When cleaning the home, one must carefully choose cleaning products from a diverse arsenal. On the one hand, we’ve got the nuclear arms: bleaches and synthetic chemicals that kill germs in seconds with very little effort on your part. On the other hand, we’ve got gentler techniques: natural, herb-based cleaning supplies that, while effective, don’t pack the chemical punch of our nuclear options.
A lot of people will tell you to choose one or the other. In reality, though, each cleaning method is appropriate for a different task. Using all-natural supplies could leave parts of your home slightly unsanitary, but using all chemical products could damage the ecosystem of your home. A healthy clean home is all about finding the right balance.
What do we mean by “Damaging the ecosystem of your home”? Chemical products are easily absorbed by the skin. The more often you use chemicals on surfaces like the floor and the sink, the more frequently your family’s skin will come in contact with them. Once absorbed, chemicals like these can cause allergies, inflammation, and all kinds of other negative symptoms. Chemical cleaners can also spread through the air, affecting lungs in humans and animals, and house plants can also be affected. By limiting the use of synthetic chemical cleaners, you’ll limit your family’s exposure to these harmful substances.
Where to Use Natural Cleaning Products
Natural cleaning products like Mrs. Meyers are more than appropriate for general cleaning of the floor, countertops, carpets, and just about anything else you can name. Combinations of natural acids found in vinegar, curing abrasives like salt, and organic soaps will be more than enough for most household applications. The key is to clean frequently enough that household messes don’t grow out of control.
Where to Use Stronger Chemical Cleaners
Sometimes we’ve got to take things up a notch. Chemical cleaners come in handy when life gives you its most unpleasant messes. If you’re dealing with accidents from pets or children, or cleaning jobs localized around the toilet, sink, or bathtub, chemical cleaners might be the best choice. Any part of your house that contains lots of moisture will also be a candidate for chemical cleaners. Bleach used to clean the wall in your basement, for example, might prevent black mold from getting established there, while gentler cleaners might leave the problem unaddressed.
The key to success is balance. Chemical cleaners serve an important purpose, but using them for every cleaning job in your entire home will be overkill. Overuse of chemicals like these can have many negative results. Professional cleaning chemicals are associated with skin and respiratory problems, for example. We don’t want to inadvertently endanger our children, pets, and other household members in a fit of cleaning fanaticism. We may end up causing even more problems than we solve.
To strike the perfect balance, choose natural cleaning products that seem to work well for you and your home. Then start a daily routine that involves cleaning of your house. Make sure to clean up the kitchen after meals, for example, and wipe out the tub after bathing the kids. By making cleaning part of daily life, you’ll ensure that big messes that require chemical cleaners don’t form in the first place.
We hope that you find the perfect balance between natural and chemical in the battle for a clean home. A clean home promotes health and wellbeing for everyone within, but striving for the perfectly sanitary often causes problems. As you gain more experience, you’ll learn exactly what works for you and yours. Good luck and happy cleaning!