Welcome to Homemaking Tips Tuesdays where contributing writers share helpful homemaking tips so you can feel more successful caring for your home and family.

{This week, post by: Jaimi}

A year ago I completely changed how I clean the house. I used to buy one cleaner for windows and glass, another cleaner for the toilets, one for the floors and even another for wiping down the kitchen counters.

That is 5 cleaners, and I know that is a pretty small collection compared to some households out there. Cleaning products promise a lot, so we as homemakers want to use what is going to give us the best result and value for our money.

I know as a stay-at-home mom my mission is to keep our budget intact. I want my husband’s income to go as far as it can. That means when I can save money-and simplify my life-I will jump on board!

I found a solution to the cluttered cleaning closet. I used to carry a tote around with all the cleaners and the kids would try to touch and grab. It was not safe to have their hands touching solutions that contain ammonia or bleach.

I could tell after cleaning that the skin on my hands was dried out and my nails were brittle from the chemicals stripping away their natural moisture.

I think sometimes we choose a product because it works faster, but we do not always think about what the results down the road will be for choosing faster now. Cleaners that claim to clean your house with little effort are promising a lot, and I bought in for a time.

Now I want my respiratory system to not be overloaded with the chemical fumes of ammonia-based cleaners. I want my house to be clean, to smell fresh, but to be safe and help us stay healthy for the long term. We do not need our cleaning products to cause health problems down the road.

I have switched to one cleaner that is concentrated (so it costs very little per use), it is plant-based (so I do not have to worry about toxic chemicals), and it is all-purpose (so I have one cleaner for everything in my house). My nails and hands are not dry anymore, and my lungs are not getting filled with harmful fumes!

One All-Purpose Cleaner for EVERYTHING

It is time to downsize in order to simplify life. Being a mom is complicated at times. It is also a huge blessing for all that we teach our kids every day. I am teaching my kids about cleaning the house, staying as low on clutter as a family of 6 can, and how caring for a home is caring for our family.

As I was Spring-cleaning last year, I had enough of the clutter from things that I had not used in a year-or more. The benefit of military life is we move often, so we have to look through and sort through our stuff regularly. That means I can shed the things I do not need or do not use. I rarely find that I need something after I have sold it or tossed it. Rarely!

We don’t always think about decluttering our cleaning closet. Each cleaner makes itself seem necessary, but each one is not.

The one cleaner I use for everything in my house is Thieves All-Purpose Household Cleaner. It is plant-based and infused with the power of essential oils. Based on the Thieves essential oil blend, Thieves Cleaner cleans and sanitizes surfaces from the kitchen to the bathroom. It is so concentrated that one capful makes an entire 25 oz spray bottle of cleaning solution.

It smells amazing, as many essential oils do, but the fact that so many essential oil aficionados have tested how well Thieves cleaner works, and shared the results on YouTube (search “thieves cleaner” on YouTube to learn more), gives me the confidence that I can still clean the bathroom in minutes, but with a product that is easy on my budget and powerful enough to keep things clean.

How Does Thieves Cleaner Work?

Thieves cleaner is so ultra-concentrated that one 14 oz bottle lasts me about 3 months. I use this cleaner on the kitchen counters, I pour it on the steam mop pad to scrub the floors, I spray it on the bathroom fixtures and even have used it to clean a leather couch. We spray it to spot clean stains on the carpets and I even put it in my carpet steam cleaner to shampoo the rugs.

I mean it-this cleaner works for everything!

That reduces stress in my life.

What are your favorite household all-purpose cleaners? 

Did you miss the other tips shared on Homemaking Tips Tuesdays? You can click the image below to view the whole series!

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