Inhabitots

Loved this post:
simple, fast, cheap and accessible.

Cheers

ugo

Eco-Me makes some great do it yourself kits.

Ethan you can spray down your shower daily with tea tree oil diluted in water (2 cups h2O; 3 drops tea tree) which will naturally keep mildew at bay – you don’t need to rinse it. For a natural scrub you can use plain old baking soda and water or baking soda and some of that All-purpose disinfectant above:, although, baking soda can scratch some surfaces, so I’d test it first. Lemons rubbed on will naturally whiten your tub and make it smell nice too. Overall, the best way to keep a tub clean is to use natural, non-detergent, thus non build-up soaps though.

@Lois – vinegar is a natural grease cutter when used full strength. As noted, the scent of vinegar makes me gag so I mix 1/2 tablespoon baking soda in 1 cup hot water, then drizzle lemon juice in. lemon juice in hot water is also a grease cutter, although not quite as good as vinegar, and the baking soda gives it a little scrub action. I don’t always use this though. Sometimes I just drizzle natural soap on the grease and scrub it up with hot water. Seriously never underestimate good old hot water. IF you want to avoid streaks, use a microfiber cloth or recycled newspaper to clean with not a paper towel.

@Barbara To me, natural soap means void of detergents and toxic chemicals or colors. Also, a natural soap should be completely biodegradable, and if possible organic. Many natural soaps are made with olive oil or other plant products vs. harsh surfactants (the stuff that makes bubbles). I posted a link to one decent natural soap above; here it is… http://www.alcasoft.com/soapfact/catalog/catagory.php?Catagory=liquid_soap You can find natural soap at many co-ops in bulk too, so it cuts down on packaging.

@Laci – I don’t know about the Europe market, but here we have a few non can options, like Kiss My Face shave cream, in a recyclable pump container. If you like pain, you can allow a sugar and water paste to dry on your legs, then yank that off with cloth. Since I’m going to assume that no pain is better, you can one, try shaving with organic apricot body oil – which works pretty well OR make something more sophisticated like this – http://badhuman.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/homemade-shaving-cream-yeahthats-right/ (I’ve made something like this, and it works awesome).

@Vanessa – I’ve heard 3 drops in 5ml h20 for oral germ fighting, 1 drop when inhaled on a tissue, and various other recipes, depending on who is giving the advice. Really, unless you’re experienced with oils or are working with an aromatherapist, I’d avoid using an oil (even diluted) as a nasal application other than a steam. A steam would be putting about five drops into a bowl of steaming water, and hanging your head over so that the steam helps you. I’ve never made a germ hand cleaner with tea tree and water. When I use tea tree on my skin I use about 3 drops per tablespoons base oil. Although once in a while I’ll use one pure drop (no base) for a blemish. If I was making a room spray with h20 and tea tree I’d use a max of 15 drops, but like I said, I haven’t used that on my hands. Sorry I’m not more helpful on this, but using oils on skin is tricky and asking a pro is best.

@Dave You can make floor polish-like cleaner: mix one tablespoon lemon oil with a pint of mineral oil – OR mix up about one half cup rubbing alcohol + one cup linseed oil + one half cup vinegar + a few drops lemon essential oil to cut the vinegar scent.
If you’re looking for the non-polishing type of cleaner; like just a floor wash, use 1/2 cup vinegar and a gallon of warm water. But you have to rinse after washing because vinegar can be caustic to some wood floors. Not if you rinse though. If you want to buy a pre-made floor cleaner I’d try this http://www.green-kits.com/woflcl.html which looks good, but I haven’t used it.

Hi
I did it when I first entered the US in 1975. Since we in Germany did not use Clorox and stuff like that. We knew it is bad for your health and being sick is not a business in Germany. But I learned quickly that Mineral Oil, Borax, Vinegar is not good either and there is Danger in it.
I learned about Basic H from Shaklee and was a sold consumer. The whole line of Shaklee’s cleaning products is the best of the best. And they work, they are safe and they save you money.
Share Get Clean with your friends and family. Positive planetary change will add up fast, thanks to you. http://www.SafeGetClean.com

what can I use to mop my kitchen floor that will not hurt my kiddos ?

This is a great article. Another great product I have found is the Ultimate Cloth You don’t have to buy any chemicals, you just use water! You can’t get any greener than that. You don’t even have to make your own.It is the best green cleaning product I have found. You can search for it online, but the cheapest place I have found it is Cheap Ultimate Cloth.

[...] for those in search of some green grime busters, here’s a primer from Inhabitots, who catalogued a few good recipes: Window wash: “I am the viper and [...]

I made the all purpose cleaner and loved it. I gave some to a friend with a baby to try and she can’t stop raving about it. I’m wondering if you can use the hardwood cleaning suggestions on laminate flooring as well?

I have 4 dogs and wash their bed coverings in my washing machine. What cleaning product can I use to freshen my washing machine so when I was my clothes they will smell fresher. Also I need an all purpose cleaner. I mixed vinegar, water and baking soda and it shot up like a gyser so I don’t know what I wrong. Thank you

Margaret, vinegar is an acid (low ph) and baking soda is a base (high ph). When you mix the two together you are causing a chemical reaction which negates the properties of both. If you have a washing machine which has a separate reservoir for fabric softener you could add a baking soda and water solution to the rinse cycle.

I highly suggest adding the tea tree oil if you are looking for a scented cleaner, it smells great, very fresh. They list a few other essential oils that work really well on Homemade Cleaners, you may want to look into that.

Pretty much any scent will work, just depends on what you like.

I’ve read that one should rinse the mop in running water rather than dipping the mop in the cleaning solution or a bucket of hot water, when rinsing, does anyone have a solution where one would use a premade floor cleaning solution, and just spray the floor first, then use a mop to clean and rinse the floor (requiring multiple trips to the sink and cleaning/disinfecting the sink afterwards)? Or since the floor cleaning solution mentioned above has disinfecting function, it does not matter if a dirty mop is dipped back into the bucket? Thank you,