If I Started Living Clean All Over Again, These Are the First 3 Things I'd Change in My House (Plus a Bonus for the Kids)
If I Started Living Clean All Over Again, These Are the First 3 Things I'd Change in My House (Plus a Bonus for the Kids)
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Let's be honest. The words "clean living" can make any tired mom want to lie face down on the kitchen floor. (Which, by the way, is exactly why we're cleaning it better. Keep reading.)
The internet will tell you everything in your house is out to get you. Your couch. Your candles. Probably your cat. And with four kids, I don't have time to overhaul my entire life by Tuesday. Neither do you.
So if I were starting over today, here's what I'd actually do. Three swaps. In order. No panic required.
1. My food storage containers: switching to glass
Let's talk about the plastic container drawer. You know the one. Forty-seven containers, three matching lids, and at least one piece permanently stained orange from spaghetti sauce you made during a previous presidency.
That drawer is where I'd start, because it's where our food sits for days at a time. Glass doesn't stain, doesn't hold onto smells, and goes from fridge to oven to dishwasher like the overachiever it is. It lasts for years, so you buy it once and you're done. These are the glass storage containers I use.
On a budget? Don't dump the whole drawer this weekend. Replace the plastic as it wears out, starting with anything you reheat leftovers in. The orange one can go first. It knows what it did.
2. My household cleaning products: ditching the harsh chemicals
Next, I'd head under the kitchen sink, also known as the place where bottles go to multiply.
Most of us are wiping down counters, tables, and floors with products we can't pronounce. And then our kids eat off those counters. And crawl on those floors. And occasionally lick the table for reasons no one will ever explain.
So I'd swap them for simple, vinegar-based cleaners. White vinegar and water handles a surprising amount of everyday cleaning, and baking soda does the scrubbing. Yes, your kitchen will smell like a salad for about ten minutes. It passes. One tip: skip vinegar on granite or marble, because the acid can dull natural stone, and nobody needs that kind of heartbreak.
3. My skin and body products: switching to clean, waterless formulas
This is the one most people skip, and it's the one I'm most passionate about. Your skin is your largest organ. We read the label on a box of crackers, then slather ourselves in stuff we've never once looked at.
I switched to clean, waterless skincare because I wanted products where the ingredients are doing the work, not filler. Many conventional products list water as the first ingredient. Waterless formulas are built differently, and I've seen the difference in my own skin.
Want the easiest possible starting point? Swap the three things you already use every day in the shower. That's it. You were going to shower anyway. (Probably. No judgment.)
Shampoo: H23 All Hair Types Shampoo
Body wash: B21 Moroccan Mint Shower Gel
Face wash: F38 Purifying Cleansing Gel
All three are great for any adult or teen in the house, so one swap covers most of the family. Fewer bottles in the shower is just a bonus.
Not sure where to start? Browse my shop or message me. Helping people pick products is basically my love language.
Bonus: My kids' plates, bowls, and cups: switching to wheat straw
If you have little ones, you already know kids' dishes live a hard life. They get dropped, thrown, and used as drums, and at least one has been launched across the room because the sandwich was cut into the wrong shape.
Wheat straw dinnerware is lightweight, hard to break, and made using leftover stalks from wheat harvests. It holds up to toddler tantrums far better than glass or ceramic. Here are two sets I like: Option 1 and Option 2. Check the product details before you buy, and choose pieces that are BPA-free and labeled dishwasher safe.
Start where you are
You don't have to overhaul your whole house this weekend. Pick one swap. Get used to it. Then do the next one. Clean living is a bunch of small decisions, not one dramatic purge where you throw everything into the yard.
Start with the orange container. Seriously. It's time.
