Chemical- Free Spring Cleaning

Spring is finally upon us, and that means only one thing... cleaning! We've had a lot of rain in Italy which means I've had no excuse to avoid de-cluttering and spring cleaning our apartment. We'll be having guests staying with us over the summer so it was the perfect opportunity to get our home in order before life becomes busy again.

Sadly, spring also sees the return of my allergies, mostly hay fever and eczema. I've suffered with eczema since I was a baby, usually on my hands and face. My hands, in particular, are extremely sensitive to chemicals. I use natural soaps and try to avoid washing dishes wherever possible but I still, somehow, have problems.

I've grown tired of trying countless steroid creams with the aim of keeping my symptoms at bay and instead became aware of the ingredients in a lot of cleaning and skincare products I use. Reading the labels and learning about some of the chemicals made me wonder about what was actually in our household cleaning wipes and sprays, especially some of the harsher antibacterial products with their warnings about keeping areas well ventilated and not getting product in the eyes etc. I find it hard to see how using such strong chemicals can be good for our skin and bodies. It is striking to me that we trust that all of these unknown chemicals are safe for us to use all around our homes. We coat our kitchen counters in unknown substances and then, if food drops on the counter, we eat from them without worrying about contamination. I could't shake this thought so I decided to find some alternatives, which you will find below.

After some research, I found that the key players in non-toxic, chemical-free cleaning are baking soda, lemons, distilled white vinegar, water and Castile soap. Together, these natural products are powerful cleaning tools. Baking soda is an alkaline that dissolves dirt and grease into water with surprising ease. Acidic lemon and vinegar have great antibacterial properties and dissolve away build ups of scum and limescale. Castile soap, made from natural oils, also has antibacterial properties that help it dissolve dirt.

Lemon

1. Lemon can be used to clean wooden chopping boards. Cut a lemon in half and rub it across the board, squeezing some juice as you go. Sprinkle some salt over the chopping board to scrub the area further. Leave the lemon juice to sit for at least 10 minutes before rinsing it off.
2. Lemon is also great for cleaning water marks and removing limescale around faucets. Again, rub the lemon around the faucet, squeezing juice as you go. Leave this for around 10 minutes before rinsing and scrubbing the residue away.

Baking soda

1. If you have stainless steel sinks or stovetops, baking soda is your new best friend. Sprinkle some all around your sink and gently scrub it. Baking soda is soft enough to prevent scratches, but strong enough to wipe away and dissolve the dirt. Rinse and marvel at your sparkling sink and stovetop!
2. Baking soda is also a very effective oven cleaner. Remove the trays to empty the oven, before making a paste with baking soda and water. This is done by mixing a few tablespoons of water to the baking soda to make a paste-like consistency. Spread this mixture over the surface of the oven until it is totally covered. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes before wiping clean.

Vinegar

1. Vinegar is a staple ingredient for an all-purpose cleaner. Mix equal parts vinegar with water and add a few drops of essential oil (tea tree, clove and grapefruit oils all work well) to cancel out the vinegar odour and voilà, you have an au-naturel kitchen counter, sink, dinner table cleaner.
2. Vinegar mixed with baking soda is perfect for cleaning out dishwashers and washing machines. For the dishwasher, place a container with vinegar on the bottom rack and a dish with baking soda on the top rack and run the dishwasher on a hot- water cycle. For a washing machine, mix 1/4 cup of baking soda with 1/4 cup water and pour it in the detergent slot. Add 2 cups of white vinegar directly into the drum and run the washing machine on a hot cycle.

Castile Soap

1. Castile soap also makes a useful all-purpose cleaner when mixed with some water and essential oils (tea tree etc). It's super quick and easy to make, although it is a more expensive ingredient to buy.
2. It's also possible to use the soap to make shampoos and shower gels although I am yet to find a good solution. I will get back to you soon on that one.

As many military families will know, we don't always get the best pick of apartments. Especially when stationed overseas in Italy. Our apartment has old bathrooms which are covered in water marks that I'd tried and failed to remove previously. These chemical-free solutions are seriously life-changing. The faucets in our bathroom look brand new and our old washing machine smells fresher than ever. I really wish I'd discovered this sooner. Years of Clorox wipes irritating my skin have caused me endless problems. I'm hopeful that my allergies will continue to ease now that we have eliminated harmful chemicals from our home.

I'll update you all again soon once I add more ideas to my repertoire.