The Power of Green Cleaning in the Nursery

Guest Blogger Last Updated: December 3, 2018

Baby

The Power of Green Cleaning in the Nursery

Guest Blog by Lisa Janvrin, YouthfulNest

You wouldn’t think this to be true, but I believe the nursery is one of the most forgotten about places to clean on a regular basis. It’s probably because when you’re in there you’re either completely consumed by the task at hand or exhausted by the task at hand. Not leaving much time to think about cleaning it.

HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE.

Obviously, in the baby room there is the common dust and dirt that accumulate in any room, but there are also lots of unique substances that add to your clean-up duty like spit-up, breast milk, formula, feces, urine, snot, and even vomit. All of these can easily get spread around the room and make baby sick if they aren’t cleaned up properly with non-toxic products.

For immediate needs, use those handy baby wipes, if their good enough for your baby’s bottom for sure they will be safe on your countertop. Then on a regular basis to kill bacteria be sure and wipe down your changing pad area including counters, knobs, changing pad belt, diaper pail, etc. Oh, and don’t forget to give a good scrub to the outsides of products like the baby brush, nail clippers, wipes and other baby toiletries.

Never use harmful, standard disinfectant or bleach in the baby’s room and steer clear of big brand products that claim to be “green” or “natural”. Neither of these terms insure that they are non-toxic and too often they still contain harmful chemicals you wouldn’t want your baby to come in contact with or ingest when mouthing the edge of their crib rail.

Instead we love the all-natural power of simple solutions. Our go-to is mixing food grade, white vinegar and water. It’s ideal and inexpensive for quick cleaning of almost any surface in your nursery. There are various suggested ratios of this solution, but I have been good with 1 part vinegar per 5 parts water to thoroughly clean and disinfect baby furniture and other large surfaces.

Since the smell of simple vinegar and water isn’t so pleasant go ahead and add real lemon juice to deodorize or add a drop of your favorite essential oil like Eucalyptus, Lemon Grass or Grapefruit for a refreshing, but natural scent.

TIP: Spraying a little hydrogen peroxide on an item after using a vinegar and water mixture kills additional cold and flu germs and more dangerous bacteria like the one that causes Staph infections.

If you prefer to save time, purchase a reputable retail brand. One I love for it’s minimal number of natural ingredients is The Good Home Co All Purpose Cleaner. You can customize it with your favorite essential oil scent and the smaller bottle size is perfect for the nursery.

We also trust the Seventh Generation Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner in wipes or spray. This is a solid choice if you aren’t a fan of the vinegar and water option. It comes with a Lemongrass Citrus scent and the wipes are super handy – just don’t mistake them for baby wipes!

REST ASSURE.

Besides the changing area, be sure and wipe down other nursery items on a regular basis such as the crib and glider. We often overlook the glider itself, but lots of spills and drips happen there over time.

TIP: To make clean up a breeze leave a small spray bottle filled with cleaner and cloth tucked away in the nursery for quick clean ups.

UP, DOWN AND ALL AROUND.

If you have a ceiling fixture or ceiling fan in your nursery, be sure to frequently wipe it free of dust build up. Use a microfiber dust cloth that will attract the dirt so it doesn’t just fall onto the floor or other surfaces.

Speaking of the floor, whether you have hardwoods or carpet, of course you’ll want to keep it clean. However, regardless of what kind of floor you have I recommend placing down a machine-washable area rug that you can safely place baby on for tummy time and other play.

I suggest a machine-washable one because it is more practical – you can toss it in the washing machine on a more frequent basis keeping it free of harmful bacteria and rid it of nasty odors from things like spit-up, drool and diaper leaks. Check out the large collection by Lorena Canal.

TIP: Don’t allow shoes to be worn in the nursery. This is one easy, but big way to keep the environment cleaner.

To clean those washable-rugs there are some wonderful natural, but hard-working laundry products available today. A pure, non-toxic brand to use for any baby textiles including rug, throws, crib bedding or clothing items would be anything from the Molly Suds product line. There is something for everyone and for every laundry need, all made with safe ingredients they list on their website.

*Disclosure: Lisa Janvrin is a compensated Naturepedic partner, all views and opinions are her own.

About Lisa:

Lisa Janvrin is the founder of YouthfulNest, a virtual interior design experience that saves real, busy parents time and money when designing and shopping a stylish nursery or child’s room. Lisa has 20+ years as a design expert.