Safe and sunny spring cleaning round-up

Spring sunshine and open windows are wonderful...until we suddenly see the dirt and cobwebs that have been comfortably lurking in corners all winter. Here are some of our favorite ways to handle spring cleaning safely, especially when we all know babies and kids will be touching pretty much everything.  

Our newest favorite counter cleaner is all natural and so safe that you can lick it--which I did. There's a lot to like about iGozen, from its many uses around the house to the fact that it comes in adorable little powder packets in a handy storage box that sticks to your fridge. With no odor and no naughty ingredients, you can be sure it's safe for mouthy babies. Or removing your eye makeup. Or cleaning your dog's ears.

I've been a huge fan of Mrs. Meyer's ever since I visited the headquarters on behalf of Cool Mom Picks and saw exactly what goes into their hand soaps and household cleaning products: natural ingredients that I've mixed up myself. Their recent introduction of a Bluebell line smells especially springtime fresh and is up to the challenge of erasing grass stains from your kids' knees. I always have a spray bottle of Mrs. Meyer's countertop spray in my kitchen, because I love scents that aren't full of icky chemicals. How safe are they? The lab folks let me go home with a vial of their Basil scent, which I sometimes wear as perfume (yup!). If you like buying safe home cleaning products at the store, you can't go wrong with Mrs. Meyer's.

And speaking of baby drool--because we're always speaking of baby drool--we love this organic way to safely get all those baby toys clean. Whether you're cleaning the crust out of the high-chair crevices or destroying the army of germs left behind after playgroup, Fields Organics Toy Cleaner is great for making sure the cooties are gone but that the toy is still safe for nomnomnoming, thanks to tea tree oil and other natural ingredients. (Updated: It appears this product is no longer in production.)

But what about the floors? If you've got kids, they're invoking the Five Second Rule every time your back is turned, and you don't want them ingesting extra chemicals along with that week-old Cheerio. Created by two dads, one of whom is a chemist, the Better Life line of cleaners smells great, really works, and is totally safe for all the people and critters in your house. Their Simply Floored cleaner is great for spot cleaning or mopping and works on hardwood, tile, marble, bamboo, vinyl, and laminate.

So now you've got a delicious-smelling, all-natural, baby-mouth-worthy cleaner. But you don't want to go using icky plastic sponges full of dyes and junk, right? Enter Twist, with their line of plant-based sponges and cleaning implements that take reduce, reuse, and recycle to heart. Whether you need a naked sponge, something with scrubby loofah, or a hemp ravioli (not for eating!), you know your Twist sponge will be free of dyes and chemicals and feel nice when you're cleaning. (Updated: It appears this product is no longer in production.) So now you're set. All you need is motivation and a sunny day. Bring it on, Spring!