Toxic-free cleaning

Non-Toxic Cleaning

If you're concerned about your health and the environment, it's time to take a close look at the cleaning products in your home. Surprisingly, many of those we buy at the supermarket are loaded with harmful substances, invisible to our eyes, but detrimental.

In the frantic pace of modern life, it's easy to overlook this crucial detail, either due to lack of information or the mistaken belief that natural alternatives require an unnecessary additional effort in our already complicated daily routine.

The time has come to debunk these prejudices.

To clarify doubts and share some home tricks (very easy to implement) that guarantee a sparkling home free of toxins, we've spoken with Eva Liljeström, founder of CasaSinToxicos.com.

This graduate in Environmental Sciences has spent nearly a decade teaching families how to adopt healthier habits, not only in their diet and personal care but also in the organization and cleaning of their spaces. She does this through her online platform, social networks, workshops, and, recently, through her newly published book ‘A (almost) toxin-free home’

All this with a single purpose: to minimize the presence of harmful elements in our environment so that we can feel better physically and mentally.

VK: What are the usual cleaning products in households, what chemical substances do they include, and what is their impact on human health and the environment?

Eva: I would like to start by saying that there are no cleaning products free of chemicals, because everything around us, even ourselves, is chemistry!!

It's different if the chemistry we use can compromise our health, and that's a big issue.

It's common to find in every home cleaning cabinets full of products to clean very specific areas, even to the point of having an infinite collection of specific products filled with perfume, fragrances, and very aggressive substances.

Have you ever thought about checking what the safety pictograms mean? Those red-framed rhombuses we find on the back of the label that indicate how dangerous that product can be.

While it's true that it's difficult to guess what these products contain because the list of ingredients is "almost hidden," it's much easier to learn what those pictograms mean to take action.

If I were to use conventional cleaning products, I would protect my mouth, nose, eyes, and any skin that might come into contact. When using them, we often inhale gases that compromise respiratory health, substances that can affect the central nervous system, the endocrine system, irritate the and mucous membranes; and, in some cases, even cause death.

Just look at cases where "accidentally" ammonia has been mixed with bleach while cleaning a kitchen with the windows closed.

Never mix cleaning products, please!!

Needless to say, all those products and substances used in cleaning, end up in the drain and often become part of ecosystems.

Not to mention the amount of product residues that end up impregnating furniture, fabrics, floors, or countertops because nobody rinses the product well after cleaning! And then there are dermatitis, asthma, eye and mucous membrane irritation, nausea, dizziness... and no one knows where they come from.

VK: When and why did these cleaning products appear in Europe? (Considering that our grandmothers, especially those who lived in rural areas, tended to make their own cleaning products)

Eva: My opinion is that they arise from the need for cleaning to be faster, disinfectant, and efficient. I understand that we seek perfection, but at what cost?

We have the urgent need to "kill bugs that can make us sick," and the effect we often achieve is to make "those bugs" more resistant. In addition, we are annihilating the bad, but also the good! And by "good" I mean beneficial microorganisms for our organism, our bacterial flora...

We want our house to be as clean as an operating room, and smell like a laundry, yet we walk in with street shoes all the way to the kitchen. Some even put them on the bed!

And what about perfumes? Nowadays everything is scented: soaps, detergents, toilet paper... The worst part? These perfumes, besides compromising your respiratory health, affecting the central nervous system, or causing dermatitis, also affect your endocrine system; this translates into developmental problems, fertility issues, obesity, thyroid....

VK: What kind of alternatives exist to these toxic chemical products? Are they difficult to obtain?

Eva: I'm sure you have them in your pantry, and you also use them for cooking!!

Vinegar and baking soda (separately) or lemon juice are great allies for cleaning; Castile soap, Aleppo soap, black soap, Marseille soap... Or the one your grandmother made!!

For disinfecting? Alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.

If you also like your house to smell like something because it evokes feelings of freshness or well-being: opt for quality essential oils, which besides comforting you, can benefit you with their properties. I talk a lot about this on my Instagram account ☺

In my new book, you can find lists of essential products for an efficient toxin-free cleaning pantry, plus a lot of useful information that you can gradually implement in your home to make it “A (almost) toxin-free home” (Alienta, 2024)

VK: What would you say to those who believe that cleaning with non-toxic products is much more expensive?

Eva: In economic terms, it certainly isn't. It's about using products that are available in almost every household.

Even if you decide to use quality essential oils (which I understand may be the most expensive part of this homemade cleaning kit), what you end up saving on supermarket product purchases you can invest in these wonderful oils.

It's incredible what a single drop can achieve!

I think they're a perfect ally. Not only do I use them to achieve deeper cleaning and disinfection, but they also serve me as a natural first aid kit or to make cosmetics or personal hygiene products. But this is a whole world!

A super fascinating topic that you can learn more about through my "Abundance drops" community, which you access when you buy an essential oils starter kit through me.

But if you're one of those people who prefer ready-to-use products and save time, you can now get prepared alternatives from brands like Ecovert, Mulieres, Jacques Brochin, Jabón Beltrán...

And my favorite multipurpose cleaner: Thieves Household Cleaner, from Young Living, from which you get 21 liters of multipurpose cleaner from a single bottle of 426ml. Almost magic!

VK: To summarize, could you make us a shopping list of ingredients that should never be missing in a household that wants to opt for non-toxic cleaning?

Eva: This would be the complete list. As you can see, it's not very complicated and doesn't require a big economic outlay.

• Salt
• Vinegar
• Alcohol
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Homemade soap or unscented natural soap
• Lemons
• Essential oils
• Ultrasonic essential oil diffuser (if you're into air fresheners and smells)

VK: To finish, could you give us 3 simple recipes, made with non-toxic and easy-to-find products for household cleaning?

Eva: Of course! Here are 3 of my favorites.

Dust Cleaning Product:

• Spray bottle
• 500ml filtered water
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Half a teaspoon of liquid soap
• Optional: 20 drops of essential oil of your choice. I really like a synergy that contains tea tree, lemongrass, myrtle, citronella, rosemary, and lavender because it can also repel mites and insects.

Floor Cleaning Product:

Dissolve a couple of tablespoons of liquid soap (dish soap, shower soap, Castile soap, or black soap) in a bucket of water for mopping.

If there is grease on the floor, add half a glass of cleaning vinegar or table vinegar.

Disinfectant Product for Cleaning Bathroom and Kitchen

• Spray bottle
• 1/3 volume of cleaning vinegar in the bottle
• 2/3 volume of filtered water in the bottle
• 1 tablespoon of liquid soap
• Optional:

• 20 drops of lemon essential oil to enhance degreasing or anti-scale action.
• A mixture of rosemary, mint, and lavender essential oils to leave a fresh, floral, and pleasant aroma. You can add a total of 20 drops among all the essential oils.
• A mixture of 20 drops of tea tree essential oil + clove essential oil if you want a stronger disinfectant action.