February Focus: Green Cleaning at Home

How many of you are sick of hearing the word organize on here? Haha! I know I am after January’s focus on home organization, but wow, did I accomplish a lot during that month! However, since I decided to break down my goals/resolutions in 2014 to monthly focuses, it’s time to move on to another topic that has become near and dear to my heart: GREEN CLEANING in the home.

Having a two year old and being pregnant, I am pretty aware of what I put in my family’s stomachs, but I never looked too closely at what I was putting on the surfaces of my home when I cleaned it. It was always something I was “meaning to take a closer look at” but somehow never found the time.

I decided to start researching more about cleaners and was pretty shaken up by some facts I came across:

1. 81,000 chemicals have been registered with the EPA in the last 30 years, but fewer than 20% of them have been tested for toxicity. So who even knows the effects of some of the chemicals I possibly used everyday.
2. In 2005 there were 218,316 reported poison exposures from household cleaning products alone. Yes, I’ve always known I had ‘poison’ under my sink, but seeing Hailey remove outlet plugs and baby locks with ease made me reconsider the location of the products. Then I realized, she doesn’t have to break into the cabinet because I’m spraying them all over the house anyway- YIKES.
3. According to the EPA, air pollutants inside the home are often 2-5 times higher than outside. Well, guess where we spend a lot of our time??

I know cumulative exposure to chemicals can be dangerous, attributing to breathing problems and more. Did you know that 1 in 13 school age children have asthma? In fact, it increased 160% between 1980 and 1994. Another YIKES.

So why didn’t I look into earlier? Maybe I was a little lazy, but I also wanted a product that worked and fell into trusting the marketing of the well-known, toxic brands. Proof:

(I have no clue why there are empty jars of pickles stacked next to all my chemicals. Early pregnancy brain, perhaps?)

Sure I grabbed a Method product here or there, but I needed to find a product line that I knew worked before committing. So, again, I started researching. I googled, I asked you guys on facebook, I looked into studies and pinned make-your-own products, like this one.

I loved the idea of these (above how-to can be found here), but I questioned two things: did they work? And if they did, would I really take the time to buy the components and assemble all these fancy concoctions?

Probably not.

I wanted something EFFECTIVE, GREEN and AFFORDABLE. Well, I finally found my solution.

I came across SHAKLEE Cleaning Products through word of mouth from local friends and your suggestions on facebook. I waited to try them myself before mentioning them on here, but now that I’ve tested them and fallen in love, I’m ready to spread the good word!

Shaklee cleaning products use all sustainably sourced ingredients from nature, are non-toxic, hypoallergenic, produce no harmful fumes, not tested on animals, affordable and effective.

• It’s been one of Oprah’s Favorite Things three different times
• Rachel Ray

Shaklee’s Basic H is a concentrated cleaner that you use to create your different cleaners. It’s so easy and it lasts forever thanks to being ultra concentrated.

I wasted no time putting it to the test.

I used it on all my washable surfaces, including stainless steel. Smudge marks gone and no streaks!

The window cleaner worked quickly and effortlessly on glass surfaces.

And again, no streaks! Even when wiping away dog licks and peanut-butter-laden toddler fingerprints.

For tougher jobs, I was skeptical. I felt the old itch for harsh chemicals return, but decided to give in a shot and tried the Shaklee Scour-Off. The fact that it’s made with cherry pits and smells awesome might have helped win be over. Then I saw it work…

Holy moly, you guys. LOOK.

I didn’t think my baking sheet would look like that again. Embarrassing.

After learning about the products and seeing how well they work first hand, I Shaklee-ized my cleaning supplies.

Shaklee Disinfecting Wipes and Dish Washer Concentrate

I love that the products are affordable and delivered right to my door. If you want to bring green cleaning to your house, but are nervous to commit to spending much money before testing them yourself, I highly recommend the Green Cleaning Kits. The mini kit gives you what you need for an all-purpose cleaner, window cleaner, degreaser, basic cleaning wipes, disinfecting wipes AND the scour off for under $50. It’s a steal.

PS- did I mention they also have dryer sheets? Don’t even get me started on all the crazy chemical crap in regular dryer sheets! But man, did I miss using them before I found these veggie-based, biodegradable sheets.

Whew, it’s a wordy post, but I was so excited to finally tackle one of my big to-do’s and have the house “green” for Hailey, my pregnant self and baby girl who will be here in only 3 months (ahhh! Will it really be that soon?!). *The links above link to my personal Shaklee page. I became such a believer in their products that I wanted to take advantage of the discounts and be able to share it with others!

Is green cleaning important to you?

Have you found affordable, green products that work that you love?