Crunchy? Silky? Or as Abbie Halberstadt has coined it, crispy at best? These are words used to describe where you fall on the spectrum of natural living. As I began my journey of marriage, homemaking, and motherhood, I knew I wanted to make the best choices for my family. I wanted to bring things in our home that would be good for our health and wellness. But being a 90s kid with your typical 90s mom, I was starting from scratch! Since those early days, I have learned so much and would consider myself pretty crunchy. According to some, I still have a long way to go, but I do my best to be a wise steward and make low-tox choices.

Over the past decade of homemaking I have researched, read articles, listened to podcasts, and gleaned wisdom from people I trust. Little by little, changes added up, and we are living a more natural lifestyle. I try to not be one who is swayed by every new fad that blows my direction (there are a million of those! Thank you social media!) Some have merit to them, some do not. I desire to employ wisdom and stewardship in every facet of my life, even down to the “little things” such as what laundry detergent will we use and what foods will we choose to consume or avoid. These seem like minute details of life, but in a toxin-ridden world, they add up!

Part of the stewardship I have as a wife, mother, and homemaker is to do what I can with the resources God has given us to make my home a haven- a safe place. I want our bodies and health to thrive. This means I am aware of what we eat, wash our dishes and clothes with, clean our home with, and so on. I want us to be able to be the best we can be for the Lord. I fully understand that there are things far beyond my control, but when it’s something I can control, I try to do so wisely.

Going back to the early days me… When I began to realize the overwhelming amount of toxins and chemicals found in almost every product we use on a daily basis, I decided it was time to make some changes! I started where everyone recommends you begin- in the cleaning cabinet. As one supply ran out, instead of running to Walmart for more Windex or bleach, I did some research and made a more natural swap. Now, I can safely hand my cleaning caddy to my 8 year old daughter without fearing that she will die of chemical exposure (we do still teach safety and how to properly handle cleaning solutions!) I cringe when I think of all the “cleaners” I rubbed all over everything thinking I was eradicating germs. It might have accomplished that, but it was also introducing so many toxins into our home. There’s a saying that goes “the nose knows!” Well, it does! Trust it. When you pursue a low-tox lifestyle, you’ll quickly find that your nose will tell you when something is toxin laden!

Where to Begin

-Start with easy swaps.

When you run out of a cleaning supply, instead of replacing it with the same brand item, do a quick search and try to find a more natural solution.

-Start with one area of the home.

What room do you think needs the most overhaul? The laundry room? The kitchen? The bathroom? Focus on one area.

If it is the laundry room, look to make little swaps as you run out of things. Out of detergent = look for a more natural option. Out of dryer sheets = swap for wool dryer balls, you can even add essential oils to them for scent. Out of bleach = that’s ok! Your whites don’t need it anyway! Hang them out in the sun for a few hours, and voila! Bright as new!

-Opt for reusable options.

Cleaning supplies like paper towels, wipes, plastic bottles, etc can all be easily replaced with reusable options. These are better for the environment and much better on the budget! I have a cleaning caddy that I keep stocked with rags to replace paper towels, glass bottles to refill with homemade cleaners, and so on.

-Utilize nature.

It is amazing how God designed the world for our good. The simplest things like I mentioned above about using sunshine to brighten your whites work! Some other natural elements to implement in your home might be opening the windows or having plants that clean the air. Did you know that even opening your windows for 10 minutes a day can cause a huge difference in the air quality of your home?!

-Dust.

I know, it’s not a fun job, but keeping up with the dusting is a huge aspect of keeping a clean home. Dusting regularly reduces allergens, inhibits mold growth, reduces asthma and respiratory symptoms, and improves indoor air quality.

Favorite Cleaners and Cleaning Supplies

• Norwex: The envirocloth and window cloth in particular are great cleaning tools! You can find video demonstrations on YouTube about their cleaning power, but believe it or not, all you need is the cloth and water! This has been a great option to use as I’ve included my littles in household cleaning tasks. Some other products I love from Norwex are the dusting mit, bathroom scrub mit, mop system and the cleaning paste (for all those places that need extra scrub and shine!).

• Young Living: I don’t do a lot with essential oils, but I do love using them in cleaning. It’s a wonder all the things that lemon is capable of! And if you are like me and you struggle to feel like a room has really been cleaned without it having a fresh smell, insert oils and a diffuser! In the early days, I missed that lemony scent of Clorox wipes in the bathroom. I equated that smell with a clean sink and toilet. I can still get that fresh smell, but without all the chemicals of Clorox wipes! I just pop a few drops of lemon oil or citrus fresh in our bathroom or kitchen diffuser and breathe in the moment of a clean room! I also enjoy YL’s Thieves Cleaner. A little goes a LONG way! Simply dilute a capful or two in a glass spray bottle with water, and you have a great multipurpose cleaner! I use this for cleaning the sinks, toilet seats, counter tops, pretty much everything. I have also used their Thieves laundry detergent and found that to be a good option for washing clothes.

• Tineco Vacuum/Mop: We recently bought this vacuum/mop and Simeon and I keep looking at each other and asking, “Why did it take us so long to get something like this?!” We have five littles ages eight and under. Let’s just say that meal time clean-up took ages… and it happened at least three times a day! We needed a solution. This vacuum/mop has been AMAZING! It cleans up all types of food messes off the floor while mopping. It also leaves almost a completely dry path behind. I cannot rave about this enough! It has saved us so much time. I think our future knees will thank us!

• Electric Spin Scrubber: This one is great for cleaning showers and bathtubs!

• Carpet and Upholstry Cleaner: We recently moved and were looking for something to use to clean used furniture we purchased from marketplace. We found this, and it has been a handy tool for so much more than cleaning couches. With little ones in the home, there is always a spill on the carpet or people getting sick on the floor. It’s been easy clean up with this tool.

• A Healthier Home by Shawna Holman: This book takes you through your home room by room swapping things out to make your space a little less toxic. She has many great cleaning recipes that I use in my home (as well as recipes for personal care items, etc!)

Remember

Rome wasn’t built in a day. It has taken us over a decade of marriage to make many of these swaps become our norm and accumulate the different cleaning tools and gadgets we now have. Don’t let any of this cause you to spend money you don’t have! Be wise with the resources God has given you, and if this is an area that is important to you, take baby steps to make it a bigger part of your life. Little changes add up over time.

I’d love to hear what your favorite cleaning supplies, resources, and tips are! Share in the comments below!

As a wife, mama, and homemaker, I want to steward our health well. We live in world where that is difficult to accomplish! Everyone seems to have the “right” answer, yet answers conflict. We have lost trust in the healthcare system. Big pharma is consumed with making more money instead of helping people be healthy. Doctors prescribe pills as a first option instead of suggesting more nourishing diets, exercise, and sunlight.

I’m not completely against conventional medicine. It has its place in the grand scheme, as well as in my own life and health. But I have questioned if it should always be my first option. This has led me to MUCH research, learning, and praying! It is a journey that I feel as though I have just begun. Motherhood has been my catalyst. I want to make the best decisions for my children’s health. I want to be a healthy mama for them! This is a truth I hear echoed by many other mamas.

The biggest question we then ask is “Where to start?” As mentioned before, I feel as though I have only explored the tip of the iceberg of a more holistic approach to health, but these are some things that have been a huge blessing to our family as we have sought to fight sickness naturally.

General Health

-Eat Nutrient Dense Foods. I’ll admit, I’m not quite in the camp that is eating fermented foods, organs, and livers. (applause to those of you who do!) But I have made it a top priority to cook almost all that we eat from scratch using real food ingredients. Even simple switches make a difference- making all your bread from scratch, shredding your own cheese, eliminating processed foods from your diet, limiting or cutting out sugar. Make sure you are eating plenty of protein and in-season fruits and veggies. I’m convinced that so many of our health issues in the western world are linked to the foods we eat! Read labels. Be able to recognize harmful ingredients and avoid them. Real food tastes so much better anyway! It’s worth the extra effort!

–Move Your Body. I am a busy mama of 5 with very little spare time, but I’ve found that moving my body every day is so helpful for my physical and mental health! Ideally, I love to get outside and take a walk. That doesn’t always happen! My daily goal is to get in a minimum of 10k steps and do some stretches throughout the day. This helps relieve a lot of tension that builds up through a day of homemaking and tending to little ones. I also enjoy doing the free workouts or stretch routines from Nourish Move Love.

-Water. I love my Owala water bottle! It keeps liquids cold for a long time and holds 32oz. I find I drink much more water since having this bottle and keeping it near me throughout the day. We have a Berkey water filter which is amazing at getting all the bad things out, but it also filters out good minerals. I use Trace mineral drops to add the good minerals back into my water.

-Circadian Rhythm. My friend, Sarah Boots from Faithful and Flourishing has been raving about the health results she’s had from implementing circadian rhythm into her life. It’s so amazing, I had her join me on the podcast to share her story. You can also get her guide, A Christian Woman’s Guide to Health and Hormones . Ladies, it’s gold! Every woman needs to read it!

–Magnesium. I apply this Good Night Lotion from Earthly every night before bed to aid with sleep. Two years ago, I did a htma lab to access my mineral levels, and I found that while most of my minerals were low, magnesium was right where it needed to be! I attribute that to this cream!

General Medicine Cabinet Essentials

-Rice Bag. Great for soothing sore muscles, cramps, or joint pain. I use this instead of a heating pad. Someone made me one, and they are very easy to make! Or you can find them other places like Etsy.

-Otoscope. I have a child who suffered from many ear infections as a toddler. After a dozen or more doctor visits, I decided to get an otoscope and learn to recognize an ear infection. This helped know how to treat him and when to take him to the doctor!

-Thermometer. I don’t know why it took me so long to get a no touch thermometer, but it is game changer! Gone are the days of trying to get sick, wiggly kids to hold a thermometer under their tongue! This is instant and accurate.

Immune Boosters

–Elderberry Syrup. Packed with antioxidants, polyphenols, and vitamins, this is fantastic for immune support. There are many different options available, but you can get this elderberry kit from Purely Parsons.

-Propolis. At the slightest onset of a sore throat, we start using this throat spray to boost immunity.

-Oral Care. Thieves mouthwash, Thieves toothpaste, and a tongue scraper help keep bacteria at bay in the mouth!

Medicines/Treatments

–Badger Headache Soother. A peppermint oil-based salve to help conquer headaches.

–Earthley Tinctures. I have used many of the different tinctures from Earlthy, and they are all so good! Made with pure ingredients, you can feel safe using these with your family. They are clearly labeled with safety info and dosages for babies, children, and nursing mothers.

-Mullein Garlic Oil. Great for treating ear infections.

-Charcoal Mask. I use this charcoal mask from Mary Kay on my face, but a missionary friend to Africa recently told me that it works great at drawing out toxins from bug bites! She said to apply it to a mosquito bite, and the itching will stop and the bite with disappear in a few hours!

–Genexa Kid’s Pain & Fever. Tylenol has been completely removed from my medicine cabinet (lots of research available as to why, just do a Google search). I try to treat things with other natural sources, if possible, but if a child is miserable and nothing else is giving relief (especially when battling a fever), I use this to help them get through.

-Peppermint & Eucalyptus Oil. I enjoy diffusing oils for fragrance in my home, but I don’t often use them topically or internally. I have found that diffusing peppermint and eucalyptus oils in a room with someone who is having respiratory/cold symptoms has helped to clear them up! You can get oils from many places, but I use Young Living.

-Arnica Gel. Good for bruising, pain, and soreness.

-Urine test strips. I struggle with UTI’s, so it has been helpful for me to learn how to test and understand the results from an at home urine test.

-Herbal teas. This is an area I’m new to, so I won’t give many specifics. We do use herbal teas often when cold season hits. Sipping on hot tea with fresh lemon juice and honey is very soothing to a sore throat. I want to learn more about how other herbal teas can benefit different illness and symptoms!

More Resources to further your Research

This is an area that I am currently learning more about and growing in! As I learn and as the budget gives wiggle room, I pick up a thing or two to add to my natural medicine cabinet. What are your essentials? I’d love to hear in the comments!

These are some sources that have helped me learn more about natural health and living.

Be Your Own Doctor by Rachel Weaver

Be Your Child’s Pediatrician by Rachel Weaver

Our Natural Medicine Cabinet by Brighter Day Press

Purely Parsons Shop

Clean Living Mama with Rebecca Grant

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