A four years ago, I never put the extra thought about the cleaning products we used in our home. Like most families, I grabbed whatever was popular or the brands that said they were natural, but I didn’t really do the research and check. The idea of switching to non-toxic products felt overwhelming, expensive, and honestly a little unrealistic. As I started learning more about the products we were using every day, I realized that creating a lower-toxin home didn’t have to happen all at once. We began making small swaps, one product at a time, and those simple changes eventually transformed our entire cleaning routine.

One of the biggest reasons we started making these swaps was because conventional cleaning products often contain strong fragrances, harsh chemicals, and ingredients that I wasn’t completely comfortable using around our family every day. While I don’t believe you need to throw everything out overnight, I do think it’s helpful to be aware of what we’re bringing into our homes. Since we clean the surfaces our kids touch, breathe the air inside our homes, and use these products week after week, switching to simpler ingredients felt like a practical place to start. An added bonus was realizing that many non-toxic products create less plastic waste, reduce clutter, and can even save money over time when you choose concentrates and reusable bottles.

If you’re curious about creating a lower-toxin home but don’t know where to start, these are the products and systems that have worked best for our family over the past 4 years.

Branch Basics Simplified Our Entire Cleaning Routine

If I could only recommend one swap, this would be it.

When I first looked at Branch Basics, I immediately focused on the price of the concentrate and assumed it was too expensive. What I didn’t realize was that I was how many bottle of cleaner it was making. After doing the math, it was cheaper then what we were spending on our budget friendly, not as clean, cleaning supplies.

One bottle of concentrate makes multiple cleaners and lasts an incredibly long time. We use it to make our bathroom cleaner, glass cleaner, and all-purpose cleaner by adding water to the glass reusable bottles. The bottles have fill lines, so mixing everything is incredibly easy. 

What impressed me most wasn’t just the cost savings. It was how well it worked. I assumed switching to a cleaner, lower-toxin product might mean sacrificing cleaning power, but that hasn’t been our experience at all. It cuts through everyday messes, leaves surfaces feeling truly clean, and has replaced nearly all of the conventional cleaners we used to keep under the sink.

It saves money, reduces plastic waste, frees up storage space, and makes our entire cleaning routine feel so much simpler.

I Keep a Simple Cleaning Bucket

One of the best things I’ve done for keeping our bathrooms and rooms clean is creating a dedicated cleaning bucket.

Inside I keep:

• Bathroom spray
• Glass spray
• All-Purpose spray
• Bon Ami
• A sponge
• Rubber gloves
• Cleaning rags
• Toilet cleaning strips

Everything is ready to go when I need it.

I have a cleaning rhythm. Monday is everyone’s bedding and towels, Tuesday deep clean for our bathrooms, Wednesday my girls room, etc. Having all the supplies together makes it easy to spend 5-10 minutes cleaning up quickly.

Bon Ami Is Still One of My Favorite Cleaning Products

Bon Ami has been a staple in our home for years.

We use it on tubs, sinks, and other areas that need a little extra scrubbing power. It’s simple, effective, affordable, and doesn’t leave behind strong chemical smells.

Sometimes the oldest products are still the best products.

Toilet Cleaning Sheets Reduced Plastic Waste

This was one of the easiest swaps we made.

Instead of constantly buying plastic bottles of toilet cleaner, we switched to toilet cleaning sheets.

They take up almost no storage space, create less waste, and clean ingredients.

CleanSmart Makes Toy Cleaning Easy

When I need to disinfect toys or frequently touched surfaces, I use CleanSmart. I usually only do this after play dates, if someone is sick or maybe just after a really long time of constant play.

What I love is that it disinfects using hypochlorous acid, a simple ingredient that doesn’t rely on added fragrances, dyes, or harsh chemicals. It gives me peace of mind knowing the toys are properly disinfected without leaving behind a bunch of unnecessary ingredients.

Our Steam Mop Replaced Several Floor Cleaners

We use a steam mop for our hard floors. *check if compatible with your floor type 

I love that it cleans using steam instead of requiring multiple floor cleaning products. It feels simpler, quicker, and keeps one more bottle out of my cleaning cabinet.

It comes with 2 cloth pads, so we always have one but you can get an extra set of replacement pads so you never accidentally have both in the wash. 

Laundry Sheets Simplified Laundry Day

Laundry detergent sheets was another easy swap we made to reduce waste.

At first, I wasn’t sure if they would clean as well as traditional liquid detergent, but they’ve worked just as effectively for our family. Our clothes come out clean, fresh, and without the bulky plastic containers we used to recycle over and over again.

One thing that encouraged me to make the switch to a clean detergent, was realizing how often laundry detergent comes into contact with our skin. We wear these clothes all day, sleep in them at night, wrap our babies in them, and wash our towels and bedding with them. Choosing a product with cleaner ingredients and no artificial fragrances felt like a simple way to reduce some of the unnecessary chemicals our family is exposed to on a daily basis.

I also love that laundry sheets create far less waste. They take up very little space, eliminate large plastic detergent bottles, and are easy to store. 

Wool Dryer Balls Replaced Fabric Softener

We stopped using fabric softener and switched to wool dryer balls.

They help reduce drying time, soften clothes naturally, and eliminate another plastic bottle from our laundry routine.

It’s one of the simplest low-toxin swaps we’ve made. And you can add a few drops of essential oils for a little scent. 

Our Favorite Budget-Friendly Dish Cleaning Products

For dishes in the sink

We switched to a soap block on a holder, with a wooden handle dish brush. I wasn’t sure about this swap but it’s extremely easy to use and gets our dishes clean. And eliminating the plastic dish soap bottle all together.

Molly’s Suds Dishwasher Pods Are a Staple

Finding dishwasher products without strong chemicals and fragrance that really work to clean dishes, took some trial and error.

We consistently come back to Molly’s Suds Unscented Dishwasher Pods because they work we think better then the big chemical brands and fit our goal of keeping unnecessary fragrances out of our home.

Reusable Cleaning Rags

For cleaning, we use reusable cleaning rags instead of paper towels and they work so much better for cleaning then paper towels! We use for spills and cleaning.

Using rags has significantly reduced how often we’re buying disposable paper products and saved us a lot of money!

Our Air Purifier Is Part of Our Cleaning Routine

A clean home isn’t just about the surfaces we wipe down. The air we breathe matters too, especially since we spend so much of our time indoors.

Running an air purifier helps capture dust, pollen, pet dander, and other airborne particles that would otherwise keep circulating through our home. It’s a simple way to improve indoor air quality without having to use sprays or heavily scented products to make the house feel “clean.”

It’s one of those things I don’t think about much when it’s running, but I definitely notice the difference when it isn’t. Since adding one to our home, it’s become part of our everyday cleaning routine just like vacuuming or wiping down the counters.

Final Thoughts

Switching to non-toxic cleaning wasn’t an overnight process for us. It was a 2 year process.

We made one swap at a time, tested what worked, and slowly built a cleaning routine that feels simpler, less wasteful, and easier to maintain.

If you’re interested in creating a lower-toxin home and on a budget, my advice is to start small. Pick one swap and go from there. Then as you run out of what you have, purchase the clean versions.

Small changes add up faster than you think.

Shop Our Favorite Non-Toxic Home Products

I’ve rounded up all of our favorite low-toxin cleaning supplies, laundry products, homemaking essentials, and everyday swaps in one place.

Browse our Non-Toxic Crunchy Mom Favorites List to see the products we personally use and love in our home.