest chemical formula for each individual surface and place in your house, you cannot have it clean enough! But is it really so? Or can non-toxic cleaning products be effective? Yes, non-toxic cleaning products can be as effective or more effective than chemical-based products. The most important thing is to have the right tool for the job and understand a basic rule: Sinner’s circle.
Sinner’s circle
Each cleaning consists of four interrelated factors:
- temperature
- time
- mechanic action / movement
- chemical / cleaning agent
The Sinner's Circle describes the interaction between the four factors listed above and their impact on the cleaning process. This concept is named after the chemist Herbert Sinner. The circle always remains closed: if 1 or 2 of the 4 factors are increased, the other factors will automatically decrease. When you decrease one factor, you have to increase other factors. The principle can be easily adapted to non-toxic cleaning as follows: If we want to decrease the amount of chemicals / cleaning agent, we need to increase the time of the application of the given cleaning agent. Same hold for water: if we are cleaning with cold water, the effect will not be as high as if we clean using hot steam.
What is the right substance for the job?
- Citric acid and vinegar: natural acid that dissolves alkalis, breaks up grease, dirt, and grime without damaging surfaces, just be careful with grouts or stone and work carefully with acid or vinegar there. It is also a natural fabric softener and descaler.
- Soda: wonderful gentle abrasive, natural odor absorber, stain remover, or grout cleaner. It is suitable for stone, but it is not suitable for some lacquered surfaces and aluminum, where it can leave stains.
- Other helpers:
- Non-toxic soap and soap-based cleaners
- Sodium percarbonate
- Hot steam cleaners
- Dish brush and sponge
Some important watch-outs:
Never Mix:
- acids + alkalis (except for the drain cleaning);
- percarbonate + vinegar;
- soap + vinegar/citric acid.
You can mix:
- vinegar/citric acid + alcohol;
- vinegar/citric acid + dish detergent;
- soda + soap;
- soda + alcohol.
How to clean my household with non-toxic cleaners?
Bathroom and Toilet
-
Instead of cleaning creams: Apply an appropriate amount of Mydlos to a wet surface, rinse thoroughly with water after cleaning. It is suitable for cleaning all surfaces in the bathroom (sinks, tiles, bathtub, toilet, shower).
If you do not have Mydlos, use a mixture of soda and water with a little bit of grind soap.
-
Disinfection of toilet and siphon cleaning: Dissolve 1-2 Tbsp of Perlos in 1l of hot water and pour in the toilet or siphon. Let it for 1-2 hours to take effect, then rub the toilet or simply pour water into the siphon.
If you do not have Perlos, you can pour half a cup of sodium percarbonate with boiling water, brush.
- Limescale in bathroom: spray concentrated vinegar or 10-15% solution of citric acid (Citros) let is act, brush and wipe with water. Do not leave too long because of the grouts. Or use Sonett decalcifier.
-
Limescale in toilet: dissolve 1 Tbsp (15g) of Citros in 85g of soft or distilled water, pour on the walls, leave to act (even overnight), brush.
If you do not have Citros, use 15% solution of any citric acid
- Toilet seat and surroundings: use concentrated vinegar or 10% solution of citric acid or Citros and then wipe with water.
- Sonett toilet cleaner
Mirrors
- Washing and polishing: vinegar or a mix of vinegar + alcohol + distilled water.
-
Limescale: 10-30% solution of Citros (choose the concentration according to the level of clogging).
If you do not have Citros, use any citric acid. - Sonett glass cleaner
Kitchen
- Apply an appropriate amount of Mydlos to a wet surface, rinse thoroughly with water after cleaning. It is suitable for cleaning all surfaces in the kitchen (stove, dishes). Do not apply on Teflon and aluminum surfaces.
- mix vinegar + water + dishwashing liquid, then wipe with a clean wet cloth;
- mix vinegar + alcohol + water;
- soda + hot water + a sponge for dishes (wipe properly)
- spray a solution of sodium carbonate (powdered soda or soda crystal), leave it act, brush it, rinse it off - if you just wipe it off, it can leave white maps.
- Limescale: dissolve 1 Tbsp (15g) of Citros in 85g of soft or distilled water, pour on the walls, leave to act and brush. Or use Sonett decalcifier.
- Stainless steel: remove soluble dirt, then a drop of oil and polish with a dry cloth.
-
Siphon cleaning: Dissolve 1-2 Tbsp of Perlos in 1l of hot water and pour in the toilet or siphon. Let it for 1-2 hours to take effect, then rub the toilet or simply pour water into the siphon.
If you do not have Perlos, you can pour half a cup of sodium percarbonate with boiling water, brush. - Sonett dishwashing aids
Floors
- Steam cleaner: the cloth at the end can be rubbed with solid soap or a few drops of liquid soap (both on a wet cloth). If you want to fragrance it, use a few drops of an essential oil on the cloth (never into the water, can clog the steam nozzles!).
- Hot water with soap (liquid or grated solid) - e.g. dissolve 2 Tbsp of Alchymistky soap flakes in 5 liters of hot water.
- Hot water with vinegar;
- Sonett universal cleaner
- DO NOT use citric acid (sticky) or baking soda (makes maps)!
Other recommendations
- Dust: water with vinegar,.
- Windows: wash in hot water with dishwashing detergent, a steam mop is great for various corners, polish with either vinegar or a mixture of vinegar + alcohol + distilled water.
- Disinfection of surfaces: sodium percarbonate (in warm water approx. 50 degrees);
- Mold: sodium percarbonate (in warm water approx. 50 degrees)
- Wooden furniture: balm of beeswax
It might take you a while to get used to a new way of cleaning with different cleaning agents, but it does not mean it would be less effective or more complex, but we admit it may take a while to test and find your functional and effective combinations and practices. Benefit would be that you will need a minimum of products/ ingredients and when combined with the natural laundry washing, you will develop a healthier non-toxic household that is also ecological.
Are you also interested in other non-toxic topics? You might like:
Sources:
Pavlistova, Pavla and Hrivnakova, Katarina. Svet non toxic: mene je vice, CPress, 2021.
https://branchbasics.com/blogs/cleaning/best-non-toxic-cleaning-products
https://www.kaercher.com/nl/home-garden/know-how/sinner-s-circle.html
