Cleaning Closet

So Berry Clean

I recently discovered Soapberries, or soapnuts. They are berries from the Sapindus Mukorossi tree that contain saponin, and act as a detergent. Soapberries are a naturally occurring detergent that work great on all your laundry needs - even on silk! They are fragrance free, which is something I can appreciate, having children with sensitive skin. Families with allergies will love soapberries, as well, as they are 100% natural, and chemical-free. 

I ordered a 16 oz. bag of soapberries from Soberryclean.com for less than $25. The bag of berries is good for about 240 loads of laundry, and comes with a muslin wash bag. All you do is add to your washing bag about 4-5 berries, which is good for about 4 loads of laundry, or until the berries start to disintegrate, and fall apart. I did a little comparison shopping of all-natural detergents and found that at target you can purchase the Seventh Generation Natural Detergent for about $20, and get approximately 100 loads of laundry out of this bottle. This averages to 20 cents a load. Purchasing the soapberries averages to a little less than 1/2 of that cost! I was willing to give it a shot, and in fact, asked for these for my birthday several months ago. (I know - had I not REQUESTED them, I maybe would have been ticked if my hubby wrapped up laundry detergent for me. Surprise, honey! Here's some great laundry detergent I found for you! After you're done sleeping in, I was thinking you could start a load of laundry!) I was thrilled to find that the soapberries work just as well as any of the natural detergents I use on our laundry (which is a lot - I do laundry every. single. stinkin. day.)

I have also added a couple of berries to a spray bottle with hot water and gone to town on my white, painted kitchen cabinets (which are a PAIN to keep clean with three sets of dirty little hands). I was surprised the first time I did this to notice that the spray bottle gets sudsy, as if I've added dish soap! Amazing! 

When I ordered from soberryclean.com, I was so pleasantly surprised at the hand-written note from the company owners, and recyclable packaging. From my experience, they are a great family-owned company striving to help families find chemical-free alternatives for their cleaning needs.Check them out at soberryclean.com. 

Chemicals in Cleaning Supplies

Dirty fingerprints on the doors and walls, snack messes on the couch, evidence of a really great time outside in the mud that has made it's way to your carpet... Ask any mom, and I bet she can list a handful of things in her home that could use a good scrubbing. While cleaning is not my favorite thing to do in the world, nothing beats those five minutes when the house is sparkling clean.

My cousin, Gaby, found this furniture polish recently in her cleaning isle, and it made us laugh. It's called BEHOLD FURNITURE POLISH. Everything about it makes me chuckle. It's name implies what every mom knows to be true - a clean house is a big deal!

We all want the shiniest floors, the freshest smelling toilet, and sparkling tile. What we DON'T want are the chemicals in our air that most cleaners and air fresheners omit. VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and other chemicals are released into our air while using harsh cleaners. These chemicals can cause chronic headaches and respiratory problems, according to the American Lung Association in this article. The eye-opening article on household chemicals explains that even natural cleaners that contain fragrances such as citrus can react with ozone indoors to form formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Other particles and pollutants are present when using harsh chemicals, worsening asthma and other lung disease, and putting some at risk for heart attacks and strokes. That's scary stuff! Mr. Clean isn't looking so fabulous anymore. 

What many moms are doing now to avoid the risk of harmful chemicals in cleaners is to make their own at home with natural ingredients! I found this link on Pinterest to ApartmentTherapy.com, where there are recipes for several cleaners to use around the house. You can find cleaning recipes for everything from kitchen and bath, grout and even oven cleaners! Oven cleaners, people!You can add your favorite essential oils if you want something with a fragrance, but most recipes are simple and include products like vegetable-oil based dish soap, baking soda, lemon and borax. Sounds squeeky clean to me! Check them out here:

Check out these DIY cleaning recipes from ApartmentTherapy.com!