I hate cleaning. Let me just get that out of the way.
But since it has to be done...I decided to get some advice from the smart women I keep in touch with from the Green Moms Carnival and on Twitter. I asked them "What's your favorite eco-friendly cleaning product." Here's what they had to say:
Jenn from The Green Parent: "I pretty much use vinegar and baking soda to clean the whole house. But one product that I do like is Seventh Generation toilet bowl cleaner. Its thick, so it gets into places that my vinegar and baking soda combo can't reach. It does a sparkling job...and considering we have a potty trainer in the house, that's saying something!"
Mary from In Women We Trust: "I’m a BIG user of ¼ cup of old fashion vinegar in every dishwashing load. It makes everything sparkle. I pour it into an upright glass on the top layer and somehow it splashes around and does it’s thing."
Beth from Fake Plastic Fish: "Well, it WAS Vodka until I realized I was drinking more than cleaning with it. Seriously, Vodka is a great disinfectant and doesn't smell like sauerkraut, or anything else really. I also love to scour with baking soda and a Skoy cloth. (Okay, I don't actually love to scour.)" "I put the vinegar in the slot where the rinse agent is supposed to go. And I use a combo of 1/2 baking soda and 1/2 borax as dishwasher soap." (that tip originally came from The Green Phone Booth)
Diane from Big Green Purse: "My favorite store-bought product is Bon Ami. Cheap, in a recyclable cardboard container; contains no synthetic fragrances or toxic chemicals of any kind whatsoever, just pulverized calcite & feldspar minerals, and biodegradable detergent. No chlorine, or dye, either. Works great on the ring around the bath tuband in the toilet, too. Gentle enough for Corian countertops, hardworking enough for fingerprint grime build-up on the wall. It's my fave!
Maryanne from Not Quite Crunchy Parent: "I'm on the vinegar and lemon bandwagon for green cleaners though I use simple green and 7th generation too!
Michelle (Green Bean) from The Green Phone Booth: "I too use vinegar and baking soda for the whole house with a little borax for toilet bowl cleaning. I had great success with unclogging drains with baking soda, then boiling vinegar followed by boiling water once the fizzing stops or in five minutes."
Ruchira from Arduous Blog: "I just use one bottle of Ecover for everything. It kinda sucks actually, but I think that has more to do with the fact that I don't use sponges, I use rags for everything."
@treehgr: "my favorite green cleaner is seventh generation's tub and tile cleaner"
@SimpleStepsNRDC: "My fav cleaning product is Borax, it works in the laundry and in the bathroom. And there's the Malvina Reynolds song!"
Well, I don't know about the Malvina Reynolds song but I do like borax for the toilet bowl....and I was pleased to see so many people are die-hard vinegar and baking soda fans! My favorite store-bought all purpose cleaner is a Minnesota brand called Soul Tonic. They're so small they don't even have a website but last time I checked it was available at the Linden Hills Co-op. It doesn't exactly make me enjoy cleaning but the fabulous essential oil scent helps make my least favorite chore a bit more tolerable!
Do you have a favorite cleaning product? Let me know and I'll add it to the list!
This is my post for the Green Mom's Carnival about spring cleaning, hosted this month by Jenn from Tiny Choices.
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Great post! It's cool to see everybody's favorite tips in one spot!
Posted by: Jenn (The Green Parent) | March 08, 2009 at 10:17 AM
If you want to make your toilet bowl cleaner at home, just add some castile soap to the baking soda for a thick squirtable cleaning agent. I use an old squirt ketchup bottle (with some vegetable glycerin added to the castile soap and baking soda to keep it from gumming up), and then chase with some vinegar.
Jennifer, TheSmartMama
Posted by: Jennifer Taggart, TheSmartMama | March 08, 2009 at 06:52 PM
Wow! These are wonderful tips. I am inspired - and believe me, I have never said that before about cleaning! My DH read this post too as he subscribes to @greenmoms, and we're planning our new cleaning strategy!
Posted by: Lynn from organicmania.com | March 08, 2009 at 08:00 PM
What do people use to wash clothes? I love the fresh scents of some commercial soaps, even the eco friendly kinds, but does anyone have a homemade recipe wiht a really good smell?
Posted by: Julie S. | March 09, 2009 at 07:24 AM
Nice how you got us all to write your post for you. I'm going to have to remember this strategy!
Seriously, it's a great idea and a great list.
Beth
Posted by: Beth Terry, aka Fake Plastic Fish | March 10, 2009 at 02:43 AM
Last year I converted to cleaning with baking soda and vinegar. I also use vinegar in my dishwasher instead of a commerical sheeting agent. I recently started making my own laundry detergent because I can't find an environmentally friendly one I liked that worked in an HE washing machine.
Posted by: Condo Blues | March 10, 2009 at 04:02 PM
It's great to see everyone's suggestions for eco-cleaning. Looks like we're all on the same page!
Posted by: Diane MacEachern | March 11, 2009 at 07:53 AM
Beth - Yes, you totally busted me - I didn't want to write a post about cleaning so I got you guys to do it for me! Thanks for your help!
Condo Blues - what's your recipe for homemade laundry detergent? Do you add essential oils for scent?
Jennifer - great idea for using an old ketchup bottle for toilet bowl cleaner - I'm gonna try that!
Posted by: Micaela | March 11, 2009 at 08:11 AM
What a great idea! Love to see all of the excellent ideas. I already use vinegar & baking soda but the other ideas were helpful. Thanks
Posted by: Cleaning | March 13, 2009 at 09:13 AM
my all time favorite green cleaning product is BasicH2 from Shaklee. Created way ahead of it's time in 1956, plant based, 1001 uses, remarkably concentrated,justpennies to use, green seal certified and best yet it cleans remarkably well!
Posted by: nother earth aka karen hanrahan | March 14, 2009 at 04:16 PM
I don't use essential oils to scent my homemade laundry detergent. The Fels Naptha leaves a scent behind and that's OK by me. No scent is OK by me too. I wrote a post detailing how I made my own powdered HE laundry detergent. http://condo-blues.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-make-powdered-high-efficiency.html
Posted by: Condo Blues | March 21, 2009 at 03:32 PM
I Love the Lemon. Even oranges. If they have gone a little too long in my citrus basket I cut them in half and scour the cutting board. Or I toss a quarter or a half down the garbage disposal and run it for a fresh fruity scent.
Posted by: Gift of Green | March 24, 2009 at 07:03 PM
When it comes to cleaning products, we should choose those environmental friendly which made up of natural ingredients. It will not only helps the environment but it will also keep our family's health safe.
Posted by: Green Cleaning | June 23, 2010 at 07:57 PM
Since the issue of climate change provokes every mind to make action in saving Earth, we can see tons of green tips, and there are lots of eco-friendly products now. It's good to see people who are aware to save our planet. Even such industries like some carpet cleaning service are making way to be eco-friendly. Anyone wants something easy in doing their tasks (whether household chores and any tasks). But we should keep in mind that we are all responsible with our environment.
Posted by: carpet cleaning Everett | January 13, 2011 at 08:06 PM
Thanks for such an informative post.
http://www.greenliving9.com/eco-friendly-products.html
Posted by: Rogerkelvin88 | April 28, 2011 at 11:14 PM