Why You Should Clean Your House Naturally and How to Do It

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If you’ve read any number of my posts, it may seem like I’m obsessed with cleaning, which is sort of true… Sure I’d rather read a book or take a walk, but I love a good, clean home. The best part is it doesn’t have to be that complicated or take that much time. 

Of course, I have a kid, soon to be two, a husband, and a dog–so it does kind of feel like I’m always cleaning. Which I am. The kitchen always needs a touch up, a bum always needs a change, a room always needs post-tornado restoration efforts. 

This isn’t a cleaning routine post, it’s a general tips and tour post, so I’ll keep it brief by saying I tackle cleaning in two main ways: I stay on top of most cleaning by just always trying to clean up where I just was. Doesn’t always work out, but I generally try to not leave a mess for myself to clean up later. The other part is that I have a schedule/routine for myself with a couple tasks everyday that helps me consistently stay on top of things without having to spend a whole day cleaning. 

And as always, I try to keep my products as natural as possible. That’s what we’re here for today. I’ll explain a little about why I value choosing natural cleaning products free of the chemicals found in most grocery store options and then explain how I generally work around my home to keep things clean.

In my next post I’m exploring specific ingredients and brands that I use in my home, so make sure to check that out if you like this post and want more specific details.

Why clean naturally

Basic cleaning tool kit

How to use your tools!

Summary

Why clean naturally?

We’ve touched on this several times before, but there are so many chemicals in traditional cleaners. On one hand, duh. That’s kind of the point. As a cleaning addict with a history of not being so natural, I will admit that I LOVE traditional cleaning products. Microban spray? Bar Keeper’s Friend? Well placed bleach??? Yes, thank you.

I love these products because I know they work, some of them smell kind of good (a lot definitely do not unless you’re just into chemical smell), and they just feel like you’re doing something concrete to tackle mess. 

I think that’s a big part of why these products market so well, besides the fact that most people are normal and not looking for natural alternatives or caring about chemical usage. When I used Microban, marketed specifically to kill germs, I felt like I was really cleaning my house and tackling those tough germs, keeping my family nice and healthy. 

But the reality is, while most products do have ingredients that provide specific functions in very effective ways, they either also have a lot of other ingredients that are not only not necessary but potentially harmful, or they just aren’t the only option. A lot of these cleaners, because of the way they are manufactured, marketed, or sold, have ingredients designed to make it perform or look a certain way that actually have no impact on effectiveness, ingredients that increase shelf life, or ingredients that improve the smell. 

Think of toothpaste. If you don’t know, your toothpaste doesn’t need to foam in order to be effective. The foam in toothpaste was added as a marketing tool to get people to brush their teeth more, and buy specific brands of toothpaste more, because people felt like their teeth were actually getting cleaner than with non-foaming toothpastes. But it isn’t actually true. Or toothpastes have certain flavors to make them more palatable. 

Cleaning products (really all products) often work the same way. A lot of products have added ingredients that may not be good for you that make it look, feel, smell a certain way that don’t really impact the effectiveness of the product but add something to the user experience. But for a lot of us natural hippie people, you have to weigh the cost of these ingredients against the benefits. 

Honestly, for me, it’s mostly a game of just knowing that vinegar cleans just as well as an all purpose spray (even if I don’t feel as cool using it). If you can understand how products and ingredients work, then you can make an actual choice about what you use that works best for your family rather than just grabbing what they market to you at the store. This applies to all products ever. 

Also, sometimes it just makes life simpler to have a few basic ingredients around your house to clean it than buying all of these individual products marketed for specific purposes. That’s another marketing scam. Yes, there are products that work in different ways that can be more useful in certain situations. Think an all-purpose spray versus a degreaser. However, the fact of the matter is that there are a handful of basic ingredients that can tackle all of your cleaning needs, from cleansing to disinfecting to degreasing to scouring, all of it! 

You do not need a massive cleaning pantry full of 35 cleaning products to get the job done. Now, you may be thinking, sounds simpler to just buy all the products than to have to make my own. Yes and no. I’ll explain a little more as we go. But basically, most products take about a minute to throw together. But I also just mean that if you need to scour, you get out your jar of baking soda rather than easy off. It’s the same amount of effort (except for maybe more scrubbing). 

I also do buy some products, because I can’t be bothered, and because, like I said, I’m addicted to cleaning. That includes being addicted to cool cleaning products. So I get it! I tend to buy more products than I make, actually. I go through phases… But I am very mindful of the products I buy, and they are very simple and natural.

Disclaimer before I really jump in, one thing I’m really not into is making my own laundry and dishwasher soaps. I know it’s super simple and can be very effective, but I’ve also read of various issues with it and it’s something I choose not to do at this time. I haven’t had time to research it or explore it and there are a lot of great options out there at various price points.

Also, as with pretty much everything, making your own products is often quite a bit cheaper than buying them, especially depending on the brand. If you are looking to save money, I definitely recommend homemade options because they are super effective and cheap! 

The cleaning tool kit

Like I said, I talk about specific ingredients and products in another post, but what kinds of products do you need to effectively clean your house, naturally? I know it can be difficult no matter what kinds of products you use to keep your routine simple because there are just so dang many products marketed to us out there for every purpose under the sun. 

Let me break it to you. What helps me keep it simple is understanding that for the most part, soap is soap is soap. And really, all you need to clean your house is soap. If you could only handle having one bottle of anything in your house to clean with, you could get away with just keeping a bottle of regular old soap (I mean actually soap, oil and lye, not hand soap). 

You don’t really need a degreaser and a wipe off sanitizer and a stay on sanitizer and a floor cleaner and a counter cleaner and a tile cleaner and a… you get it. If you like that, go for it. I can’t deny that it can be satisfying to have individually marketed products. What I’m saying is that it isn’t really necessary. 

But most people probably want a little more than just soap. So let’s explore the minimal list of what you should keep around to keep your home clean naturally, while avoiding all the noise of the millions of products you could have. 

Before diving into it I want to make a brief note on surfactants. I originally included information about in this post but it just got too long and felt like it detracted from the point of this post. I wrote a full work up on surfactants and sulfates if you’d like to learn about why people worry about them and if you should. More simply, though there are surfactants out there to avoid, most (including sodium lauryl sulfate) are perfectly safe and non-irritating when formulated correctly, especially for cleaning products. There are some surfactants that are gentler than others, and I try to stick with these depending on the application. 

I mention this because surfactants are in most good cleaning products. Again, soap is great, but it doesn’t rinse off without residue or build up very easily, which makes it a less-than-perfect product for things like laundry and dishes. So most cleaning products utilize surfactants, and usually that is great.

Anyway, back to it.

Soap

Like I said, soap is the key to a good cleaning routine, kind of obviously… And again, when I say soap I mean literal soap. Though you may consider what comes out of your hand soap dispenser to be soap, that’s not technically accurate (unless you’re using castile soap for your hand soap, then I guess it would be). Most hand soaps actually don’t have any technical soap at all, they use surfactants, because they can feel gentler, easier to formulate, and wash off more smoothly.They work in the same basic way but they perform differently.

Soap is simply an oil mixed with lye, an alkaline substance with a high ph. Soap is good at breaking up dirt and grease, grabbing it, basically, and then being able to wash it down the drain in a rinse.

I would say the most easily accessible pure soap is probably Castile Soap, though I’m sure there are other brands out there, including smaller mom-and-pop type stores. But basic soap is a great addition to your routine because it just simply cleans well. I mean, obviously, it’s soap… It’s a combination of natural ingredients utilizing only one chemical reaction that works effectively and doesn’t cause any negative health outcomes. 

One of the reasons what we commonly call soap has more than just these basic ingredients is the very fact that it is so alkaline. It isn’t the best for your body’s ph and it is drying. Have you ever used a basic bar soap and felt that weird feeling your skin gets? This is what I’m talking about. So while I like Castile Soap for cleaning, I avoid it for body care, though plenty of people use it for that, including my husband.

Like I said, this is pretty much the only thing you need to clean your house! It works for everything. There’s a lot of hype around disinfecting, but honestly, if you just clean things regularly, you’re going to catch all that junk in the soap and wash it down the drain. And soap works great for pretty much any surface. You could even use it for your laundry and dishes, though I don’t personally do that. 

A disinfectant

Like I said, you don’t really need a disinfectant if you’re cleaning with soap properly. That being said, some of us like to run around killing germs as a hobby and sometimes it’s nice to feel like when someone is sick or it’s flu season you’re doing a little extra to keep everyone safe and healthy. 

So, if you’re like me and enjoy having a disinfectant in the line up, here are my thoughts on what to use. 

I don’t recommend using bleach. It’s actually not even that it’s terribly harmful. Despite scare tactics around it, unless you drink a large amount of bleach, it’s not going to really damage you. That being said, it’s not great for you and it is irritating to the skin, eyes, and respiratory system. I mean I can’t breathe right in a bathroom after using bleach, I can’t imagine what itty bitty’s feel breathing that in. 

Plus, there are other amazing alternatives. Two I’ll focus on today that I personally use are hypochlorous acid and tea tree oil. I will go into it more thoroughly in my post about specific products I use, but just know that these two products work fantastically for killing bacteria, viruses, and all the bad stuff. They work in different ways and to different extents, but they’re both great. Lately I’ve been loving the hypochlorous acid route, which I use Force of Nature for.

I particularly love these because they are so much gentler than conventional disinfectant sprays and wipes, but they work just as well, especially in a setting that doesn’t need to be 100% sterilized (which I do not support in settings that aren’t a hospital or around someone with specific illnesses or injuries).

(If you want to try Force of Nature, use code NEWME60 for 60% off the glass bundle or NEWME40 for 40% off any bundle. I try to keep this code updated in this post, but if it isn’t working for you, shoot me an email and I will find the updated deal code for you ASAP.)

A glass cleaner

This is one of the few general cleaning tasks I feel like I need a specific product for, but that’s because you want your glass (mirrors and windows) to be perfectly crystal clear. Any product can clean glass just fine, but they will leave streaks. Streaks drive me crazy.

And actually, my preferred product isn’t actually a spray, it’s just a cloth. I know there are great sprays out there that people love, I’ve heard Attitude makes a great one and Blue Land has one (though they include coloring), but I just don’t find it necessary. I may clean my glass with vinegar and water now and then, but even that isn’t really necessary. (I do it sometimes because I’m a cleaning freak and if something doesn’t come in contact with soap at least every now and then I will lose my mind)

My solution for glass is a set of Norwex microfiber cloths. The great thing about microfiber is that it actually traps dirt and bacteria so that you really are cleaning when you just use the cloth. Some people go so far as to only use Norwex microfiber cloths for all their surface cleaning needs, but I cannot do that, see note above lol. 

For glass though, this can’t be beat. I thought my mom was crazy the first time she mentioned it but it really does work so well. I just wet the microfiber “Envirocloth” and wipe down the mirror or whatever glass. Then I take a dry “Window Cloth” and dry the window. Perfectly streak free and clear. You could also just spray the glass with water and then wipe dry with the window cloth, I suppose. 

Laundry products

I’m leaving this a little open ended because some people need different types of products for their laundry. When I was single, just laundry soap would do 98% of the time. Now I have little kids and stain treating supplies are required… C’est la vie.

My bare bones recommended product line-up for most people is a laundry powder, an oxygen boost, and some sort of enzymatic stain spray or stick. Bonus products if you feel like adding them (but they’re certainly not necessary) would be wool dryer balls or some other type of dryer companion like Truly Free’s Dryer Angel, and possibly some essential oils.

There are lots of options for these and I will share my picks in another post. Some people make their laundry soap. I do recommend if you are buying laundry soap to stick with a powder because they have way less ingredients and that keeps purchasing decisions much simpler. There are plenty of perfectly fine liquid options out there, but I personally feel like powder works just as well and has less ingredients, which is usually a win for me. 

I also avoid fragrance in my laundry products, though I am fine with products that have essential oils.

Dishwashing supplies

Also sort of open ended but I will say I recommend keeping this as simple as possible. There are SO many products out there, even from clean brands for very specific dish cleaning tasks. Personally, I think you need two things: dishwashing soap and dishwasher soap. These can clean everything, with obviously some things requiring a good soak. Some complimentary items would be baking soda and salt to scour some really tough, burnt-on food. That’s it. 

If you get a good dishwasher soap, you shouldn’t need a rinse aid. There are plenty of natural and safe options that don’t require a rinse aid. That being said, if you have extremely hard water, it may be something you want. I won’t begrudge you of it. I just don’t think you need it. I have lived in some places with very hard water and have hard water now but don’t need rinse aid. 

Toilet bowl cleaner

This is one other area where I feel like you don’t need a separate product for this, but psychologically it feels nice to have it… Realistically, you can clean your toilet with soap and a scrubber and it should be fine, especially if you’re doing it regularly. Maybe use a disinfectant spray as well. 

However, I grew up using toilet bowl cleaner and switched to Bar Keeper’s Friend at one point because toilet bowl cleaner is nasty and terrible for the environment, and I just have this psychological need for something that’s specifically marketed for the toilet bowl. It doesn’t make sense, but it’s where I’m at. Maybe someday I’ll get over it.

I have left the Bar Keeper’s Friend behind recently as probably my last chemical-laden cleaner hold out and now use more natural, safe ingredient toilet tablets. Again, this isn’t really necessary, but my brain needs it for now.

Baking soda

Okay not everyone needs this, but I think it’s a great addition. Baking soda traps odors and VOCs and it’s also a great scouring agent. It’s perfect for use with fabrics you can’t throw in the washer. There are a few key places I use it I will explain below.

Accompanying accessories

I don’t feel like I have to explain these to you, but it felt a little weird leaving them out of the list because my mental image for this post is a cleaning caddy with everything you need to walk into a house and make it spic and span. So, here are a few basic tools you need to keep your house tidy, per my opinion. There are obviously other tools you can use, but just the minimum.

Vacuum. Numero uno in my heart for cleaning supplies. Even if you don’t have carpet, a vacuum is gold. I use the hose attachment to clean vents, corners of the ceiling, mattresses, most surfaces (think things like drawers or the tops of toilets, etc.). 

Broom. You could get away without this, but I like to have one. I like to have a push broom because it’s quiet and I can do a quick run over the floors every day without having to pull out a vacuum or worry about who is sleeping. I also like to keep a regular broom around for daily kitchen use and sweeping porches.

Mop. Unless your house is all carpet… There are surprisingly several options for this. My husband likes a good microfiber steam mop. I prefer a good old mop bucket with a spinner. This is really up to preference. I suppose you COULD skip a mop and just use a towel and your hands. I, for one, am not interested in hand mopping my entire floor. But have fun with that if you want…

Cloths. Ugh, this list is obvious. But towels. I also think besides any old towel, having a handful of microfiber towels around is key. I personally keep Norwex microfiber and window cloths in my arsenal along with random cotton towels.

Scrubbers. You need sponges and scrubbers for your dishes, maybe steel wool or a scouring sponge. You also may benefit from a scrub brush for things like grout, floor, and window track cleaning, though you can get away without them, it’s just a lot more work and not as effective.

Spray bottles. Plenty of cheap plastic bottles out there. Personally, I try to stick to glass as much as possible. There are some great, affordable options out there, like this one from an American owned company.

How to use your tools

Okay, I’m going to provide a very speedy overview of how/where I use these products, more by function than by room for the most part.

Walls

Not everyone is into this, but your walls do collect dirt and dust so I’m big on this… In my bathrooms and kitchen, I do this at least once a month. Everywhere else, I make sure to do this at least twice a year. I obviously spot clean messes on the walls. I just use an all-purpose soap or surfactant spray and a microfiber cloth. Sometimes I make a big batch of hot water with a scoop of laundry powder (a small version of my mop solution) for this and just dip my cloth, ring it out, wipe the wall, repeat until the job is done.

Floors

I use a push broom daily and vacuum at least weekly. For rugs, every month or two I sprinkle baking soda on the rug and let it sit a few minutes before vacuuming it. Sometimes I also spray my essential oil room spray on it during this process. If I had carpet I would manage that the same way. I also mop once a week with a mop bucket full of hot water and a scoop of laundry soap (play with the ratio until it doesn’t leave streaks on your floor, it depends on the brand). Sometimes I add some vinegar to this but not usually.

Surfaces

Things like table tops, counters, bookshelves, toilets, door knobs, light switches. All surfaces... I first like to dust or clean off crumbs. For counters I just sweep the crumbs onto the floor (because I’m usually about to do that next). For all other surfaces I either use a microfiber cloth if I’m being lazy or get out my vacuum if I’m being thorough. Then I spray with all purpose spray and wipe. Once a week or so I use a disinfectant spray on kitchen counters, toilets, doorknobs, and light switches.

Dishes and laundry

This is self explanatory so I won’t go into it. There are a few notes I would like to make that go beyond just doing the dishes and the laundry. 

I like to clean my sink at least at the end of every day. I just sprinkle some dishwashing soap on it and use my sponge to lather it up before rinsing. I also like to throw a lemon in my garbage disposal. 

But something I think a lot of people skip is washing their machines. You should clean your dishwasher regularly, including the filter. The frequency of this will differ depending on the number of people in your family and your dishwasher. I typically do it once a month. I also like to run a cycle without dishes and with a cup of vinegar when I do this to clean it all out. 

For your clothes washing machine, it depends on the machine you have. All machines should be cleaned regularly and they make products for this you throw in like soap without clothes. I also do this about once a month right now because I’m washing diapers in my machine… But when I’m not I do it more like every two or three months. 

You also need to clean the opening. Top loaders aren’t too bad but need a good vacuum/dusting and a wipe out every now and then. Front loaders need a bit more work. It is so easy for those seals to get moldy because water ends up sitting in them. I recommend at bare minimum taking a disinfectant and/or soap spray to wipe out that seal once a month. I guess the bare minimum would be seeing it has mold and taking a scrubber to it. But it’s so hard once it gets to that point. Honestly, if you can take a soap or disinfectant spray to it once a week and wipe it out with a towel, you should be able to keep it under control and it will take a minute of your time.

And obviously, empty your lint trap every time… Some houses need the vent to the outside blown out every now and then.

Glass and stainless steel

I already explained this, but in case you missed it, I just use a wet microfiber cloth to wipe down the surface and then follow with the Norwex window cloth. I typically just use water for this but I do use an all purpose spray every few days on the kitchen stainless steel.

Bathrooms

I’ve covered a bit of it already with floors and surfaces and glass and toilet cleaner… 

I’ll add that for the tubs and showers I just try to regularly spray the wholeeeee thing down with an all purpose spray and wipe it. If you do this regularly (as with everything), it should be pretty easy. If it’s really tough on there, I use the all purpose spray and a scrub brush. I tend to have to use scrub brushes on grout. If worst comes to worst, I do break down and use a magic eraser, but I don’t usually have to do this.

A caveat for glass is the shower glass. If you use the Norwex cloth every time you shower, you may be able to get away with just using the cloth. But I find this is a spot where soap scum just tends to accumulate no matter what you do and what products you use. A lot of this is just because of the calcium and other minerals in the water. 

For this, I typically will take a spray bottle of half water half vinegar and a container of dish soap to it. The soap helps lift off that soap scum, and the vinegar helps carry the soap off without leaving streaks for the most part. I wipe it off with a microfiber cloth or hose it with water and then follow up with the Norwex window cloth. I’m sure there are other ways to do this, but this works really well and is pretty easy so I keep doing it.

Miscellaneous

I treat mattresses like rugs and try to use the baking soda, essential oil, vacuum tactic at least twice a year. When I do this, if possible, I open the window and try to let natural sunlight hit it. All of this should help neutralize odors and bacteria and air out the mattress. 

I do like to clean window tracks though I’m not the best about it. For this I take a surfactant spray and a scrub brush and scrub away then wipe out with a cloth. This is an area where paper towels are actually more effective at getting all that dirt up out of the corners, but I tend to use a cloth anyway. 

I treat outsides of windows the same way I do any other glass for the most part unless they just get pretty dirty and grimy or have a bunch of pollen on them, then I use the shower glass method.

The oven can be particularly difficult. I’m not a fan off the self-clean, but sometimes I will do this in the winter. I hate the way it smells and I don’t think it works that great, but it is a good method for the bottom of the oven. But if you have some terrible messes in your oven and for the inevitability that your oven door needs a good scrub, I recommend baking soda. 

Yes, you can use Easy-Off with half the elbow grease. But that stuff is nasty. Some baking soda, hot water, and scrubbing can get them sparkly clean if you’re willing to put in the work. And for the 13th time, if you just do it regularly, it won’t get that bad.

Summary

That about wraps it up and I think I hit most of my regular cleaning steps. I know this was kind of a lot, but I hope it helped shed some light on how you really can clean your whole house naturally. You don’t need a ton of products and you don’t need crazy chemicals. You can have your house sparkling clean and safe for your family with a little bit of effort and some simple products. 

If you’re interested in diving deeper into more details on specific ingredients I use and why, as well as some brands/products I do choose to purchase to simplify my life. I’m not a massive DIYer these days so I can’t help you out there too much, but there are plenty of resources out there for that. 

I hope you found this helpful. If you did and you want to see more content like this, please subscribe to our newsletter to stay in the loop and browse our other blog posts. As always, feel free to send me an email with any questions you may have or any other topics you would like me to explore.