Organic Housekeeping

Organic housekeeping involves using products that are safer, more economical and more effective than any of the popular synthetic synthetic cleaners used today.

Most commercial cleaners contain dangerous chemicals that can harm your health or the environment. Some of them don’t even clean as well as the non toxic cleaners you can use that are found in your pantry. If you're making the decision to eat organic food,what’s the point if you’re going to prepare it in a kitchen saturated with synthetic cleaning products?

Most synthetic house cleaning products are petroleum-based. That’s why soap scum is avoided with these products but the flip side is that they are toxic. Hmmm...soap scum or toxins? Well, it's not so bad...a natural cleanser like castile soap which is made from vegetable oil is gentler than petroleum based products, it dissolves more completely and it doesn’t form a soap scum, either.

When choosing your organic housecleaning products, look for the 100% biodegradable label and make sure it doesn’t contain chlorine, antimicrobials, phosphate, dyes or artificial fragrances. These can all contribute to health problems like skin rashes, resistance to antibiotics and can damage to the environment.

Most non-toxic cleaning solutions for the kitchen and other areas of your home include borax, mild dish soap (with none of the harsh ingredients already mentioned) baking soda, vinegar, salt and hot water.

By the way, if you're concerned about bacteria, throw away your sponges and buy a big box of soft cloths from your local home improvement store. Sponges are full of bacteria because they stay wet most of the time which is the perfect environment for bacteria to grow. Throwing them in the dishwasher won’t solve the bacteria problem because the water never gets hot enough to kill the bacteria. You could boil or microwave your sponges but why waste your time when it's easy to reach for a soft, clean cloth and then throw it in the wash when you’re done?

Organic housekeeping is different for each room in your house so let's take it one room at a time.

Please submit a review of organic household cleaning products you've tried or organic furniture or construction materials you've tried in your home . Do you have a favorite? Have you tried something that wasn't so great? Tell us what you think!