friendly house cleaners

I've stoped buying bleaches, and other toxic household cleaners for some time now... I still have some left over but i try not to use them... I try using water to clean but what about greasy things and other dirty hard to clean things. And i still use dishwashing soap cause i need to...
I want to free myself from these chemicals and harmful, toxic product but it's not easy.
the earth friendly products they sell at the health food store are too expensive
so i'm searching for natural house cleaning solutions
I've heard baking soda and vinegar are great cleaners...
any other suggestions?

 

Ya Sal Suds kick ass. Thiers a company called Ecover that makes alot of stuff too, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, floor cleaner, toilet cleaner, dishwasher tabs, fabric softener etc. www.ecover.com its mostly plant derived cleaners, everything they make is vegan except the "washing up liquid with chamomile and marigold" it contains whey, otherwise everything they make is vegan. I've used a few of thier products and they hold up, they're pretty good, our Presa Canario mastiff had a fetish for rolling in the firepit over the summer (rotten smelling ashes) the Ecover dishwashing liquid was the only thing we could find that took the smell out of both her and her collar. My only complaint is its not organic, and im relatively sure that some of thier products contain detergents (petroleum derived) not sure though.

 

I usually use a mix of vinegar and water....does the trick!

 

Hot water

 

I agree with white vinegar and water for florrs, countertops, dusting furniture, cleaning cat boxes and bird cages. I buy a product made by Shaklee I think it's called 10,000 uses. It's highly concentrated, organic and bio degradeable. It breaks down grease well and I use it for dishes,laundry,dogs, anythng that is dirty can be cleaned with this. Dr. Bronners also rocks I buy Shaklee since I have a neighbor that sells it, I also use their vitamens and suppliments.

 

baking soda - it's magical - for everything - from teeth to toilets

 

what about green soap?

 

i've been using ecocleaners for ages... vinegars, borax, anything organic or homemade.

 

citrasolve works miracles and is found in most natural food stores a little goes along way

 

ammonia is a great natural cleaner that's good for plants. use it sparingly and watch out for the smell but it does the job.

Lye is also natural and will kill germs but I've been doing research on it and have not found anyone using it as a cleaner(probably cause it's dangerous).

vinager, baking soda, borax are great/cheap/not dangerous and natural.

the best is just keeping things clean as much as possible and using water, time and some elbow grease...

 

i think that dr. bronners is the greatist soap of all time, and i use it for everything that i need cleening and im trying to convince my mom to use the stuff. it is compleatly organic
god i love it

 

Ecover works well! They do a whole range... washing up liquid, bathroom cleaners, clothes detergents etc etc. check it out here http://www.soorganic.com/home.php?cat=115&OVRAW=Ecover&OVKEY=ecover&OVMTC=standard

 

I also recommend here for variety... http://www.spiritofnature.co.uk/acatalog/sect20.html?source=overture&camp=Household&kw=ecover

 

Lye aka caustic soda is alkaline, so if you spill some on yourself , neutralise with vinegar that is mild acid.

 

pick up the book queen of clean, she has a whole book ful of natural cleaning recipes. tells you how to make everything you need and how to clean anything with natural and chem. free cleaners you make at home. a lot of the cleaners mentioned here are in her book. vinager, baking soda, lemon juice, boric acid, etc..

 

Seventh Generation has good cleaning products. I used the laundry detergent, it's scent-free, but you can't tell. It did a great job. Only downside is, it's expensive in comparison to the toxic stuff.

Here's a receipe for a good all-purpose cleaner:

7 cups wam water
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup household ammonia
Combine ingredients only using 1 cup of the warm water in a half gallon jug. Put the cap on it and shake vigorously until mixed, then add rest of the water. To use pour 1/2 cup of mix into 1-1 1/2 gallons of hot water