5 Best DIY Cleaning Products to Use During Pregnancy: Understanding Your Green Cleaning Options When You’re Expecting
During pregnancy, you want to make sure that you are doing everything possible to make sure you and your baby are healthy and safe. And that includes choosing cleaning products that are non-toxic and chemical-free.
Finding a list of safe cleaning products during pregnancy on the shelves of many stores can be challenging.
In this guide, we’ll help you skip the challenge, time, and money and find natural, green alternatives that not only give you a clean home but also give you the peace of mind that comes with using safe house cleaning products while pregnant.
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What Are Green Pregnancy Safe Cleaning Products?
Green cleaning is a big deal for many people, but it’s an especially big deal for women who are expecting. Keeping themselves and their babies safe is of utmost importance. And for most of us, cleaning doesn’t stop just because we’re pregnant, so finding safe cleaning solutions is a must.
Green cleaning supplies can be an important part of that solution.
Generally, green cleaning means using supplies that are free of chemicals and toxins. More specifically, green cleaning may include supplies that are also free of:
Chlorine
Phosphates; and
Artificial colors and fragrances
It’s important to note that green cleaning supplies are graded by levels. In reality, supplies that are considered 99% green are probably okay for pregnant women to use.
But if you want to err on the 100% safe side, it’s best to stick with …
Clear dish soap
Vinegar
Lemon; and
Water
… but you may need to use more to get the same level of cleanness of chemical-based products.
If you’re pregnant and want to hand off the housecleaning to someone else, Tidy Up Portland! has got you covered. We pride ourselves on a thorough cleaning job using environmentally friendly, non-toxic cleaning products that are safe for you and your unborn baby.
5 Best Green DIY Pregnancy Safe Cleaning Products
Many people may like the idea of green cleaning but aren’t sure that it really works. Can every day, green substances clean as well as those laden with chemicals?
The answer is yes!
Green cleaning supplies are very effective in providing the clean you’re looking for without that added harm that comes from harsh chemicals and toxins.
Like we mentioned above, when using 100% green cleaning supplies like …
Vinegar
Lemon
Clear dish soap
Rubbing alcohol
Cornstarch
Baking soda
Castile soap
Essential oils
Kosher salt
… you may need to use more. But a thoroughly clean home is possible with these simple supplies.
Below we’ll run through seven at-home substitutes for the leading chemically filled and toxic cleaners, all using every day, green cleaning substances.
#1: All-Purpose Cleaner
Found in stores across the county, 409 is a popular all-purpose surface cleaner and for good reason. It’s touted as a cleaner that can be used on multiple surfaces, meaning you can get rid of the closet full of specialty cleaners and use just this one.
The purpose of this all-purpose cleaner is to:
Clean
Deodorize; and
Disinfect
But cleaning with 409 comes at a price — a high chemical price — for the expectant mom.
With chemicals like …
NONOXYNOL-9
QUATERNIUM-14; and
SILICON CARBIDE
… using 409 may contribute to:
Asthma and respiratory issues
Skin allergies and irritation; and
Environmental risks
You can easily substitute vinegar and water for 409 to get the same clean and disinfected home, without risking your health or the footprint on the planet.
Vinegar is a natural cleaner that takes out mildew, dirt, and bacteria, and it can be used in every room of your home.
#2: Hard Surface Scrub
Scrubbing Bubbles has a plethora of products for use in the bathroom, from the sink, to the toilet, to the shower.
But like 409, Scrubbing Bubbles comes packed with some strong chemicals that you want to avoid if you’re pregnant:
DIETHYLENE GLYCOL PROPYL ETHER
ALCOHOL ETHOXYLATES; and
FRAGRANCE
These chemicals cause concern for:
Cancer
Skin irritation
Allergies; and
Vision problems
Avoid all of these by substituting Scrubbing Bubbles with Kosher salt and lemon or baking soda and water.
These combinations work well to clean tough bathroom and kitchen surfaces, including:
Wood cutting boards or chopping blocks
Toilets, and
Tubs covered in soap scum
#3: Floor Care
Pine Sol is another all-purpose cleaner and disinfectant customers have been using for decades. Invented in 1929 and later bought by the Clorox Company in 1990, Pine Sol contains a cleaning agent of high concern according to the Environmental Working Group.
The cleaning agent in Pine Sol received an F rating (highest concern) because of “acute aquatic toxicity” and concerns with “skin irritation/allergies and developmental/endocrine/reproductive effects.”
Pregnant women can avoid these effects and still get the cleaning disinfectant from Pine Sol by substituting Pine Sol with vinegar or a mixture of castile soap, water, and pine essential oil.
#4: Antibacterial Disinfectant
Antibacterial disinfectants, like Clorox wipes, have never been more popular or used as much as they have been since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nevertheless, these disinfectants, though they kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, deliver chemical and toxic dangers also recognized by the EWG.
Asthma and respiratory concerns are listed as symptoms under EWG’s symptoms list because of the use of chemicals like:
ALKYL DIMETHYL BENZYL AMMONIUM CHLORIDES (C12-16)
ALKYL DIMETHYL BENZYL AMMONIUM CHLORIDE (C14 60%, C16 30%, C12 5%, C18 5%); and
ALKYL DIMETHYL ETHYLBENZYL AMMONIUM CHLORIDE (C12-14)
Pregnant women and others who want to avoid these risks can make a lemon and tea tree oil disinfectant that is effective and safe. Simply mix ½ cup warm water, ½ cup white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and 15 drops of tea tree oil. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and use it to clean and disinfect surfaces.
#5: Window Cleaner
Windex is probably one of the leading glass cleaners on the market that receives safer ratings with EWG. However, that doesn’t mean it’s totally safe for expectant mothers due to concerns with:
Respiratory problems
Skin and allergy issues;
Environmental effects
A safer and non-toxic version is a mixture of rubbing alcohol, vinegar, water, and cornstarch. You’ll have clean windows and no lingering worries about what chemicals you may be inhaling.
How to Choose Green House Cleaning Products Safe for Pregnancy
Choosing the best cleaning products to use when pregnant takes a little bit of research and elbow grease. Or you could hire a green cleaning service you trust to make the job easy.
Either way, you’ll be able to rest easy that your home is free of unhealthy chemicals and fumes that could harm you or your baby.
Purchase EWG Verified Products
In addition to the DIY substitutes we discussed above, EWG provides information to consumers regarding substances used in cleaning products.
EWG describes what they do when they say, “EWG provides information on cleaning product ingredients from published scientific literature, to supplement incomplete data available from companies and the government. The ratings indicate the relative level of concern posed by exposure to the ingredients in this product - not the product itself - compared to other product formulations. The ratings reflect potential health hazards but do not account for the level of exposure or individual susceptibility, factors that determine actual health risks, if any.”
With a search engine and information on nearly every cleaning product imaginable, EWG provides information to consumers as to which products contain safe ingredients and makes recommendations for the greenest products on the market.
Before purchasing the cleaner everyone is raging about, send it through EWG’s rating system to see if it’s one you should invest in.
Book a Green Cleaning Service
Speaking of investing — busy moms, including those who are expecting — may find it a wise move to invest in a green cleaning service.
Whether you …
Need a break
Want a really clean house
Don’t have the time to thoroughly clean yourself; or
Want to make sure your home is cleaned with green cleaning materials
… booking a cleaning service can give you what you’re looking for.
But you should know that not all cleaning companies are the same, and though they may boast environmentally safe or natural cleaning products, their idea of green may not be the same as yours.
To find a cleaning service that meets your needs and desires, you may need to sift through some websites and reviews, but we’re sure the effort will pay off.
Tidy Up Portland! — Your #1 Eco-Friendly Green Home Cleaning Company for Pregnancy Safe Cleaning
And we’re sure if you live in the Portland area, you won’t find a better green cleaning service than Tidy Up Portland!
Here’s what makes us so confident:
We clean your home with products that are:
Eco-friendly
Natural
Non-toxic; and
Green
We offer affordable rates, including both:
Hourly rates based on your cleaning priorities; and
Flat rates based on the size of your home
Booking is easy and modern with our online booking portal.
Our process is streamlined, and we’ll be on time. We fit into your day and schedule to make your life on cleaning day as easy and seamless as possible.
For more information, check out our reviews and FAQs.
Enjoy these months of pregnancy by letting Tidy Up Portland! take some of the load off and give you peace of mind.
