Plant-based Products for a Clean, Pet-friendly, and Environmentally Conscious Home

I vividly recall the scents that defined their childhood. The smells I remember most are of a pungent white vinegar, the citrus from Murphy’s oil soap, and cinnamon - when the house was done cleaning a pot of water with three cinnamon sticks went on the stove and filled the house. Those aromas lingered through my adolescence and bring memories of chores, but more importantly, what it means to keep a home. But let's be honest, cleaning products used many years ago, and still being used today, are loaded with unpleasant smells and toxic chemicals that are harmful to us and our pets. Natural products have been slowly introduced over the years. It has only been within the last few years that the marketplace is flooded with unique plant-based, biodegradable, non-toxic ingredients that are less harmful to the earth.

I have always been open to trying new products, but I often avoided natural cleaners. Products that fell into the earth-friendly category did not meet my expectations for achieving a level of cleanliness that was satisfactory. I recall when I just moved to a new city and rented a place with two roommates– we were all in our late 20’s. One did not know how to clean correctly, and the other was very clean but refused anything harmful to the environment. It was the day I moved in and noticed that the bathroom we all shared had build-up on the shower door and mold growing in the corner. I asked the “earth goddess” roommate where the cleansers were kept to scrub the shower. She said she just cleaned the bathroom but that I could take a shot at it. I was handed a bottle of what appeared to be a watered-down lemonade with a hint of vinegar and a scrub brush. After 30 minutes of scrubbing, I realized that this person was doing all the hard work but with the wrong tools.

After being completely frustrated, I walked out of the bathroom and told her that I would buy something with chemicals that this just was not working. I came back from the store, walked into the bathroom, and emerged 20 minutes later smelling of bleach and ammonia. That bathroom was rid of anything that had been growing in there; anything that could have a chance at life had been sterilized.

While I have a deep appreciation for a cleanser that packs a punch, what continues to be on grocery store shelves is not great for our bodies, environment, or pets. We are responsible for all living things, great and small, and it is as important to me to have a healthy environment as it is a clean household. When selecting products, we have a responsibility to choose products for our well-being and beyond. We must think about how products exit our home into the world. How do they affect the health of our environment, oceans, air, animals, ecosystems, and habitats? Fortunately, the demand for eco-friendly products has created a marketplace that provides variety. In this sea of options, I wanted to share with you a list of products that I like and help me keep a clean, healthy, and happy home for my little beasts and me: