3 Neglected Areas you can Spring Clean WITHOUT Chemicals

Any journey happens step by step, and not all at once. That is also exactly how my healthy living journey is evolving - step by tiny step as resources and knowledge become available. One of the areas I have experimented in is using products that are safe and natural for cleaning and household tasks. I'm excited to share 3 out-of-the-ordinary places I have found that I can REALLY clean without ANY chemicals! (I also share some other cleaning resources at the end of this post, so read on!)

You may be a little skeptical, and I'll admit, I was too! Can things really get clean without powerful, smelly sprays and concentrates to kill all those nasty germs? Well to the skeptic I promise you...here are 3 areas that really can!

1. Shower and faucet heads. Use white vinegar diluted in water to get of all water stains and build up with no scrubbing! (You can find all kinds of instructional posts on Pinterest like this one.) I recently did this with our shower and tub and WOW! What a difference. We're talking years and YEARS of build up just gone after about 6 hours of soaking. I did run a toothbrush over the jets of the shower head just to be sure and remove any loose bits. I love how it turned out!

2. Get rid of those spiders and cobwebs! Mix 15-20 drops of peppermint oil in a spray bottle of water. Vacuum away those spiders and all their pesky webs, then spray the peppermint water generously in the corners and anywhere spiders are known to "hang out." 

NOTE: I found the peppermint water was not as effective if you did not clean the area first and vacuum out the old webs, so don't skip that step!

3. Mirrors and windows with e-Cloth. I received a sample of the Glass and Polishing e-Cloth a while back through my job, and was super skeptical. Streak free mirrors with just water? No way. This is one of those "as seen on TV" gimmicks that won't work as good as it is supposed to.

But, SURPRISE! It does! I can't believe how easy it is to clean any glass surface with e-Cloth's Glass and Polishing cloth. You can read more about how it works here. I'm happy to never buy Windex ever again! No more nasty blue fumes!

(PS, e-Cloth didn't ask me to write that, they don't even know I exist. I happened to get a free sample of their product and am really just that happy with it!)


There are some areas where a product stronger than soap and water is necessary. I'm not going to stop cleaning the toilet with a good disinfectant cleaner, no way! But even in this case, there are better, cleaner options out there.

Recently I tried Seventh Generation products for deeper cleaning, and like how they work! I appreciate that the toilet bowl cleaner is clear, not blue (what is it with these dyed-blue cleaners, anyway??) and both it and the disinfectant, all-purpose cleaner seem to work well with no toxic fumes. I also appreciate that they explain each ingredient used in their products...I try to be an informed consumer!

(PPS: ^They don't know I exist either.)


I think it is important to consider the toxins and chemicals we let into our homes, and consider trying alternatives! Stop to think just how many chemicals float through the air we breathe, and then consider the effect those have on our bodies! Many cleaners and sprays come with warnings on the labels for a reason, yet here we are breathing them in on a daily basis. It is something to think about!

The Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center recently contacted me about raising awareness of toxins in the home and especially areas where Asbestos might be present. Spring Cleaning can put you in contact with several harmful chemicals, so be aware and be prepared! They have a TON of information in this post and also provided this helpful graphic:

HERE IS MY CHALLENGE TO YOU:

We are all on a healthy living journey in one way or another, are we not? Maybe you are several laps ahead of me or maybe you are just getting your feet wet. My challenge is for you to find ONE - just one! - change you can make to eliminate toxic chemicals from your home. That is where it starts! Maybe you just try one of these spring cleaning hacks or perhaps you throw away all the blue chemicals in your home. WHATEVER it is you try, just try SOMETHING! And let me know, will you? I'd love to hear that everyone reading this is making at least one baby step, because together that is a lot of progress!

Good luck!

For full disclosure, I was asked by the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center to help them raise awareness of Asbestos, Mesothelioma, and the effect of harmful chemicals in the home. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are 100% my own.