Moving towards natural cleaning products for a healthier home for the sake of your family, pets and our environment.
Natural cleaning
I am often asked whether bought or homemade natural cleaning products actually work. The answer is yes, they do. The other concern is whether it will be more time-consuming or if cleaning will be more difficult. The answer is no, and it doesn’t take any longer. Unless you decide to make your own natural cleaning products will initially take a bit of time. There is also concern that it might be more expensive, it’s not if anything you’ll save money. Natural cleaning is much better for your health, family, pets, pocket and environment.
Buy or DIY
You can Buy online, at your local health store or supermarket. You can, if you wish, make your own, saving you a lot of money. Recycle your old cotton clothes, cutting or ripping them up for cleaning cloths.
Containers
Keep all your containers for recycling to use for your own homemade cleaning products. Don’t recycle any container that previously contained something your child consumed. They must not associate your natural cleaning product with their food or drink.
Removing all previous labels and replacing them with new ones is essential. Clearly label what’s in it and the date you made it. Your DIY cleaning products will last a year or two if stored well and what the ingredients are. Any DIY product containing essential oils must be stored in glass. Keep the containers to reuse again and again.
Storage and Children
Store all natural products out of reach of children and pets. Under the sink is not a good place. There are thousands of cases of children ending up in ER for ingesting toxins. Natural cleaning products are less toxic but not meant to be consumed and can be harmful.
Supermarket shelves
Ecover has made natural products that have been on supermarket shelves for decades. However, in 2017, CS Johnson, a vast American multinational, took over. They also acquired Method. You will know some of their other products, Duck, Shout, Glade, Pledge and Windex. In April 2018, Naturewatch Foundation launched a campaign asking supporters and the general public to contact Ecover, expressing their disappointment at the takeover and pledging to no longer buy their products until SC Johnson is cruelty-free.
SC Johnson loses marks for scoring the worst rating in many of the Ethical Consumer categories. This includes:
- Worst rating for animal testing
- Worst rating for environmental reporting
- Worst Ethical Consumer rating for likely use of tax avoidance strategies
- Worst Ethical Consumer rating for pollution and toxins
- Worst rating for palm oil sourcing
Some good reasons to change to genuinely natural, chemical-free products. It’s worth reading labels check out if you are buying their products.
Made in Wales, eco-friendly cleaning products
