45 replies to this topic

[magickat]

Do you use green cleaning products in your home? Either purchasing eco-friendly brands or making your own? I love to use white vinegar and lemon juice for cleaning surfaces, really effective as well as affordable and a lot safer. Baking soda is also a very useful ingredient and freshener for places such as the fridge.

[Mon-Jes]

Vinegar or Seventh Generation are my cleaners of choice. Vinegar also rocks in the laundry as a fabric softener.

[karmaman]

I make a paste of a little borax, which is a natural cleaner, with vinegar and lemon juice to scrub our bathtub. It gets it clean without giving me a headache from the fumes. I also wash windows with vinegar with a few drops of natural soap to get off the sticky stuff like cobwebs.

[boilergrad13]

Since having my children, I have opted for green cleaning all the way! I can't tell you the last time I've purchased bleach! Now, I use vinegar to clean my windows and glass, baking soda as a scouring powder and I make my own laundry detergent out of borax and washing soda. I use vinegar and baking soda to clean my toilets, and vinegar and water to scrub the floors. Since these products don't really have a nice scent, I also add a few drops of essential oil -- peppermint, lavender or lemon -- to them to make everything smell nice!

[GreenQueen]

i love to use lemons in my home. Something that i also do for scent is
boiling cinnamon in some water of course. You could also squeeze a
small bit of lemon in their also. I use the vinegar as well to clean class
and clean other things in my home. I dont like the wat it smell so i always
follow up with the cinnamon.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Click on the video section-right side-"organic cleaning products of organic housekeepers."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/green/

[Jessi]

I use vinegar like it's going out of style for cleaning. It's great for pouring down the drain or putting in smelly dishes. I use it as window cleaner and have better results for streak-free windows than I ever did with Windex. And tossing it in a load of laundry will zap any smelliness from kids' sports clothes, too.

[zararina]

We used calamansi on removing clothes stains and we try to use some other more earth friendly options we could have. Just like buying those eco friendly dish washing soaps and using own made floor cleaners.
I might try vinegar and baking soda too.

[hatteubanal]

I must say I'm really learning a lot from you guys. I love boilergrad's suggestion to add essential oils to home made cleaning products to get rid of the smell. I'm going to look online for recipes on how to make these cleaning agents. If you guys can provide me with yours then it will be greatly appreciated.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

hatteubanal, on 19 January 2012 - 01:33 PM, said:

I must say I'm really learning a lot from you guys.

Great community of good folks here, that's for sure.

[fancyfingers]

I like to use vinegar to clean around house. I toss a few orange peels with ice cubes and run the garbage disposal for a bit to get it sweet smell and sharp blades. I use vinegar just about everywhere. I like the smell. I know, I am a bit wierd.

[brihooter]

After some great tips here I have started using vinegar.  I did a good house cleaning today with it.  Makes me feel good to start being more "green"!

[Shortpoet-GTD]

brihooter, on 28 January 2012 - 10:45 PM, said:

After some great tips here I have started using vinegar.  I did a good house cleaning today with it.  Makes me feel good to start being more "green"!

Here's a few more-

1. "To remove stickers that have been used to "decorate" furniture and other surfaces, moisten with vinegar.
Let sit for at least ten minutes, then remove.
2. For persistent room odors, place a bowl of vinegar in the room overnight.
3. For spills on carpet, use a sponge or cloth to soak up as much liquid as possible.
Then spray with a mixture of half vinegar, half water. Let stand for about two minutes, then blot with towel or sponge.
Repeat as needed.
4. For more persistent stains, use a mixture of 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap, and 1 cup warm water.
Proceed as suggested above. When finished cleaning, dry using a hairdryer set on low.
5. To clean windows, spray with half vinegar, half water. Wipe clean with either newspapers or cloth.
6. To clean silver, pewter, copper, or brass, dissolve 1 teaspoon salt in one cup vinegar. Add flour to create a paste
(1/4 cup or more). Apply the paste to the metal item, and let stand for at least fifteen minutes.
Rinse with warm water and polish with a soft cloth.
7. No-wax floors can be cleaned with a solution of 1 cup vinegar per gallon of water for a shinier surface.
8. To clean wood paneling, use a mixture of 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup vinegar, and 2 cups warm water.
Apply to paneling with a soft cloth. Dry with a clean cloth.
In the Bathroom
9. To remove corrosion or chemical build-up from showerheads, soak in vinegar overnight.
10. Remove stains from the toilet bowl by spraying with vinegar and spraying.
11. To remove soap build-up from faucets, clean with a mixture of 1 part salt to four parts vinegar.
12. Spray shower walls and shower curtain with vinegar to help prevent mildew.
In the Kitchen
13. To keep ants away, spray vinegar along doorways, windowsills, countertops - anywhere that ants are likely to appear.
If you find an ant trail (path that ants use repeatedly), clean it with vinegar.
14. To remove odors from the sink or garbage disposal, pour in a cup or more vinegar. Do not rinse out again for at least an hour.
15. For a clogged drain, first pour in 1/2 cup baking soda. Then add an equal amount of vinegar.
When the mixture finishes bubbling, rinse with warm water. (Note: some garbage disposals do not react well to this
cleaning method; check with the manufacturer first.)
16. Wipe your hands with vinegar after chopping. It will remove strong scents like onion and garlic, as well as stains from
fruit juices.
17. To clean wooden cutting boards, wipe with vinegar.
18. Remove strong odors. Rinse jars with a half and half mixture of vinegar and water to remove garlic or other
strong odors. Boil water with several spoons of vinegar to remove the smell of burnt food from your kitchen.
19. Vinegar is an excellent cleaner for all kitchen surfaces - counters, refrigerators, stovetops.
20. To clean your microwave oven, put a microwave-safe bowl of 1/2 cup vinegar and 1 cup water in the oven,
and cook long enough to boil. In addition to removing any lingering odors, this will loosen any baked-on
food from the microwave's walls.
21. To remove coffee or tea stains from china, clean with a mixture of vinegar and salt.
In the Laundry
22. To keep colors from running in the wash, soak in vinegar before washing.
23. To decrease lint on clothing, add 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.
24. Many persistent stains can be removed with vinegar: coffee, chocolate, ketchup, jam, cola, wine.
Gently rub stain with vinegar, then wash.
25. To make your "brights brighter", add 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.
26. For fresher cloth diapers, add one cup distilled vinegar to the rinse cycle. This will break down uric acid and
remove both lingering stains and scents.
27. To remove scorch marks from an iron, rub with a mixture of vinegar and salt.
28. To remove soap residue from the washing machine, run an empty (no laundry) cycle with one cup vinegar added.
29. To remove the smell of smoke from clothing, add a cup of vinegar to a tub of hot water.
Let clothing hang in the same room for several hours.
Pet Care
30. To keep cats off windowsills or other surfaces, spray with vinegar. This will also keep them from scratching
upholstery (spray an unnoticeable area of the fabric first to make sure the vinegar doesn't cause a stain).
31. To keep dogs from scratching their ears, clean with a soft cloth dipped in diluted vinegar.
32. If your dog should have a run-in with a skunk, vinegar will take care of the smell better than even tomato juice.
Using vinegar diluted 50% with water, rub the dog's fur. Rinse with warm water. Repeat as needed."
http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/vinegar
Additional tips here-including use as a weed killer-no chemicals.
http://www.stretcher...ies/970811c.cfm

[mariaandrea]

hatteubanal, on 19 January 2012 - 01:33 PM, said:

I must say I'm really learning a lot from you guys. I love boilergrad's suggestion to add essential oils to home made cleaning products to get rid of the smell. I'm going to look online for recipes on how to make these cleaning agents. If you guys can provide me with yours then it will be greatly appreciated.

I use white vinegar straight on a rag and scrub away, usually, but I do have some homemade cleaners for some things. Here's a great page with all sorts of formulas for cleaners. http://eartheasy.com...c_solutions.htm

fancyfingers, on 28 January 2012 - 07:45 PM, said:

I like to use vinegar to clean around house. I toss a few orange peels with ice cubes and run the garbage disposal for a bit to get it sweet smell and sharp blades. I use vinegar just about everywhere. I like the smell. I know, I am a bit wierd.

Me too! I thought I was the only one who actually likes the smell!

[brihooter]

Shortpoet you are awesome!!!!  I printed that list off, thank you so much!

[Shortpoet-GTD]

brihooter, on 30 January 2012 - 12:14 PM, said:

Shortpoet you are awesome!!!!  I printed that list off, thank you so much!

Said with Elvis's southern drawl-"Ah, Thank you. Thank you very much."

[Jessi]

I just found this tutorial on how to get gum out of the carpet without using any harsh chemical cleaners: http://www.wikihow.c...-Cube-Method%29



I had no idea it was as easy as just using a plain old ice cube.

[brihooter]

I wish I had known about that trick a few days ago.  I've never seen someone use ice to take gum out.  How does that even work?

[fancyfingers]

I use microfiber towels that I purchased at the dollar store to clean with too. Couple that with vinegar and baking soda, stuff cleans up pretty easily. I wash the towels in the washer, then air dry them. I feel the microfiber towels make cleaning easier.

[Sunsational]

I found a great green alternative to a clog toilet recently. Try get the water as low as you can in the bowl. Flush it the pull up on the inside the lever so it thinks bowl refilled. If that possible. Some clogs you might not be able to flush. Then take one box of baking soda and dump it in the toilet bowl. Next get a small bottle of vinegar and our it in. The vinegar and baking soda react and will foam. Leave it alone for 15minutes. Then add a bucket of water to the toilet bowl.. Flush the toilet and Viola! Clog is gone. This works soooo much better then drano and much more earth friendly.