I just announced the pre-order of my soon to be released book, Clean Mama’s Guide to a Healthy Home (make sure you pre-order to get in on the incredible bonuses coming soon). I am so excited to share it with you.  Through the book I guide you through my findings about what is in our homes and our daily-use products. If you’ve followed along on Clean Mama you know that I am all about natural products that are truly safe for your family.

Along the way I have recommended products that I believed to be 100% safe that actually weren’t. I corrected those inconsistencies and started making my own DIY cleaners as a result. You can see my DIY cleaning recipes here on the blog. I wrote a whole book on DIY cleaners back in 2014 here and a book on my cleaning routine complete with simple and safe DIY recipes – Simply Clean, 2017. I’m really excited to share some Healthy Home Swaps with you. This is a series intended to test out known safe products and simply share my findings and opinions with you, hopefully making a swap a little bit easier. I’ll continue to test out products with the hope that you’ll consider swapping out your everyday product for a safe alternative.

Today’s installment? Cleaning wipes. While cleaning wipes aren’t my go-to cleaning method, I do keep a container or two on hand for quick clean ups and the occasional mid-week bathroom counter wipe downs. I prefer using bar mop towels and microfiber cloths for most of my cleaning but I know that people LOVE the convenience of a wipe so let’s chat about them.

What should you clean with a cleaning wipe? This is all about personal preference but most cleaning wipes can clean most surfaces and some claim to kill germs to boot. If you use cleaning wipes to kill germs, make sure you are leaving the surface WET for ten minutes to actually kill the germs. This isn’t easy to do as the cleaner dries so quickly but do your best.

Cleaning wipes aren’t all you think they are – many of them need to have the surface rinsed if it comes in contact with food and they are actually pretty harmful. I encourage you to do a little research and look at you cleaning wipes – I changed the cleaning wipe that I kept (Seventh Generation) on hand because it’s rated a D on EWG. Don’t just assume that something is safe because the company says it is. I’m sharing three cleaning wipes that I approve of, they’re safe to use, safe to hand your kids and have them wipe down a surface with, and they are rated well on EWG.org. Want to see if your cleaning wipe is rated or how it rates? Go here. I aim for A’s when I recommend products. If you can’t find your product, you can always type in ingredients and see what they’re rated too.

Why should you worry about what is in your cleaning products? You guys! There is little to no regulation on ingredients and what is considered safe so you need to do your research and decide what you are okay with. I’ll be sharing information with you in little doses here and there as I always have been but I hope you understand that you should be concerned.

Here are a couple differences I noticed in my testing and use in my home

In the instructions it appears you can use these wipes on most surfaces. You can see that the material of the wipes is different – Ode to Clean is the only one with a texture, and the Better Life and Ode to Clean are thicker than the Annie’s.

Better Life Cleaning Wipes

Nice subtle scent of clary sage and citrus, works well and can be used on just any surface. Cuts through grease, grime, soap scum, hard water stains and can even be used as a laundry pre-spotter. No harmful ingredients.

Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Vinegar Wipes

If you enjoy cleaning with vinegar, you’ll love these wipes. But here’s the thing. All of their products use vinegar as a base and then they’re mixed with essential oils. They smell like vinegar (I don’t mind this now that I’m used to cleaning with vinegar) but if you aren’t a vinegar person, these wipes probably won’t be for you. They don’t say you can’t use them on granite or marble but I do NOT recommend using any vinegar on stone surfaces.

Ode to Clean

I’ve recommended Ode to Clean before and I definitely recommend them – they’re unique in that they are made entirely from plants and use Bioperoxide to clean. I love the simple and attractive dispenser, that they are unscented, and that they can be used on any surface.

 

Please note that none of these companies know that I am talking about their products, this is just me testing out products for efficacy and most importantly safety and passing that information on to you. I have added referral links when they are available (my policy is here.)

Here’s how they come out on price

Cleaning wipes tend to be more expensive per use versus spray cleaners but they do offer convenience.

Better Life Natural All-Purpose Cleaning Wipes $7.79 / 70 wipes / $.11/each

Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Vinegar Wipes $7.99/ 35 wipes / $.23/each

Ode to Clean /$16.00 / 4 packs of 60 wipes / $.07/each  (Here’s a link to a kit that includes the dispenser)

Are you a cleaning wipes person? Have your tried these brands? What are your thoughts?