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
The Path from Surviving to Thriving [Episode 81]
Why My Kids Aren't the Priority [Episode 80]
How to Overcome Destructive Anger with Natalie Hixson [Episode 79]
Surrendering Our Children to God with Jeanette Tapley [Episode 78]
Rest is Part of the Work [Episode 77]
You Have Climbed Mountains [Episode 76]
How I Go on Vacation Every Day [Episode 75]
Learning to See the Value in Your Own Story and That You are Extraordinary with Jessica Dahlquist [Episode 74]
Where to Start When You Feel Overwhelmed by Your Messy House [Episode 73]
Finding Joy in the Truths of Motherhood with Valerie Woerner [Episode 72]
Where to Start When You Feel Overwhelmed with Exercising [Episode 71]
Instilling Courage and Confidence in our Girls with Amy Klein [Episode 70]
Priorities for My Parenting and Marriage When I'm in Survival Mode [Episode 69]
Living a Slow, Intentional Life with Brandi McIntosh [Episode 68]
In Pursuit of Peace with Lauresa Larson [Episode 67]
Key Questions to Ask in the Evening [Episode 66]
Using Your Gifts to Bless Your Family and the World with Erin Morley [Episode 65]
Finding a Thriving Mindset in Survival Circumstances [Episode 64]
Finding Your Purpose with Kristin Brown [Episode 63]
Living Your Legacy with Emily McDermott [Episode 62]
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