All-Natural Pregnancy Cleaning Hacks
Being pregnant is tough work by itself. But regular life (and the chores that chores that come with it) does not stop upon conception. Nope. Still gotta wipe down counter tops and toilets. While making a baby. Great. Oh, and avoid chemicals and whatnot so you don’t a) puke and b) get exposed to something that could hurt your growing tiny-miracle. Super-great. That’s why I came up with these All-Natural Pregnancy Cleaning Hacks.
Before we begin, I should let you know I have like a standing rule for cleaning, whether I’m pregnant or not: Wear gloves. It doesn’t matter if you’re pregnant (which if you are, be doubly-sure you’re wearing gloves), what you’re using, or how natural it is, you can’t be too careful–besides, you’re cleaning up the grossest stuff in your house. Who wants that to get up under your freshly painted mermaid nails?! So, wear gloves when cleaning. It’s the smart thing to do.
On with the good stuff!
My Basic Cleaning Hacks
General Purpose Cleaner for Bathrooms, Kitchens and Whatnot
To replace my most basic cleaner, I mix 2 cups of water, 2 cups of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of baking soda together with 15-ish drops of lavender oil. I pour that into a spray bottle after the baking soda is fully dissolved and viola! I use this all the time to wipe my counters and even toilets and sinks (not in that order, though). The vinegar and lavender act as anti-bacterial/antiseptic while the baking soda helps to scour away any gunk and reduce the staining left behind. It’s kinda awesome how well these few things combine to really clean anything off any surface. It’s even gentle enough that I used it on a wall that my daughter had accidentally “painted” with spaghetti sauce…the red stain from the tomatoes vanished and all it left behind was a nice, clean finish–no paint damage at all!
After-Dinner Kitchen Cleaner
Now, keep in mind that I’m not a particularly clean cook. I make messes while I cook and leave them sometimes overnight. But I’m also super-paranoid about the creepy-crawlies that come with cooking. So, when I’m cleaning the kitchen after cooking, I hit it hard with a spray bottle of 2 cups of water and 2-4 drops of lemon oil. Nothing gets past this mixture! I get everything cleaned-up and quite shiny (and smell-goody) in a jiff, without fussing. Then I don’t worry about those creepy-crawlies anymore.
Leather Cleaner
With two kids and two dogs, my leather couches are never clean enough for me. So I mix olive oil and vinegar in equal parts (like maybe an 1/8 of a cup of each–you don’t really need to drown the leather, just wipe it) and 5 drops of lemon oil. Then I moisten some wash rags or paper towels with this mixture and go to town on the furniture. This works so well to not only clean the leather, but to also re-energize the suppleness that I use this pretty frequently between times when the couches need to be cleaned just to keep the leather soft.
Mopping Solution
Mix about a gallon of water (about 1/4 of your sink-full) with about 10 drops of cinnamon oil. This is going to smell AMAZING to your preggy-senses. Bright and fresh like lemon, but different and somehow invigorating. You can also be all boring-y and use the pine oil, but for me it’s cinnamon all the way!
Essential Oils I Use to Clean:
Lavender Oil
You can also put a few drops on a cotton ball and put those little smell-good puffs in closets or drawers to keep the moths and insects from damaging clothing. Since mothballs are a BIG NO-NO for pregnant women to handle, this is what I use. But it’s also much safer for kiddos, too, so you can put these in their drawers and not worry that they might come in contact with it…
Lemon Oil
This essential oil is amazing. With just 1–2 drops, I’ve removed gum from shoes, oil from counter tops, and even crayon from the wall. Of all the essential oils, this is kinda my favorite go-to. I’ve even used it mixed with hot water instead of carpet cleaning solution to, well, clean my carpets with one of those you-rent-em carpet cleaners.
Pine
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used the entire little bottle of this essential oil! I like to mop with it, then if the mop water isn’t too icky, I like to toss it out on my porch and scrub the porch with it, even! It’s a nice scent that just makes everything smell clean. But more than that, it makes bugs and spiders stop before crossing a threshold…cool huh?
Cinnamon
This is my second “go-to” cleaner since I’ve been preggers. I’m kinda queasy around the pine and lemon oils sometimes, so if it’s one of those days, I grab the cinnamon. It works in much the same way that lemon does, just leaves a different scent.
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