How Important Is Using Natural Cleaning Products?

HAVE YOU MADE THE SWAP TO NATURAL CLEANING PRODUCTS?

Spending a lot of time in our homes makes for a more frequent use of cleaning products, like dish soap, hand soap, surface and glass cleaners. When we think about making swaps to better-for-us and better-for-the-environment products and ingredients, we usually think first about skin, body and hair care. So how important is using natural cleaning products?

The Environmental Working Group or EWG has done extensive research to help provide safety ratings for more than 2500 different products on its site. They also provide information about what key ingredients to avoid, including do’s and don’t as part of their extensive Healthy Living Home Guide, including:

1. Don’t pollute your home and body with harmful chemicals commonly used in cleaning products.
2. Don’t use cleaners that include ammonia or chlorine bleach.
3. Don’t use air fresheners, and avoid scented cleaning or laundry products that don’t disclose their fragrance ingredients on the product label. These products can trigger allergies and often contain suspected endocrine disruptors, such as phthalates and synthetic musks.

At Saje, we’re proud to offer many products that can be added to your daily household maintenance schedule that are 100% free of common irritants like artificial fragrances, ammonia or chlorine bleach and a whole host of other undesirable ingredients. Read on to learn more about natural cleaning products for your home and body.

NATURAL CLEANING PRODUCTS FOR YOUR KITCHEN AND MULTI-SURFACE AREAS

 

One of the products we are most passionate about our Community converting to natural in their homes is a multi surface spray cleanser. Not only is it important that this product be made free of synthetic fragrances, it should also be free of irritating chemicals and corrosive ingredients that aren’t healthy to breathe in, or to touch.

Our Multi Clean is an invigorating all-purpose cleaner that is made and scented entirely from plants and nature derived ingredients. Easy to recognize essential oils like lavender, peppermint and rosemary help to cleanse and deodorize while lesser known ingredients like sodium citrate (derived from corn) and capryl glucoside (derived from coconut, palm kernel oil and vegetable sugars) ensure surfaces are left free from anything sticky, mucky or stuck on. Removing dirt and grease from surfaces like kitchen counters, sinks, cupboards and more will be easy on your hands and your respiratory system.

 



 

We also offer a 100% nature derived dish soap called Dish Wish in a zesty formula, scented with essential oils of grapefruit, lemon and orange. Sodium laurylglucosides hydroxypropylsulfonate, a giant mouthful of an ingredient is derived from a sugar compound made from fruits and vegetables, and is the key ingredient in helping this gentle on your hands and powerful on grease formula clean pots, pans and glassware with ease.

 



 

NATURAL CLEANING PRODUCTS FOR YOUR BATHROOM

 

Because we’re all collectively keeping hand hygiene at the forefront of our minds, we implore you to consider making the switch to natural ingredients and products here, too. Especially when it comes to hand soap, we know formulas created with a high concentration of fragrance and alcohol are drying and irritating to the skin over time, stripping it of its much needed moisture. The foaming hand soaps we offer are 100% nature derived, relying on saponified coconut, castor and sunflower oils alongside an aerated hand pump to create frothy, foamy and cleansing soap that also helps to keep your skin richly hydrated and nourished.

Two of our most popular foaming hand soaps are Liquid Sunshine, our Community-favorite scent of tart and invigorating citruses of lime, bergamot and grapefruit to give you a natural mood lift everytime you wash your hands, and Tingle Mint, a cooling, refreshing and stimulating blend of peppermint, tea tree and rosemary. Try replacing your conventional soap with these natural versions and see how much better your hands feel.

 



 

We’re also proponents of replacing synthetic room sprays and plug-in air fresheners, in favor of cleansing and deodorizing mists formulated without synthetic chemicals or fragrances and perfumes. Airoma Loo is our best selling room refresher spray, helping to neutralize odor in high traffic areas like the bathroom and kitchen with renewing and revitalizing essential oils like eucalyptus, spearmint and sage. Shake well before use and mist generously in any area that needs a cleansing boost.

NATURAL CLEANING PRODUCTS FOR YOUR LAUNDRY AND FABRICS

 

A household task we all partake in regularly is laundry and maintenance of our clothing and fabrics. Did you know that EWG makes a strong recommendation to skip the fabric softeners because of heat-activated chemicals that can harm your health, the environment and pollute the air, instead making a recommendation towards 100% wool dryer balls?

Our Laundry Love set contains three 100% natural, unbleached and untreated wool dryer balls along with a laundry blend called Sweet Sheets, essential oils of bergamot, lavender and lemon to add a fresh and clean natural aroma to your dry cycle. Wool dryer balls can help to soften and separate fabrics, while reducing drying time and static cling. Our wool dryer balls are made for fair wages in Nepal from ethically sourced, cruelty-free New Zealand wool. Shearing helps to keep sheep clean and comfortable in the warmer seasons when their heavy wool can cause overheating. We recommend applying 5-7 drops (or as needed) of the laundry blend to each wool dryer ball, before tossing into the dryer and beginning the preferred cycle.

 



 

We also offer a fabric and textile refreshing mist called Sweet Sheets, to help keep your linens and clothing smelling fresh and deodorized. Floral lavender and citrusy lemon add a naturally refreshing aroma to fabrics as desired.

NATURAL CLEANING PRODUCTS FOR THE AIR IN YOUR HOME

 

The last area of the home we want to touch on as we discuss natural cleaning products is your air quality. We all want to rest assured that we’re doing our best to keep the air in our environment fresh and clean, as well as free from allergens, toxins and pollutants. Unfortunately, many of the air freshening products on the market today are saturated with potentially harmful ingredients like artificial fragrances that can have a negative impact on our respiratory health over time. Our favorite swap has been from candles and plug-ins to diffusers and diffuser blends. Diffusers are stylish and functional ways to use a simple combination of water and pure essential oils to not only scent the air in your space according to your preference, but to refresh the air and create negative ions that help to elevate your well-being.

We love the Aroma Om Deluxe Stone for the largest open area spaces in our homes, like living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms. This unit, both our largest size and our longest running, has many options and features that make it versatile for use in any home. The unit can be programmed to run for one, three or six hours, or can be placed on a continuous setting. In this mode, based on either low or high, the diffuser will run for between 11-22 hours. Add in an optional LED light band with a dim or bright setting and you’ve got a fashionable and functional diffuser for scenting your space, naturally.

 



 

A diffuser blend our Community loves is called Refresh, and this blend does precisely what the name suggests. Blended with sweet, clearing and fresh spearmint, citrusy, uplifting and deodorizing lemon and herbal, woody and soothing eucalyptus, this invigorating blend will help reset your senses and your mindset.

LIFESTYLE TIPS FOR INCORPORATING NATURAL CLEANING PRODUCTS

 

Apart from actually making the swap from synthetics to natural products, we want to provide you with a few no-nonsense tips for practical, natural living. These are small changes you can make in your home everyday on your way to a toxin-free lifestyle:

1. Get really good at reading the labels. Keep in mind that many of the harmful and irritating ingredients are the big, long and fancy words that are the hardest to pronounce, which is why you might need to lean initially on helpful sites like EWG’s Skin Deep database and Living database.
2. Start by eliminating these known irritants and some of the worst common offenders from your personal care and home care products: parabens, triclosan and triclocarban, phthalates, fragrance, SLS and SLES.
3. Do your research and assume that just because a product says “natural”, it doesn’t mean it only contains natural ingredients. Find brands you know you love and trust, who you know disclose fully all contents of the ingredients they use in every single product they offer. (Hint: here at Saje, we’re big on transparency. We always disclose 100% of the ingredients in every product we offer!)
No one wants to live in a home polluted with harmful chemicals.

—The Environmental Working Group