Cleaning Routine

I’ve always been a person that likes thing clean, picked up, organized, cozy, and decorated.

And then I had kids and a lot of that went OUT the window! (I’m sure many of you can relate haha!)

But one thing I do NOT like to mess around with is germs and illness. When the boys started daycare in 2018, we were all constantly getting sick and I seriously upped my deep cleaning game again. It’s always been a balance for me of wanting to the most natural, safe home cleaning products for my family and also ones that REALLY kill the germs. This is even more true now in the time of the Coronavirus.

SO, all of that being said… what do I do and what products do I use?

Every Day Surface Cleaning

For my every day surface cleaning, I have typically used a cleaning concentrate. My go-to counter top, table top, flooring, dusting, glass cleaning spray has been using Thieves or Doterra cleaning concentrate and the stuff works SUPER well. I love that it is derived of natural ingredients and essential oils. It’s not going to kill viruses, but it does get things clean and shiny! My only complaint with these products is that I just do not love the smell. I can make it a little better if I add a few more drops of lemon or eucalyptus essential oils, but it still just isn’t my favorite. I still use it every day though!

Recently a friend introduced me to Dr.Bonner’s, so I’m excited to try this in addition to the essential oils for every day cleaning. I love that the brand promotes organic, sustainable, fair trade practices.

I got these Cleaning Essentials bottles and glass jar/wipes set that I LOVE. I have a bunch of the brown ones and have them labeled with my different mixes/concentrates. Then I got a blue one for water that Graham can use when I’m cleaning because he loves to “help” :) They also have great formulas ON THE BOTTLE for what proportions to use to make your own cleaner at home. Super helpful! Also love the canister with the wipes. Such an environmentally and budget friendly way to have reusable wipes. I love using paper towels and baby-wipes, but I’ve been using this more and more lately as those items have been in short supply and the more I use them the more I like it.

the heavy stuff for the highly-touched surfaces

Right now, I’m using Lysol spray and wipes on our highly touched surfaces and area I want to be SURE viruses have no chance at spreading. Every day or so (depending on the item), I clean the following with the Lysol: door handles, the kitchen faucet, bathroom sinks and toilets, constantly used light switches, the boys ipads, my phone, tv remotes, kitchen appliance handles, the mailbox handle, my car door handles and steering wheel, certain mail/groceries/products that come through the door that it would be safe/beneficial to use it on, and the occasional general wipe down of my kitchen counter where we eat most of our meals. Thankfully I had been pretty stocked up on these products from the winter, but I’m definitely starting to run low and can’t find them ANYWHERE! So I need to start researching alternatives that actually sanitize and kill germs for those higher risk areas.

Wash your HANDS!

Obviously keeping our hands clean right now is defense #1 against viruses. I make the boys wash their hands constantly and I am doing the same. I love the Everspring Free and Clear soaps from Target for the boys and my go-to happy soap is the Williams-Sonoma Meyer Lemon Handsoap. It’s always been my favorite and probably always will!

I’ve also found some great hand sanitizers to have on hand in my purse/car/office when I can’t get to a sink right away. For years I’ve used the Babyganics Hand Sanitizing wipes for the boys, and thankfully I’d just stocked up on a case of these before our Florida trip because they are impossible to find now :( My favorite go-to company for candles Method Quality Goods also released some awesome hand sanitizers and I loaded up on those as well! (And even bought some as Mother’s Day gifts!)

Everyday Household Cleaning

For everyday cleaning, I try to use products that are fragrance free. I’m a huge fan of the Honest Company cleaning, household, and bath products! I have a subscription and get a box delivered to my house every 6-weeks. I especially love their Free & Clear Dish Soap and wipes.

Also a huge van of Viva Signature cloth paper towels… nothing else compares!

Floor Cleaning Tools

I will admit, I’m kind of obsessed with having clean floors. It is a chore, but when my floors are clean I instantly feel like my whole house is 1000x cleaner!

Hands down my favorite tool for floor cleaning is my Shark Steam Mop for our floors. It makes mopping so easy and gets more floors shiny, squeaky clean! I typically will spray my essential oil combination or diluted Mr. Clean floor cleaner on the floor ahead of where I’m mopping, let it sit for a few seconds, and then go over with the steamer on the lowest setting. Works wonders!

I also use a Dyson vacuum cleaner. Lightweight and bagless - it’s essential. for every day use

I also have a full size and mini carpet/upholstery cleaner on hand.. Love the small Bissell pet Stain Eraser for cleaning my Ikea couch in a pinch if the kids spill something. The large one is also nice for getting the carpets super clean every few months. It is amazing the dirt that thing sucks up that a regular vacuum doesn’t!!

But we still get dirty

I want to keep my kids healthy, but I also want to let them LIVE and enjoy life and get all the dirt on their hands (and feet… and hair!) These pictures are from last summer, but they capture my balanced sentiment of approaching dirty and clean pretty well! haha :)

Hope you all are staying healthy and safe out there!