Living Small // Green Cleaning Products

Today, I'm going to deviate from my fall crafting series and talk about something a little more practical: house-cleaning. Boring, I know, but unfortunately a necessary evil.

Lately, Mark and I have been making a conscious effort to leave a smaller footprint in our lifestyle. One of the ways we've tried to make this change is by choosing green household cleaners that use nontoxic, all-natural ingredients and chemicals. While green products can be somewhat pricier than your typical cleaner, I've learned that it so worth it to spend a little extra money in order to avoid possible health hazards down the road. The impetus to start buying green cleaners came after learning that the chemicals in our household products have been linked to breast cancer. Because a history of cancer does run in my family, I took the warnings to heart. I would rather spend a few extra dollars now than regret it later.

I decided to share a few green products I've been using lately, along with a little review on each one. Let me know if you've ever used any of these cleaners. Or, if you have your own favorite green cleaning products, share in the comments below.

All-Purpose Cleaner:
J.R. Watkins All Purpose Cleaner
Streak-free with a calm, lavender scent. This spray is my favorite "all-purpose" kitchen and surface cleaner yet. It's what I use to wipe down the countertops after meal prep or to give the bathroom a quick mid-week spot-clean. It doesn't have the harsh, abrasive chemicals of Clorox or bleach-- so if you spill chicken goo all over the counter you may still want to reach for a Clorox wipe. But for everyday messes, this spray is by far my favorite.

Hardwood Floors:
Method Squirt + Mop Wood Floor Cleaner
My biggest issue with wood floor cleaners is the waxy film that many leave on my floors. At first, I thought the streaks were from a dirty mop. But no matter how diligently I cleaned my mop, I still felt like a haze was on my wood floors. Finally, I tried out Method's Squirt + Mop wood floor cleaner. It does a great job, leaving my floors glistening and shiny. I highly recommend this product.

Laundry:
Method 4x Concentrated Laundry Detergent
I just bought my first bottle of this detergent but have been very impressed with it already. It smells amazing and does a great job, even on Mark's grungy work pants. A small little capful does the trick, which gives me the impression that one bottle will last awhile. My favorite flavor is grapefruit!

or...

Seventh Generation Natural Laundry Detergent
This detergent is my typical go-to, but it tends to fly off the shelves pretty quickly. I usually buy the lavender scent (what is it with me and lavender??). It doesn't leave your clothes with that clean laundry scent as well as the Method detergent, but it does do the job. I probably prefer Method over Seventh Generation, but have always been very satisfied with this product as well.

Bathrooms:
Method Bathroom Cleaner
To be honest, I'm not entirely happy yet with green bathroom products. While the kitchen, floor, and laundry products always seem to get the job done, the bathroom never seems quite as sparkly-clean as I would like. This Method cleaner is the best of what I've tried, but even so I'm not crazy about the scent and don't feel that it cuts through shower scum as well as other cleansers. I've heard that Apple Cider Vinegar is a great shower cleaner. Has anyone tried this with success? Or do you have another natural bathroom cleanser that you like?

What green products do you use around the house?

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Living Small: Green Products

It's been a few weeks since I've added a post to the Living Small series. Today, I wanted to share my favorite green household products.

But first of all... why go green? Let's face it. Often, green products are harder to find. Fewer stores carry them. (Although, thankfully, more and more are starting to.) Not to mention, green products sometimes are more expensive. The latter was the main obstacle preventing me from buying green household products. Why spend more money when I could just buy Clorox? What if I paid those extra dollars only to discover that the product didn't actually polish my floors, remove the soap scum from my showers, or get dirt stains out of a contractor's work pants?

Despite these worries, I decided to give green household products a try. I started by buying Method floor cleaner. Hesitantly, I squirted it all over the hardwoods and gave them a swipe with the mop...and discovered that wow, this hardwood cleaner didn't just clean the floors, it did an excellent job. The floors gleamed, absent the waxy film other cleaners had given it. From Method floor cleaner, I moved onto other Method products and then onto the Seventh Generation brand.  Now, our cleaning bucket is filled with non-toxic and green goods.

A few of my favorites:

• Method hardwood cleaner
• Method wood polish
• Method countertop cleaner, grapefruit scent
• Seventh Generation disinfecting wipes
• Seventh Generation dish soap, lavender scent.
• Seventh Generation laundry detergent. 

While using green products in our tiny house may not even be a drop-in-the-bucket on the grand scale of environmental issues... it does make our home happier, healthier, safer, and of course cleaner. So, if you've been wondering about using green household products, as a recent convert, I certainly recommend it.