It seems like everyone wants to be more environmentally friendly, but do you have to make a trade-off? I mean… can you really be green AND clean? Or do you have to pick one or the other?
The environment has always been important to me. In high school I was so passionate about global warming, recycling and keeping areas like the Great Barrier Reef pristine for future generations, that together with my friend Stephanie, we started our school’s first environment club. It was something new and slightly radical. We wanted to have a huge impact and that’s exactly what we called our club – “Impact”.
I was also passionate about making my own products. At the time there really weren’t any non-toxic alternatives you could easily buy. The first products I made were a natural mouthwash and a cold cream for a school science fair. I remember using my grandma’s recipe, as she’d always made her own products. I’m not sure if it was because she cared about the environment (although thinking back she WAS a vegetarian) or if it was just because she was thrifty. But, as I often say to my own daughters, “If it wasn’t around in Grandma’s day, then chances are, it’s full of nasty chemicals and we won’t use it”.
Being green AND clean
Grandma’s house was always clean. Spotless! She was very house proud. It was proof – you CAN be green and clean! However, I certainly didn’t inherit her love of cleaning. I actually hate cleaning and to be honest, for most of the past fifteen years I’ve been able to afford to have a cleaner. Unlike my Grandma and even my mother, I haven’t had time to clean as I’ve worked full-time and had two small children.
Surprisingly, it’s always been really difficult finding a cleaner who will use my homemade natural spray cleaners and microfibre cloths. As Grandma would say, natural cleaning “requires a bit of hard work and elbow grease”. My friends even ask me how I found time to make all my own natural cleaning products. (I still make some of them now!) It’s because I make a lot in bulk. I always have the ingredients on hand, consequently I’m not spending time going up the cleaning aisle or the beauty aisle of the supermarket. I believe it’s worth it – good for the environment, good for my house… and good for the people who live in it!
Pregnant Womanzilla attacks
Even though I was fairly natural before having my two little girls, it’s amazing what growing tiny humans inside your body will do for your motivation. I suddenly became very aware. Aware of what I was eating, putting on my body and even the harmful chemicals in my environment. I often say I became “pregnant Womanzilla”. Many women experience being a Bridezilla, where they go a little crazy before their wedding. Well, that was me before I gave birth. Everything had to be totally natural. I cleaned out practically every product from under our kitchen sink and laundry cupboard. It’s been one of the best things I ever did.
Looking back, I’m so thankful to my Grandma, who passed on all her natural recipes and convinced me that you could be non-toxic and still have a clean house. Now, I want to share my knowledge with other mums and help future generations of women be more natural and crunchy.
Two simple ways to be cleaner and greener
So… let me ask you… are there chemical nasties still lurking around your house? In the cupboards, the laundry or under the sink? There are a couple of simple ways you can deal with them. You can grab a copy of my Ultimate Naturally Green Cleaning Guide. It’s got lots of my Grandma’s recipes in it. Just click the link to download it for free here. The other way is to ditch the toxic products and buy natural – I use Young Living’s Thieves range. Yes, I still make some of my own cleaning products, but the Thieves range are amazing and they make my house smell like chai.
So, this Spring let’s all make it cleaner AND greener. Happy Spring!
PS Love free stuff? So do I! I like to pay it forward – check out some great free stuff here.
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