I totally feel the energy shift that this new season is bringing. I have a strong urge to purge, cleanse, and just get rid of anything that I no longer use. I haven’t really set aside a specific time or day to do this. But I have been noticing that I do small things on a daily basis. For example, the other day I organized our closet and set aside a lot of clothes we no longer wear and that we can donate instead. I also feel such a gratification from cleaning my kitchen, something that I normally view as a chore.

Doing small tasks every day actually makes it much more likely that you will do a spring-cleaning, as it is not so intimidating and tiring.

And as many of us are spring-cleaning to different degrees, it is important to take a moment to talk about the cleaning agents we use to do that.

Did you know that the ingredients we use to clean our house could actually pollute the air we breathe? Unfortunately many of the cleaning products we use contain dangerous or questionable chemicals, such as:

• Ammonium chloride, found in toilet bowl cleaners or deodorizers, which are corrosive to the eyes.
• Bleach, when combined with other ingredients such as chlorine, can create VOC (volatile organic compounds), which are potentially toxic.

So just as you are paying attention to the ingredients of the food you consume, it is important to also pay attention to the ingredients of your cosmetics and cleaning products. Don’t forget that we also absorb toxins through our skin and air passages.

The three best ingredients I have been using to create my DIY cleaning products are the following:

• Lemon – a natural and mild disinfectant
• Baking soda – a gentle abrasive and natural deodorizer
• Vinegar – a mild acid, making a great multi-purpose house cleaner

If you would like to dig deeper into the toxic-free world of natural cleaners, make sure you check out this website for a comprehensive list of DIY cleaning recipes. I found it very inspiring.