Keeping a house clean with kids or pets around is always a challenge, but especially when you consider how toxic so many common cleaning products can be. Harsh chemicals can make kids and pets sick when they lick surfaces or put items into their mouths, and they can also compromise the interior air quality with hazardous fumes.
To keep the little ones and furry friends in your life safe and protected, here are some natural cleaning tips if you have kids or pets in your home.
Learn About the Risks
It’s far too easy to pick up the most affordable and convenient cleaning products at a store and begin using them at home without a second thought. But to keep kids and pets safe, you will need to actually flip those bottles around and read the labels to see what’s in them.
Here is a list of some potentially toxic ingredients that you will often find in household cleaning products and should avoid if you have kids or pets around:
- Ammonia
- 2-Butoxyethanol
- Coal tar dyes
- MEA, DEA, and TEA
- Silica powder
- Nonylphenol ethoxylates
- Triclosan
- Fragrance
Choose a Safe Surface Cleaner
There are so many surfaces in a home that get covered in dirt, grime, and germs every day. However, many commercial multi-purpose cleaners contain questionable ingredients like ammonia, trisodium phosphate, and ethylene glycol monobutyl acetate. These things can cause irritations to the eyes, skin, and throat. But if you have kids and pets, they can be poisonous and even deadly if swallowed.
A better option is to use Seagate Surface Cleaner which washes away germs 100% naturally and without chemicals or any harmful ingredients. It contains natural antimicrobial products from plant sources and is safe to use on everything from baby cribs to children’s toys and pet bowls.
Mix Your Own Products
If you have a little time on your hands and a stocked pantry, you may be able to make many household cleaning products at home to keep your kids and pets safe. These are some of the most common ingredients that you’ll need to make DIY cleaners for toilets, carpets, windows, laundry detergent, and more:
- Vinegar
- Baking soda
- Lemon
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Tea tree oil
Keep Up with Routine Cleaning
It’s much easier to do small cleaning jobs over time rather than huge, time-consuming ones when a big mess happens. Try to clean up messes as soon as possible so that they don’t settle in and become more challenging to tackle.
Get kids involved with cleaning chores, not only to divide up the labor, but also teach them useful skills and a sense of responsibility. However, if your kids and pets take up so much of your time that you can’t keep up with routine cleaning, it might be time to hire a professional to take care of certain tasks on a bi-weekly basis or do seasonal deep cleanings to take over those really burdensome jobs.
For more natural cleaning tips, check out these articles on the Seagate blog: