Cleaning my home with my children has always been my number one priority. When they were babies this looked like using cleaning supplies that would be safe while they were in a baby carrier on me. As they were toddlers, it meant they could clean with me, and I wasn't worried about what they were touching. As they get older it means having materials I'm confident they can use safely by themselves.
But knowing that this is what I wanted and executing it were two different things. In this week's episode, I'm sharing all the things I've tried and what worked, what didn't work, and what we are doing now that has been the right fit for us.
I tried many things over the years. The first was to walk through the cleaning aisle at the store to find the products we needed. But due to overwhelm (the number of options, not knowing which products were actually safe, and calculating the expense of it all), I always walked out of there with nothing. This also meant that for years, the actual cleaning in our home was minimal because I was so worried about picking the wrong thing.
My friend Hannah (we were neighbors in grad student housing - true friendship is formed in not ideal living conditions) created a course called Simple Green Cleaning (not available right now) that taught me how to clean the majority of my house with a few basic ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, and dish soap. I thoroughly enjoyed feeling confident cleaning my house and mixing up what I needed when I needed it. But when I started teaching my kids how to do it, they were so inspired by the process that they created their own cleaning supplies by mixing soaps, shampoo, conditioner, and lotions, and it made a pretty big mess. This didn't quite work with my purpose of cleaning with my kids.
A few years ago, we decided to try Force of Nature, which is completely safe for skin, disinfects, and can be used on all surfaces. It has been a game-changer. We have ONE cleaning product we use on EVERYTHING.
It makes it simple to teach our children how to use it (plus they LOVE the process of making it and never complain when I ask them to clean) and I never have to worry about what they are breathing in or is touching their skin.
While I haven't done a petri dish test to confirm how well it disinfects surfaces, but it cleans well enough to remove all smells and clean surfaces, so that is good for me! When it comes to my main priority of cleaning with my kids, this one checks all of the boxes.
If you want to try Force of Nature yourself, you can get a discount with this link:
Force of Nature
Get 40% off bundles in April with code: PLANET40
Get 60% off Cleaning and Laundry Duo Bundles with PLANET60
How to Create a Holiday Season Everyone Enjoys (Including you!) [Episode 137]
Simplify to Soar [Episode 136]
How to Make Progress on Your Goals when You're Exhausted [Episode 135]
Our Favorite Family Dinner Ritual [Episode 134]
From Chaos to Calm with Steph The Secret Slob [Episode 133]
Owning the Pivot into Motherhood with Elizabeth Jacox [Episode 132]
Embracing Your Individual Journey with Angela Red Elk Laughlin [Episode 131]
Why I Don't Use a To-do List - and What I Do Instead [Episode 130]
How Do You Juggle it All? [Episode 129]
5 Steps to Tackle Overwhelm and Sleep Again [Episode 128]
Loosening the Grip of Anxiety with Annie Stoker [Episode 127]
Scripts to Help You Advocate For Yourself [Episode 126]
I am a Committed Mom with Mary Caplin [Episode 125]
So What Does Thriving Mean Anyway? [Episode 124]
Why (and how!) I Don't Stress About Homeschool [Episode 123]
Lessons Learned From the End of Pregnancy [Episode 122]
The Power of Actually Writing Down my Morning and Evening Routines [Episode 121]
Lower Your Expectations and Love it with Tiana Woodbury [Episode 120]
Getting Ready for Baby (or Any Other Life Change) [Episode 119]
Peace, Joy and Contentment: A Two Year Growth Journey and One Simple Change with Jeni Awerkamp [Episode 118]
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