Best Natural Cleaning Solutions for Baby
This post is part of the Natural Living Series. Guest Amber is sharing natural cleaning solutions for your baby items. For more information about Amber, be sure to check out the bottom of this post and for more posts on natural cleaning, check out our week of natural cleaning posts.
Many cleaning products contain harmful chemicals — chemicals that you don’t want to come in contact with your baby’s skin. You want to protect your baby and provide him with the best possible start in life. Exposing him to potentially toxic chemicals will only increase his risk of many short- and long-term health conditions.
Choosing natural cleaners and personal care products can help you to reduce the amount of chemicals you introduce into your home and to reduce the risk of illnesses caused by them. Here are a few of the best natural cleaning solutions you can choose for your baby to help you accomplish this:
Reusable Wipes
Baby wipes contain many harmful ingredients, such as parabens and retiny palmitate, which have been linked to an increased risk for cancer and other serious health conditions. You can eliminate this risk by simply making your own baby wipes. A simple solution is to combine two cups of water with one tablespoon of mineral oil (or another oil of your choice) and one tablespoon of an all-natural cleanser. Combine the solution with the wipes material of your choice.
While you can use paper towels for your homemade wipes, choosing an organic fabric instead will reduce the chemicals you are exposing your baby to and will reduce your environmental impact. Just keep your solution in a spray bottle and wet the cloth wipes as needed. Then wash and reuse.
Homemade Laundry Soap
The harmful chemicals that are found in commercially available laundry soaps can easily get into your baby’s clothes and come in contact with his skin. You can get the clean laundry you need without the chemicals that you don’t by making your own laundry soap.
There are many recipes online for making your own laundry detergent, but most call for some combination of washing soda, borax and Fels-Naptha soap. Experiment with the mixture that gets you the results you need.
Sun Bleaching
Whether you use cloth diapers or you are just battling stains from your little one constantly spilling food and other items on his clothes, you need something strong to lift out those marks and keep the fabric looking clean and fresh. While bleach is often effective, it’s also a dangerous chemical. You can get the same results by using sun bleaching instead.
To sun bleach an item, lay it outside in the full sun while it is still wet but freshly cleaned. You can also hang it on the clothes line. Let the item dry in the sun for a few hours and you’ll be surprised at how white and fresh it looks.
Homemade Baby Soap
The soap you put on your baby’s skin has perhaps the biggest impact of all. Make sure that you are using only the vest best ingredients to keep your baby clean and safe. You can make your own baby soap or baby wash by using organic ingredients that you know are safe for baby. Some options include castile soap, essential oils, and natural oils like olive oil and castor oil.
By making your own cleaners or choosing alternative methods for cleaning, you can reduce the amount of toxic chemicals you introduce into your baby’s environment. You’ll protect your baby’s health and the health of the environment.
What natural cleaners do you use for your baby? Share your tips or your recipes in the comments!
Amber Satka writes on financial topics, and much of her research can be found at her app site Car Loan Calculator. Amber is a former office manager and current mother and writer.