GO NATURAL: To buy or make natural cleaners…that is the question

Inevitably there are pros and cons to buying commercial products versus making your own. These are important points to consider before making any decisions about how you plan to both achieve cleanliness and better health.

Many people say homemade cleaners made with less manufactured chemicals are safer. But how true is that? Turns out, it’s pretty spot-on. Ingredients I can’t even pronounce are probably not ones I want all over my house. Ingredients found in nature, like citric acid and essential oils, should be less likely to cause health problems.

Also, some products sold commercially are not exactly friendly to the environment. The byproducts and leftovers leach into our soil, poisoning the ground. The items that make up organic cleaners, since they’re from the earth to begin with, don’t do nearly as much harm. Even if you happen to inhale them or they get on your skin and are absorbed that way, natural ingredients are less likely to cause problems. They’re usually less irritating in general, no matter how they’re used.

Now, for some of the cons about using organic materials. For one thing, they’re more expensive. Many chemicals used in standard cleaning products are produced cheaper because of the sheer volume involved. They don’t have to be sourced sustainably from the earth using careful processes.

Additionally, natural products might not work as well. Let’s face it, we’ve all tried to do something like clear a clogged drain using vinegar and baking soda, usually not very successfully. Commercial products are specifically designed to handle the tasks they’re manufactured for. Thus, they’re probably more effective. However, when you make your own products you can experiment until you find the formula that works best for your needs. With commercial cleaners, what you see is what you get.

Lastly, making your own natural cleaners isn’t as easy as it looks. You need to do a lot of research, or refer to others who already have, to figure out which ingredients will work best for each formulation you need. Using the wrong ones will not only cost money, but lead to aggravation as they don’t perform as expected.

 

I hope this has given you some things to consider before you run out and buy all kinds of ingredients to make your own cleaners. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments!