Mama's clean team: Green cleaning your baby's messes
Once you’re out of nesting mode and into mama mode, you may be alarmed by the number of new things in your home that need cleaning. From toys to diapers to pumping supplies, the stuff seems to multiply overnight, every night, and you wouldn’t be alone in wondering if your current cleaning stash is safe for Baby. Hint: if you have to wonder, it probably isn’t. Your infant is extremely vulnerable to the toxins found in most conventional cleaning products, and the ingredients in many of them have been linked to nasty side effects like asthma, organ damage, and even cancer. Fortunately, there are easy and affordable alternatives available for every mother, whether you’d prefer to make your own or buy a bottle.
Naturally, we recommend making the switch to natural cleaners for your whole home, but we’ll refrain from broaching that vast topic for now. Instead, let’s concentrate on baby-specific cleaners that we think you’ll appreciate having in your home when the time comes. (Trust us when we say that all-purpose cleaner just isn’t as all-purpose as it looks when Baby spits up on a favorite woolen bear.)
Cloth Diaper and Infant Clothing Detergent
The cloth diaper brand you choose often comes with a leaflet explaining which store-bought detergents work best, and the final choice will be up to you. Birth Source carries Claudia’s Choice Laundry Powder, which we love because, in addition to being all-natural and baby-safe, it’s made in Canada by a mom-and-dad team. If you’d like to make your own detergent, there are a host of recipes available online that can cut your laundry costs down to a couple pennies per load using easily found ingredients like Borax, bar soap, and, of course, lots of water.
Stain Remover
Food seems to cause the majority of clothing stains in Baby’s early years. Whether it’s on the way in or out, all those bananas, blueberries, and peas can ruin the cutest outfits. Of course, the most effective remedy is to wash the article as soon as possible after the stain hits, but we also recommend a booster like Buncha Farmers Stain Remover Stick. Wet the stick, rub it on, and then launder as usual ---- you’ll be happy the stain comes out, and Baby will be happy you didn’t use any dangerous chemicals whatsoever.
Diaper Pail Freshener
Carbon filters are a great addition to your cloth diaper pail. They absorb rather than mask odors, and the odor-control system in our Busch-brand pails prevents diapers from molding between washings. Of course, a tight-fitting lid and a sprinkling of baking soda will also cut down on odors and, as an added bonus, the baking soda will boost your detergent’s cleaning power come wash day.
Toy Cleaner
No longer do you have to keep the best toys out of Baby’s reach for fear of having to clean them. (What, doesn’t everyone do that?) You can make your own toy cleaner by mixing equal parts water and distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle, or you can check out brands like Norwex (our personal favorite) or Dapple. Stuffed animals can be machine-washed and -dried if they’re made of cotton or a cotton-polyester blend, and even woolens can be hand washed using Eucalan, then laid in a sunny window to dry.
Wet Wipes
Wet wipes are so handy for diaper changes, mealtimes, and those rare (ha!) runny noses, but the ones you’ll find in most supermarkets are too harsh for infant skin. Fragrances and parabens are just two ingredients to avoid when shopping for pre-moistened wipes, and even the sensitive-skin varieties require close examination. Seventh Generation and Earth’s Best make great wet wipes for babies, and we especially like the idea of cloth wipes: as with cloth diapers, you buy a stash up front, and then never again. We carry the thick and soft Motherease brand, and have heard nothing but good things about how well they work. All cloth wipes can be moistened with a homemade solution of equal parts baby oil, baby wash, and water, or with a premixed spray solution like bumGenius’ Bottom Cleaner.
Dish Detergent
If Baby isn’t attached to you 24/7, you may need to purchase a breast pump, some bottles, and, eventually, some cups, spoons, and bowls. Can you use any old detergent to clean these items? Not really: preservatives and fragrance chemicals in conventional detergents can linger on “washed” surfaces, so it’s important to clean with a product that’s actually clean. The same homemade laundry detergent referred to above can be used on dishes, and Dapple makes an affordable premixed solution that can be used on all your dishes.
Produce Wash
Did you know that rinsing your fruits and vegetables with water does not remove pesticide residues? If organic produce isn’t always accessible to you and you’re concerned about Baby ingesting any “bonuses” with his compote, we really like Norwex’s Fresh Wash. Five spritzes into a bowl full of water, thirty seconds, and you’re ready to go. You can also make your own by soaking produce in a bowl of equal parts water and white vinegar for at least two minutes.
From the March 2010 issue of The Source
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