For all purpose/glass cleaner, we currently use Clorox Greenworks, and it is good, but not the best. It is easy to find, inexpensive, and better than traditional cleaning products. I would like to switch to a cleaner even better than this, but want to research what is out there and the cost before I make any decisions. Here's a review I found about Clorox Green Works.
I am considering:
Mrs. Meyers
Better Life
For laundry, we went back to All, or Tide when I got on my CVS kick. For years we had used the Melaleuca detergent. We only have 2 bottles of All left, so it's time to make a decision. I also know that dryer sheets are full of chemicals but I LOVE dryer sheets, so I have to find an alternative. We are on our last box of Bounce...
In the running:
Mrs. Meyers
Charlie's Soap
Crunchy Clean
For toilets, we still use Lysol, I hope to find something that actually works well, but isn't Lysol.
For hard floors, we got rid of all chemical cleaners and went straight for the steam method and have LOVED it!! We bought the Shark Steam Mop
and LOVE IT!!!For wood, we still have our Melaleuca stuff, but it is almost gone, so I need to find a good replacement to polish our wood furniture.
I am also looking into natural, home made ideas for cleaning, but am just not sure it is for us. We'll see!
15 comments:
we ditched dryer sheets all together, and now use dryer balls. You may want to try those.
http://apronstringsandothertiesthatbind.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/simple-solutions/
has homemade cleaning solutions...not all "healthy" but you might want to check it out.
I make my own laundry soap now. It think it works great and is really cheap. One of my daughters has really sensative skin and it doesn't bother her.
http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm
I'm not much help here, but my friend's mom Emilee is very into green cleaning and makes her own products. I have tried the wood floor cleaner and it's great. Here's the link to a post she did a while back. http://mimismakingmemories.blogspot.com/2008/10/green-cleaning-tips.html
Your new little bug is precious!
I was concerned about the germ killing power of all natural cleaners because Im a germaphobe. My local newstation ran a story on home made cleaners and i was so pleased to find that a major university in our state found that homemade cleaners kill 91% of germs as opposed to 99 in traditional cleaners. The store bought natural cleaners do not get rid of any more than the homemades so i say try going homemade atleast for the stuff thats easy to make like all purpose cleaner.
For the toilet bowl they used straight baking soda, sprinkled around let it soak and then scrub scrub.
For wood they used olive oil and lemon
Check out www.thecleanteam.com
Its professional service cleaning products but it doesn't have any scents and whatnot so its SAFE and less expensive because it isn't marketed to housewives or under the GREEN label (which has a mark up these days). I have used it for YEARS. Cleans great. A little goes a long way. Love the RED JUICE especially.
We went all natural/homemade for the safety/health of our little ones. My favorites are baking soda, vinegar, washing soda, and borax. Vinegar is great for disinfecting. I also use essential oils for cleaning, disinfecting and health.
I have a picture recipe on my blog here:
http://seriouslyme-michelle.blogspot.com/2008/12/laundry-day.html
if you ever want to learn to make your own laundry soap.
Blessings to you on discovering what works for you!
Also wanted to add I make my own all purpose cleaner with vinegar, water and a tiny bit of natural dish soap. It works great, but the vinegar gives dd hives if she touches it ;/ I was using it because it was cheaper and less toxic, but might have to find a different recipe.
straight vinegar is a disinfectant
found this and have used this for years now: http://www.recipezaar.com/All-Natural-Tub-and-Toilet-Cleaner-320188
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup white vinegar
Sprinkle Borax (whatever amount needed) on surface.
Spray with vinegar.
Scrub with sponge or brush.
This is a store that I frequent. I use mostly all green cleaning products from here and have had wonderful "luck".
Best wishes on your quest.
http://www.backdoorvac.com/
Cheryl
I am considering the same. I really want to go green, but we are on a tight budget and I am a little overwhelmed as to where to start. Your post was helpful and everyone's comments are great! Thanks to all.
I love your new site. I never thought a lot about all of the things that are in our products until I had a son have severe allergic reactions.
I love reading some of the things you are trying. I am always looking for better things to use now that I have become aware of the bad stuff.
As for the dryer sheets, have you seen the dryer balls. They are really neat. If you haven't checked out gaiam.com, you should do so. It is great!
Looking forward to reading more posts!
One more thought, in regards to fabric sheets. I agree that the dryer balls work great. If you like to have a fragrance, you can always find an essential oil that you like and put just a bit on an old sock and toss it in as you dry.
My favorite all-purpose cleaner is called Advanage. It has done everything from clean our windows and shine our sinks to getting pet stains out of our carpet. It was sold to us by a door-to-door salesman, so I was hesitant, but this stuff WORKS! I was surprised and impressed. (www.advanage.com)
For fabric softener, I tried dryer balls, which work great, but I missed the scent of dryer sheets. While it's not 100% "green", I have fallen in love with Arm & Hammer Essentials dryer sheets.
I did a trial for 7th Generation's dryer sheets a while back. They are made of recycled paper and contain no chemicals. At the time, no scent option was available, but they said they planned to add a scented variety soon...haven't found them at our Target yet :(
I'm back again. I wanted to give something a try before I commented. I recently heard about a company in Canada that sells antibac microfiber cloths that have silver imbedded in them. Wet with water, wipe and it's clean! I'm a big fan of making my own cleaners and I love the book Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan but I have to say that sometimes I just don't get around to "whipping them up". I am so sold on these cloths. I use it to clean my bathroom (no cleaners), kitchen, and wood floor. They have them for skin too - it replaces having to buy a facial cleanser. The company is called Norwex (www.norwex.ca) and they are one of those home party business deals. They have a window/mirror cloth too that rocks! You can see more about it on Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_IZNJz1iTY. I'm not a demonstrator, I just really like their products.
Post a Comment