Store bought or homemade

100 years ago, ladies cleaned with vinegar and lots of elbow grease. Nowadays we have an astonishing number of products for the most specific of cleaning jobs-- no "one fits all" solutions for the modern person! Perhaps this is to decrease the actual amount of elbow grease. Perhaps for a variety of sociocultural reasons, we can't help but consume all the advertised products that are supposed to be NEW and IMPROVED.
It turns out, though, that the majority of the mass-marketed products are no better for cleaning and are identifiably worse for you, your family, your home, and the environment. What's the point?!
Fortunately a new level of "green" awareness has reached the forefront of trends. Ecologically friendly household cleaners are available at even Target. You can choose from a host of essential oils so that your countertops will smell of "natural" lavender or lemon; your toilet can be as minty smelling as your chewing gum! Many of these products are great: non-toxic, no phosphates, not tested on bunnies, won't send you to the ER if there's skin-contact. But are they necessary?
Yes, if you like something besides the smell of vinegar ("Why does the bathroom smell like a pickle?"). Aromatherapy certainly has its place. And we have long associated certain smells with cleanliness. Even though I know it's nasty and useless, I think of my mom's newly cleaned floors when I smell that pine-scented stuff. If chili is comfort food, Pine Stuff is a comfort smell. (While we're on the topic of scents in the home, I want to list the myriad reasons NOT to have those plug-in-able so-called air fresheners, but that's another topic for another day.)
You can have a greenly cleaned home by changing your own habits-- slowly, if you like. Or you can engage your cleaning lady/team to use preferred products. Or if you're really lucky, you can find a service like ours: we consult AND we clean. We improve your indoor air quality by reducing unnatural toxins.