A few short years ago, things were much simpler. It was just me and Murphy, my loyal Chihuahua. My social calendar was full with girls’ nights out, happy hours, and travel plans. My 9-to-5 job was okay, and my apartment was always sparkling clean. I never thought about the cleaners I used. Bleach, ammonia-based glass cleaners, or whatever multi-purpose cleaner was on sale did the trick. I cleaned my place once a week and it stayed neat and tidy. Easy! Things couldn't be more different today. I have an amazing husband and a beautiful 17-month-old daughter. I work from home as a writer, have a full play-date schedule, educational outings, and my house? It has to be cleaned every day!
The thing is, my wonderful husband has asthma and is allergic to dogs. And my toddler? She’s basically a little mess-making tornado. Cleaning is not as simple as it once was. Getting rid of my four-legged companion wasn’t an option, so, to keep my husband’s allergies and asthma at bay, I had to start using a host of anti-allergen sprays and dander reducers. Once we found out we were expecting, I started researching what we needed to do to get our home ready for our little one. It didn’t take long for me to discover that most of the products I was using to clean included a number of big bad ingredients (like parabens, phthalates, and bleach) that wouldn’t be safe to use around the baby, and were probably also triggering my husband’s asthma. After reading dozens of “natural mom” blogs, I decided to strictly clean my house with baking soda, distilled vinegar, essential oils, and “green” cleaners. I was using so many different products and homemade concoctions to clean and reduce allergens that I couldn’t keep track of them all. My cabinet under the kitchen sink was overflowing with products, but I had a cute wooden caddy to keep everything in, so it wasn’t the end of the world.
This new routine seemed to be alright in the beginning, but as my daughter grew and our schedule steadily became fuller, I had less time to clean and things just seemed to be more... dirty. For example, I started hosting a playgroup at our house a few times a month. My daughter loves it, and I’m so glad for her to have friends she can play with, but inevitably, someone arrives with a runny nose or a cough. When playgroup was over, I'd frantically dismantle the entire playroom, sprinkle baking soda on the rugs, spray vinegar on the toys, throw the stuffed animals in the washer, wipe the walls and door knobs with my homemade lemon oil concoction, and even with all of this hard work we still ended up getting sick. My complicated cleaning routine took several hours and lacked an essential element: disinfectant. Several colds later, I was about to give up! And go back to using bleach, maybe start using a harsh aerosol spray disinfectant, and put a gas mask on my toddler. Do they sell tiny gas masks?
Everything changed when I discovered Vital Oxide. This versatile cleaning product is tough enough to be used in a hospital to eradicate viruses and gentle enough to be used in the baby’s nursery. It can even be used on food prep surfaces – no rinsing required. Goodbye complicated cleaning routine! One bottle of Vital Oxide replaced everything I was using before and added the much-needed element of disinfectant. Overall, I like this product because it adds an extra kick to my cleaning power and can be used on virtually any surface, including fabric, stainless steel, stove tops, plastic and ceramic tiles. It gets surfaces throughout the whole house really clean and smelling fresh. I feel confident using it around my toddler.
I can safely use it on the rugs and fabric surfaces in my house to disinfect and reduce allergens. Dilute it with water and use it to clean and disinfect the floors. It’s also an extremely potent odor eliminator - it completely eradicates the smell of urine - which is incredibly useful when potty training a strong-willed toddler! That moldy, neglected cooler that’s been sitting forgotten in the garage for months? After a quick scrub with soap and water, then letting Vital Oxide sit on it for a few minutes, it’s like new. Thanks to Vital Oxide, my new cleaning routine is a breeze, even as a busy mom. I have more time for myself, and more time to spend with my family. One bottle for every room and every surface in the house.
