Guide For Natural Household Cleaners
I use to be drawn in by Mrs. Meyers beautiful marketing strategies like designs, scents, and “clean” plant-based labeling… not anymore.
I remember when I first found out about Mrs. Meyers cleaning products and the basil scent hooked me right away. Within a few days I had ordered all their laundry soap, dish soap, and cleaning sprays. I would even go as far as buying their seasonal scents as soon as they were on the market. I finally found a cleaner that didn’t smell of bleach or chemicals! But after years of using it I finally realized it was causing my family more harm than good.
The Greenwashing From “Natural” Brands
I didn’t realize this at the time and unfortunately it took years for me to figure it out but these “natural” products were actually causing mine and my daughter’s eczema. She had a complete body eczema and I had a hand eczema. But how could a “natural” botanical cleaner cause eczema? Well it was because I was being marketed to “think” it was completely natural, low and behold there were still many ingredients that are very harmful and irritating tot he skin.
Now let’s take a look at what ingredients are actually in Mrs. Meyers Dish Soap and what these ingredients mean. *I link some form of research for the concerning ingredients, the science is limited and many research is done on animals. This is why common sense is such an important factor in our daily decisions!
Harmful Ingredients in Mrs. Meyers Lavender Dish Soap:
Water, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Lauryl Glucoside, Lauramine Oxide, Fragrance, Glycerin, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Quillaja Saponaria (Soap) Bark Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Polysorbate 20, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Citric Acid, PEG-5 Cocoate, Methylisothiazolinone, Benzisothiazolinone
*This brand is considered class D (F being the worst)on the EWG website and for good reason! The ingredients are very concerning and can cause a laundry list of problems for the human body.
~As you can see the first few ingredients are really decent! Water, lavender oil, orange oil, soap bark extract, and aloe. But the further you go down it gets a bit more confusing. Even the word FRAGRANCE is actually not good. Fragrance can have over 100 different chemicals and the source is unknown. These cleaning agents are put in these products as foaming agents, preservatives, to prevent slime or bacteria buildup, and as stabilizers. A lot of these ingredients are used to make products last longer, stay stable on the shelves, and provide extreme cleaning power. But are they necessary? No. Could they be causing harm to our bodies? Absolutely!
Check Product Ingredients and Make Healthy Swaps
Once I linked the chemical-ridden “natural” products to our eczema I knew I had to do more research and find TRULY clean products. I couldn’t get marketed into thinking they were “clean” I had to excessively look at every ingredient and know for sure that there were no chemicals used. On my path to swapping out household products I was introduced to simpler cleaning products like vinegar, baking soda, and natural cleaning agents made from castile soap or tallow soaps. Once I swapped out our cleaning products my daughter and my eczema started to fade away. I was shocked! Going forward look for ingredients you can pronounce like saponified oils, Castile soap, essential oils, and lye. There is nothing better than going back to basics!
MY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Multi-Surface Cleaners:
MAMA SUDS All Purpose Cleaner Spray
Earthley Cleaning Concentrate Spray
Dr. Bronners Sal Suds Concentrate
Laundry Cleaning:
Mama Suds Laundry Soap & Stain Stick
Hand Soap:
*I recommend a natural bar soap or natural liquid soap. No need for antibacterial additives. There are many bar soap options out there! Make sure the ingredients are simple and easy to pronounce.
MamaSuds Castile Bar Soap or Liquid Hand Soap or Softening Hand Soap
Toups and Co Lavender Bar Soap
Dish Cleaning:
Mama Suds Solid Dish Soap & Dishwasher Powder
Earthley Dish Soap Bar & Dishwasher Powder
Toilet Cleaning:
Vinegar & Baking Soda
Household Cleaning Accessories:
Bamboo Dish Soap Tray or Silicone Dish Soap Tray
I hope I have given you a bit more information about how to avoid toxic chemicals in your home and the confidence to go make your own choices when you shop for you and your family.
