Low-Tox Cleaning
Most of a sparkling home comes down to three cheap staples. Clear the cupboard of fragranced sprays and clean with things you could (almost) eat.
Three staples do most of the work
The cleaning aisle sells complexity; your grandparents’ cupboard sold results. Most day-to-day cleaning comes down to three inexpensive, low-tox staples:
- White vinegar, cuts grease and limescale, and shines glass.
- Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), a gentle abrasive and deodoriser.
- Castile soap, a plant-oil soap for general washing.
Add a microfibre cloth and hot water and you can clean most of a home.
Simple recipes
- All-purpose spray: equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle, with a few drops of essential oil if you like. (Not for stone worktops, vinegar etches marble and granite; use castile soap and water there instead.)
- Gentle scrub: sprinkle bicarb, spray with a little vinegar, let it fizz, then scour. Great for sinks, tubs and ovens.
- Glass & mirrors: vinegar-water and a microfibre cloth, buffed dry. No streaks, no fragrance.
What to move away from
- “Air fresheners” and plug-ins. These add fragrance chemicals to the air you breathe all day. Open a window, or simmer citrus peel and spices on the stove instead.
- Antibacterial everything. For a normal home, routine disinfecting of every surface isn’t necessary, and plain cleaning removes most of what matters.
- Heavily fragranced laundry products. Fragrance lingers on the clothes and bedding against your skin all night. A fragrance-free detergent is a quiet, high-impact swap.
Ventilation is free, and underrated
Whatever you clean with, air the house. Opening windows for a few minutes clears indoor pollutants better than any spray promising “fresh.” It costs nothing and is the most effective low-tox habit of all.