In this step-by-step guide, we’ll replace the dozens of products you currently use on your body and around your home with a few simple ingredients. Starting with—you guessed it—soap.

This sequence is just a suggested progression, starting with some fairly easy actions that offer big benefits. But if you get stuck on a particular step, don’t sweat it—just pick a different one.

Check out these videos for more information and a preview of what’s to come. Or scroll down to the table of contents and get started!

Choose Your Soap

To get started, you’ll need to choose your form of soap—bar, flakes, or liquid concentrate.

Use the table below (or watch this video) to decide which form of soap is right for you. Then decide where you’ll buy it.

You can buy bar soap, soap flakes, and other items at the Start with Soap Store. If you’re unsure where to start, I recommend soap flakes. They’re simple and versatile.

Dr. Bronner’s is a liquid concentrate that is readily available in retail stores.

Feel free to explore your options! The important thing is to avoid harsh detergents and the other junk that often accompanies them. You do not have to buy our soap to accomplish that.

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Handwashing

Switch to a true soap for all of your handwashing at home. In doing so, you’ll cut out harsh detergents and all of the junk—preservatives, fragrance, dyes, and other undesirable chemicals—that often accompanies them.

Read on (or watch this video) to learn how to make this simple switch.

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Home Fragrance

Alright, this one is not strictly related to soap, but it’s so important (and so easy) that I’m sneaking it in here.

Synthetic fragrance is almost as ubiquitous as detergent. “Fragrance” is likely an ingredient in nearly every personal care and home cleaning product that you own.

This is particularly irksome, because when “fragrance” is listed as an ingredient, it’s not referring to one specific thing. Rather, “fragrance” is a generic term that can include several thousand different chemicals, none of which need be individually identified. It can include chemicals that create the odor, as well as chemicals that act as solvents, stabilizers, masking agents, preservatives, and other functional additives. These ingredients are not regulated by governmental agencies—the fragrance industry, itself, determines what chemicals may be used.

“Fragrance” is problematic, because synthetic fragrance (as opposed to high-quality essential oil) is linked to maladies ranging from breathing difficulties and headaches, to problems with the immune system, nervous system, and reproductive system, to behavioral and developmental problems in children.

But there is good news. By switching to soap for handwashing and laundry, you have already eliminated a ton of synthetic fragrance from your home—good work!

And more good news. You can eliminate home fragrance products—like candles, air fresheners, and room sprays—to dramatically improve your indoor air quality. These home fragrance products especially impact indoor air quality, because they are designed to carry pollutants—including the “fragrance” that you smell and other chemicals that you don’t—into the air.

When you eliminate home fragrance, you may experience improved respiratory health, especially for sensitive individuals, as well as a reduced burden on the immune system and nervous system, among other things.

For more on the what/where/why of fragrance, as well as how to use essential oils to aid your transition away from home fragrance, head to this page.

And okay, I said this one is easy, but I do realize that giving up scented candles can be very challenging for some. We form strong attachments to our favorite smells, so it makes sense! But give it a try, and after your nose and lungs have had a chance to adjust, you may rediscover an appreciation for natural smells and realize that synthetic fragrance doesn’t feel quite right in your nose, throat, and chest.

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Dishwashing

We ingest small amounts of the products we use to clean our dishes.

Yep, it’s true. Residue of the products we use in the dishwasher or for washing dishes by hand remains on our dishware, where it then comes into contact with our food.

So let’s avoid detergents, preservatives, fragrance, and other harsh chemicals that we would never consciously choose to ingest.

For handwashing, we can clean our dishes with the exact same soap that we use for our hands (and everything else).

For the dishwasher, I could never get a soap recipe to work quite right, so I recommend a minimalist dishwasher powder (details below). This is one of the very few times (maybe the only time?) that I recommend a product that is (1) not soap and (2) “single-purpose.” But on the bright side, this product works, and it enables us to avoid the ingredients found in conventional dishwasher detergents.

Don’t like citric acid (one of the ingredients in the dishwasher powder)? I hear you. I am currently experimenting with washing soda straight onto the floor of the dishwasher, and a bowl of vinegar on the top rack—stay tuned.

Read on (or watch this video) to learn how to make this simple switch. And if you’re interested, here is more on dishwashing—including my dishwasher trials and tribulations.

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Cleaning vs. Disinfecting

To continue the theme above, let’s get straight on some vocabulary.

“Cleaning” with soap and water removes dirt and germs. “Disinfecting” kills the germs that remain after cleaning.

Did you know that “cleaning” is always the first step before “disinfecting”? That’s because dirt makes it harder for disinfectants—even commercial disinfectants—to reach germs. Plus, if you don’t clean first, you’re just smearing dirt around.

That means that before you reach for a disinfectant spray or a disinfectant wipe, you should clean with soap and water first.

So clean with soap and water first—because you have to, anyway—and then ask whether disinfecting is necessary.

Is it ever necessary? Yes. We’ll get to that in a minute.

Daily Cleaning with Soap and Water

Soap is all you need to clean the majority of surfaces in your home on a daily basis (see the CDC guidance on the topic).

For everyday cleaning of non-porous surfaces, simply spray the surface with your soap spray, let it sit for a minute, and then wipe it down with a rag. Then rinse your rag with water and wipe away any soap residue on the surface. If you still notice soap residue, you might try diluting your soap spray with more water, or you can follow up with diluted vinegar spray (see below).

You can use this approach for counters, sinks, bathtubs and showers, tile surfaces, toilets (see additional notes under “Specific Applications” below), and other non-porous surfaces.

Of course, if you have a particularly dirty surface, or if you are particularly concerned about germs, use more soap, water, and elbow grease for a more thorough cleaning. And see the disinfectant considerations below.

Using Diluted Vinegar, As Needed

There are two reasons that I use my diluted vinegar spray bottle:

1. To eliminate soap residue and water spots (e.g., on windows, glass, and mirrors), as described in the “Specific Applications” section below; or

2. For a bit of disinfecting power.

In our home, I use the diluted vinegar spray (after I’ve cleaned with the soap spray) on my kitchen counter after I’ve handled raw meat, on certain hard surfaces in my bathroom every couple of weeks, and anywhere else I want a bit of disinfecting power.

I say “a bit of disinfecting power,” because while vinegar does kill some germs, it does not kill enough to be considered a “disinfectant.”

Personally, I have found vinegar to be sufficient in our home for nearly all purposes. But see below for instances in which you may want a true disinfectant.

When using diluted vinegar, be sure to start by testing a small, inconspicuous spot on your countertops and other surfaces, because vinegar can damage certain materials. I always see this cautionary note about stone surfaces, in particular, so I am mentioning it here, but I also know plenty of people who have used diluted vinegar successfully on such surfaces. Vinegar can also damage grout over time, so when I use it in our tile shower, I follow up by rinsing with water.

Disinfecting

Do disinfectants still have their place? Yes.

When our dishwasher leaked and created a moldy mess in our kitchen and basement, I killed the mold with a true disinfectant (one that was thoughtfully chosen and that does not contain any fragrance, preservatives, or other unnecessary ingredients).

You know the needs of your family best, and perhaps you have circumstances that require more frequent and comprehensive disinfecting with a true disinfectant (e.g., someone with an open wound, a compromised immune system, or other particular needs).

My purpose here is not to tell you what is best for your family, but to encourage intentional usage of disinfecting agents. For example, if you are using a disinfectant out of habit every time you wipe down your kitchen counter or table, I encourage you to clean with soap spray first, and then take a moment to consider whether disinfecting is necessary.

The key takeaway here: clean with soap and water first—because you have to, anyway—and then ask whether disinfecting is necessary.

Removing Gunk and Stains with Baking Soda

Need proof of the power of baking soda? It tackled the unparalleled grime of my backyard chicken’s glassware with ease. Your grimiest of grime has nothing on my “chickenware.”

Here are a few reasons baking soda is awesome for cleaning:

1. Baking soda is somewhat abrasive, so it is good for scrubbing. (This is why it should be used carefully on surfaces that are prone to scratching.)

2. Baking soda is basic (high pH), while most odors are acidic (low pH), so baking soda neutralizes those odors.

3. I saved the best for last. This will blow your mind. When baking soda comes into contact with dirt and grime, which tend to be acidic, saponification occurs. In case your mind is not blown, let me say that again—baking soda turns dirt and grime into soap! No wonder baking soda is so amazing for washing away dirt and grime!

Baking soda has many uses, but my favorite way to use it is to make a paste (with either water or soap from my foaming dispenser) and apply it to stubborn gunk or stains.

For pots and pans, I sprinkle a little baking soda on the gunk, add enough water to make a paste, and let it sit while I clean the rest of the kitchen. Usually, by the end of that time, the baking soda has loosened up the gunk, and I can finish washing with soap and water. Every so often, a second iteration of baking soda paste is required. Note: baking soda is somewhat abrasive, so use carefully on surfaces prone to scratching.

I use the same technique for stubborn gunk on the stove and in the oven.

Or stubborn gunk and grime anywhere for that matter, including toilet bowls.

Specific Cleaning Applications

Windows, glass, and mirrors

Clean these surfaces with your soap spray first in order to remove dirt and grime (and waxy residue from prior commercial cleaners you might have used). Then, wipe down these surfaces with your diluted vinegar spray (you can use a different part of the same rag you used for your soap spray, or you can grab a fresh one) in order to remove soap residue or water spots and leave these surfaces streak-free and spotless.

The results are pretty amazing.

Wood furniture

I simply wipe down wood furniture with a slightly damp rag—mainly to remove dust—and then follow up with a dry rag.

Wood floors

For hard floors, I sweep high-traffic areas regularly (really just the kitchen and areas near the front and back doors), but mopping is a less frequent activity.

For mopping, I have a microfiber mop (the kind with reusable, washable pads that have Velcro strips for sticking onto your mop handle/head). A damp (not soaking wet) microfiber pad is all that I use on my hardwood floors as a general rule. The microfiber pad goes in the wash with all my cleaning rags and is ready for next time.

If there’s a particularly sticky, dirty, or grimy spot (like if food from the dinner table ended up on the floor and turned to glue), then I’ll spot clean with a rag and soap spray.

Bathtubs and Showers

Only soap and water touches our bathtubs. My kids soak in the tub, so I am careful to avoid residue that might irritate skin.

Vinegar can be harsh on grout, so if I use it in our tile shower, I follow it by a rinse with water.

Toilets

Clean the exterior of the toilet with soap spray. Spray the interior of the toilet with soap spray, sprinkle with baking soda, scrub, and flush. Spray the interior and exterior of the toilet with the diluted vinegar spray.

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