Cleaning the Bathroom (without scary chemicals)

I want to say "thank you" to everyone who has told me they love my blog. I don't know why you do, since I only write something once every six months! I constantly have ideas of what I should say, but finding the time to sit down and type is another story. I don't know how other moms can find all that time to blog. They must stay up all night.

Anyway, the idea for this post came when I was over at a friend's house who also has two young children. We were talking about what we do during that precious solitude of nap time. She said that she usually cleans the bathroom, because then she doesn't have to worry about her kids breathing in or playing with the cleaning chemicals. I didn't say anything, but I thought, wow, I would never waste nap time on cleaning the bathroom! First of all, the best time to clean the bathroom is when the kids are taking a bath (since you're probably in there watching them anyway). Second of all, who says you need scary dangerous chemicals to clean the bathroom? Is your bathroom some kind of bio-hazard site where you need to don protective clothing and a gas mask before entering? Or is it just another room in your house that you frequently enter barefoot (whether it is clean or not!)? Seriously, cleaning the bathroom does not have to be dangerous or expensive. I was surprised to read this in something as mainstream as a Martha Stewart mini mag: she said that it was just fine to wipe down the bathroom with a rag and hot water. I frequently follow her advice when the vanity looks a little grubby. I grab a wipe from the back of the toilet, wet it, wipe down the sink & vanity, and toss the wipe into the diaper pail. We wipe down the counters in the kitchen with water all the time, why not the bathroom?

Of course, sometimes you need something a little more powerful than water in the bathroom. Baking soda is my best friend when it comes to scrubbing down the bathroom. Simply shake some on a rag or scouring pad and scrub the tub or toilet. This is so convenient for me since I always have baking soda in my shower (for washing my hair). I frequently scrub down the tub while I'm showering. What could be easier than that? And here's a tip I got from Ellen Sandbeck's Green Housekeeping: use a plastic mesh bag (like the ones that they use for oranges or onions) as your scouring pad. These work better than any scouring pad you can buy, and they are free. I have one of these hanging in the shower for when I feel inspired to scrub.

And when it comes time for rinsing the tub, nothing works better than my toilet sprayer. The hose is long enough to reach over to the tub and hose it down with powerful force.

Baking soda also works well for scouring the toilet and vanity. I sprinkle some inside the toilet bowl and scrub it with the brush. Vinegar is another good friend in the bathroom. I usually use it to mop the floor (with a rag and a foot, not a mop. I haven't used a mop since I lived in Costa Rica. No mops there and they get along just fine.) You can also use vinegar instead of baking soda to wipe down all the fixtures. It doesn't have much scouring power, but it is a good general cleaner with anti-bacterial properties. You can also use it to clean the mirror, but water works just fine for that. For a spotless shining mirror, get two microfiber cleaning towels (look in the automotive section at your store as they frequently sell them as car-washing towels). Wet one towel with hot water and scrub the mirror (or window). When it looks clean, take the second dry towel and wipe the mirror until it is sparkling and dry. Tada! Who needs Windex? When I clean the bathroom, I usually start with the mirror, then use the towels to wipe down everything else, ending with the floor.

My cousin Laurie should remember that my other favorite tool for cleaning the bathroom is the vacuum cleaner (don't do this if the bathroom is wet). If the floor & vanity are dry, plug in the vacuum and use the hose attachment to quickly suck up all the hair, dust, dirt, hair pins, small bath toys, etc. When I am vacuuming the floors, I try to remember to quickly run the hose through the bathroom as well.

Finally, for those who are germ-o-phobic and feel the need to sterilize the house on a regular basis, you can do this without scary bleach. Get two misting spray bottles and put white vinegar in one and hydrogen peroxide in the other (both very harmless and cheap). Both of these chemicals are good cleaners by themselves, but together they make a powerful sterilizer that is more effective than bleach. Please DO NOT mix them in the same bottle; if they are allowed to mingle together they produce harmful fumes. When you want to sterilize a surface, mist it first with vinegar and then with peroxide (or in reverse order, it doesn't matter). Then wipe the surface dry with a rag. I read this tip in Green Housekeeping as well. I'm not a germ-o-phobe, but sometimes I like to sterilize if someone has been sick (or if the bathroom just seems really gross). Vodka is another good sterilizing cleaner. I've never used it since I'm too nervous to go to the liquor store to buy some! And I have no idea how much it would cost. But I've heard it makes a very effective bathroom cleaner. Please comment if you have used it.

To sum up, remember that there is a powerful advertising force out there to convince you that you need their products to clean your bathroom (and the rest of your house). They have a lot of money invested in you and your purchase power. It's time to show them you don't need them. It's time to phase out all those expensive cleaners and stock up on harmless and effective (and cheap!) alternatives like baking soda, peroxide, white vinegar, and maybe some microfiber towels. Your pocketbook and the quality of air you breathe inside your home will start to improve. Not to mention you can find something more exiting to do during nap time, like writing a new post on your blog!

Soap without Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

My most recent "project" for making a healthier family is to get rid of sodium lauryl sulfate in our personal care products. This quest started when my toddler asked me for bubbles in his bath. I wandered down to the grocery store to pick up some bubble bath, but something about the look of Mr. Bubble on the pink bottle made me pause and read the ingredients on the label. I'm sure you've seen these same ingredients on the back of your shampoo bottle, the long list of . . . what is this stuff anyway? If I don't know know what it is, why should I put it in my child's bath? I have often wondered about the ingredients in our soap, shampoo, and conditioner. In the past I have just shrugged and assumed that the soap companies are the experts and they must know what they are doing.

I decided to try the "organic & natural foods" aisle at the store to see what they had to offer. I picked up a bottle of body wash and looked at the ingredients. Hey, this has a lot of the same stuff! Sure, they have some additions of natural good-for-you ingredients like essential oils and honey, but what about all these chemicals that I can't pronounce?

I finally decided it was time to do some research on the subject. I went home and did some reading on the internet about sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) (the main ingredient in most of our soaps). I learned that this is a cheap detergent that causes skin & hair irritations and may even cause hair loss & other health problems. Simply put, it is a chemical detergent that harshly strips your body of its natural oils. There was even a rumor that SLS is a cancer-causing agent, but that seems to be somewhat of an urban legend. Cancer or not, it is obvious that SLS is not good for your body. Common sense tells me that a chemical detergent that is good for cleaning oil off my driveway is not what I want to use for cleaning my skin or hair.

What about all the other strange ingredients in our soap? I haven't taken the time to google all of the other chemicals, but I do know that our personal care products usually contain preservatives and artificial colors (why do we need colored shampoo & lotion??) that aren't good for you either. I want some skin-care products that are going to clean me without any weird side effects.

Reading about SLS was enlightening to me because it validated the baking soda & cider vinegar system I have been using to wash my hair for almost two years now. In my past, I was probably the worlds biggest consumer of hair conditioner. Once I quit using shampoo, I suddenly didn't need conditioner anymore. Now I realize it was probably the SLS (and other things) in shampoo that was wreaking havoc on my hair and keeping it addicted to the conditioner. The conditioner in turn made my hair more greasy so I had to wash more often with more shampoo, it was a vicious cycle! Anyway, I quit using shampoo, but my husband hasn't been willing yet to try the baking soda method on his hair. I also found it difficult to use on my children (vinegar in my baby's eyes, yikes!).

So what are the alternatives to SLS? and where can I find them? Well, you can make your own soap. This has always been an interest of mine, but I haven't found the time and energy to start this project yet. So I turned to the next best thing to making your own stuff: Etsy.com, the online market place for handmade crafts. Just browse their Bath & Beauty section to find natural alternatives to any potion you could use in the bathroom. I first found a shampoo bar (added bonus of a bar: less garbage in the landfill because it doesn't come in a bottle) and read the list of ingredients: Saponified oils of olive, castor, palm, coconut, sweet almond, camelia, jojoba and shea butter, dead sea mud, kelp, and essential oils. Wow, that's more like it! (Just because it is handmade doesn't mean that it is natural! Make sure you always read or ask for a list of ingredients when shopping for handmade soaps.) According to their description, using a shampoo bar will most likely mean that you won't need conditioner because your hair will be clean without being stripped of its natural goodness. If you find that you still need conditioner for your hair, you can find those on Etsy too (leave-in conditioners are great). Or make your own leave-in conditioner by rubbing a tiny drop of essential or olive oil through your hair. Just a tiny drop! A little bottle goes a long way.

I've also found on Etsy natural bars of soap that replace my bottles of body wash and hand wash. I got some wonderful bubble bath for my toddler from Morning Star. If you use face wash, you can find natural alternatives that will leave your skin so soft that you might not need moisurizer anymore. I have been using my own concoction of 1 part baking soda mixed with one part ground rice or rice flour to wash my face. You can also add some dried herbs or lemon rind to this mixture. I put a small amount in my hand, mix with water to make a paste, and then scrub my face. It works so wonderfully that I have thrown out all the dozens of facial care potions & moisturizers that I have collected and tried over the years.

If you browse through the listings on Etsy, you might say to yourself, "okay, these handmade soaps and things are great for rich people, but all I can afford are the $1.50 bottles of Suave." I live on a tight budget too and have the same concerns! But consider that using these natural soaps will most likely mean that you won't need to spend money on conditioner & lotions anymore. You can also save even more money by using a combination shampoo/body bar. Imagine taking a shower where all you need is one bar of soap instead of all those bottles of stuff!

Another suggestion is to search out a local provider of handmade soaps. Many sellers on Etsy list their location; you might find someone in your own town that will let you do a local pickup to save the shipping costs. Also try browsing through local farmers markets and art fairs; you'll probably find someone in your own neighborhood that makes & sells soap. I was at a local art fair here in Ketchikan and found Debbie of Alaska Lather. Now whenever I need soap, I call her and she lets me browse through her basement filled with her huge stock of wonderful soaps & body creams. I can't explain how wonderful it feels to buy something I need directly from the local artist instead of buying something from Walmart that was made in China! But best of all is the feeling I get when I bathe myself or my children with soap that is natural & good for the skin.

For additional reading, please look at the FAQ Page at Mountain Sky Handcrafted Natural Soap. It has some very enlightening information about the differences between handcrafted soap and the soap made by large companies.