39 replies to this topic

[CryoMage]

The place people use hard chemicals to clean is usually the bathroom, specifically to get rid of limescale. The best solution I found is to use soda, Coca Cola work best ( I think it has the highest Ph values of them all), but almost any soda drink will work. Just rub it in good and it should come right off. This is also a great way to make your little brother kick his soda drinking habit, because nobody wants to drink something other people use to clean the toilet bowl :)

[Shortpoet-GTD]

CryoMage, on 10 March 2012 - 05:11 AM, said:

This is also a great way to make your little brother kick his soda drinking habit, because nobody wants to drink something other people use to clean the toilet bowl :)

Excuse please, quoted this in error.

[Sarah C.]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 08 March 2012 - 03:01 PM, said:

Oh no! That's what the 1% say when their car ashtrays are full-buy a new car.
Consumption-bah humbug.

Ha ha ha - I did lol at the end of that statement! I do wonder though,,,,wouldn't the stove be mostly recyclable?

[mariaandrea]

For bathroom cleaning I mix vinegar and hydrogen peroxide and a few drops of lavender essential oil. It disinfects and cleans well.

For general, all purpose cleaning, I love this recipe using water, vinegar, dish soap, baking soda and essential oil: http://www.howtodoth...r-on-the-planet

If I'm in a hurry I'll just wipe my counters down with plain vinegar.

[Sarah C.]

mariaandrea, on 11 March 2012 - 10:35 PM, said:

For bathroom cleaning I mix vinegar and hydrogen peroxide and a few drops of lavender essential oil. It disinfects and cleans well.

For general, all purpose cleaning, I love this recipe using water, vinegar, dish soap, baking soda and essential oil: http://www.howtodoth...r-on-the-planet

If I'm in a hurry I'll just wipe my counters down with plain vinegar.

How much vinegar and how much hydrogen peroxide for the bathroom cleaner?  Thanks for the recipe and the link to it!

[mariaandrea]

I mix 1/3 vinegar, 1/3 hydrogen peroxide and 1/3 water, but I did just read recently that you aren't supposed to mix them because it creates an acid. I've never noticed any bad effects, but I think I'm going to stop mixing them. Just use separate spray bottles of vinegar and hp, and spray and wipe one after the other.

[Sarah C.]

I was wondering about mixing those together. I had a bad experience when I worked fastfood as a teenager. We were cleaning the floors, and someone mixed 2 chemicals together that had a bad reaction! The fumes were horrible and sent us all runnung out of there! lol

[dconklin]

Sarah C., on 11 March 2012 - 09:33 PM, said:

Ha ha ha - I did lol at the end of that statement! I do wonder though,,,,wouldn't the stove be mostly recyclable?

I believe the stove would be mostly recyclable.  I know if we wanted to get rid of the stove, any junk collector would pick it up and bring it to the scrap yard.  I would be one tho that if it still worked, I would either sell it cheap or donate it to somebody who needs one and doesn't have the money to buy one.

[Nanatracyann]

As long as we are discussing cleaning, I feel the need to share some 'Spring Cleaning Tips', while making use of your 'GREEN Eco Friendly Cleaning Supplies!' You can incorporate this in a year around cleaning schedule..let me know what you think..

• When you clean according to a schedule, you build up a momentum that you don't have to break while deciding what to do next. One way to organize your cleaning schedule is to think of cleaning in layers. Adjust the following schedule to suit your specific needs, taking into account the size of your family and your home.
  
• Layer 1: Covers everyday jobs: washing the dishes, sweeping the floor, emptying the garbage, making the beds, picking up. These tasks should add up to no more than half an hour for a one-bedroom, single-level home. Add 10 minutes to each additional bedroom and level.
  
• Layer 2: Tasks are done once or twice a week: vacuuming, watering the plants, cleaning the garbage pail, wiping down the bathroom, cleaning the toilet, dusting the furniture.
  
• Layer 3: Is once-a-week deep cleaning: scrubbing the floors, polishing the furniture, cleaning the refrigerator, changing the linens. Set aside several hours to do all these jobs at once. Or add one deep-cleaning job to your list of Layer-1 tasks each day.
  
• Layer 4: Involves special projects: washing the windows and the woodwork, cleaning the oven, polishing the silver, cleaning the silver, washing summer and winter blankets, cleaning the screens and storm windows. Either choose a fixed 2 hours a week for these or add them to your Layer-3 list of things to do each week as they come up.

Making Cleaning Easier: Where to begin? To see real progress fast, start with the areas that tend to go the fastest-the living and dining rooms and the halls-they're usually less cluttered and less dirty. Happy Spring Cleaning!

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Sarah C., on 11 March 2012 - 11:52 PM, said:

I had a bad experience when I worked fast-food as a teenager. We were cleaning the floors, and someone mixed 2 chemicals together that had a bad reaction! The fumes were horrible and sent us all running out of there! lol

It may have been bleach and ammonia. Those fumes can put folks in the hospital or even the morgue.

More tips here about what NOT to mix with vinegar.
http://chemistry.abo...dangeousmix.htm

Also-info of what NOT to mix with hydrogen peroxide.
http://chemistry.abo...a/aa603003a.htm

If in doubt, do not mix-Google info first. Better safe than sorry.

[dconklin]

Nanatracyann, on 12 March 2012 - 03:45 PM, said:

As long as we are discussing cleaning, I feel the need to share some 'Spring Cleaning Tips', while making use of your 'GREEN Eco Friendly Cleaning Supplies!' You can incorporate this in a year around cleaning schedule..let me know what you think..

• When you clean according to a schedule, you build up a momentum that you don't have to break while deciding what to do next. One way to organize your cleaning schedule is to think of cleaning in layers. Adjust the following schedule to suit your specific needs, taking into account the size of your family and your home.
  
• Layer 1: Covers everyday jobs: washing the dishes, sweeping the floor, emptying the garbage, making the beds, picking up. These tasks should add up to no more than half an hour for a one-bedroom, single-level home. Add 10 minutes to each additional bedroom and level.
  
• Layer 2: Tasks are done once or twice a week: vacuuming, watering the plants, cleaning the garbage pail, wiping down the bathroom, cleaning the toilet, dusting the furniture.
  
• Layer 3: Is once-a-week deep cleaning: scrubbing the floors, polishing the furniture, cleaning the refrigerator, changing the linens. Set aside several hours to do all these jobs at once. Or add one deep-cleaning job to your list of Layer-1 tasks each day.
  
• Layer 4: Involves special projects: washing the windows and the woodwork, cleaning the oven, polishing the silver, cleaning the silver, washing summer and winter blankets, cleaning the screens and storm windows. Either choose a fixed 2 hours a week for these or add them to your Layer-3 list of things to do each week as they come up.

Making Cleaning Easier: Where to begin? To see real progress fast, start with the areas that tend to go the fastest-the living and dining rooms and the halls-they're usually less cluttered and less dirty. Happy Spring Cleaning!

I wish it could be that simple in my house! Vacuuming is almost everyday (not every room tho, living room and high traffic areas), bathroom needs to be cleaned more often here too.  Tho I have found that toothpaste may be a good way to clean certain things.  My kids get it on the floor and also tile often.  It seems to be cleaner where the toothpaste was, all I did was use water on a paper towel to clean up the toothpaste.

[MakingCents]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 10 March 2012 - 04:28 AM, said:

Every 10-12 days (or so, depending on need) shut the water to the commode off-flush toilet.
Wearing gloves, use a pumice stone to scrap away hard water buildup (and the bacteria that attaches
itself to the mix.)
Pumice stones can be found in the foot care products area of the store. (Store the stone somewhere
so some one else in the home doesn't use it on their feet.) Ewwwww.

When finished, add a 1/4 cup of baking soda, and 1/4 cup of vinegar-let it bubble-sit for 15 minutes
or so before turning the commode water back on.

That's a good tip- I'm going to give it a try this coming weekend to see how it works!

[MyDigitalpoint]

I have found that most of those tips and cleaning secrets from granny's vault are actually green living-friendly.

If you have the chance ask your great grandma  and you will find earn and invaluable knowledge to make of this word a better place to live in.

[Hardison]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 12 March 2012 - 04:03 PM, said:

It may have been bleach and ammonia. Those fumes can put folks in the hospital or even the morgue.


If in doubt, do not mix-Google info first. Better safe than sorry.

Thanks for the excellent resources. Sorry, but I had to take out your links in my reply. I haven't posted enough. I suppose it's not really necessary.

Yes, bleach and ammonia are bad combination. My Mom used to mix these to clean the bathroom when I was a kid. It's no wonder we  don't  have some type of brain damage.

Vinegar is also a great carpet cleaner. It works wonders. Also, vinegar shouldn't be used on marble.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Toothpaste was mentioned above-it's a great cleaner for silverware, silver jewelry.

A single edged razor-blade is also a good tool to keep around for scraping away hard water deposits
that may build up around sink faucets.
Use caution however, if the sink/tub is coated porcelain-it could break the finish.

[dconklin]

Hardison, on 12 March 2012 - 07:22 PM, said:

Thanks for the excellent resources. Sorry, but I had to take out your links in my reply. I haven't posted enough. I suppose it's not really necessary.

Yes, bleach and ammonia are bad combination. My Mom used to mix these to clean the bathroom when I was a kid. It's no wonder we  don't  have some type of brain damage.

Vinegar is also a great carpet cleaner. It works wonders. Also, vinegar shouldn't be used on marble.

Oh wow, I am surprised your Mom was able to handle the combination.  I have heard that it can be quite deadly to mix the two chemicals.  I do not have bleach or ammonia in my house as I do not use either one of them.  

I never tried vinegar on the carpet, I will have to try that on the "kid stains."  Vinegar works well to clean your coffee maker too.

[MakingCents]

Bleach and amonia, or bleach and chlorine basically make msutard gas.  Be careful mixing anything like that it can be deadly toxic.

[dconklin]

MakingCents, on 13 March 2012 - 06:24 PM, said:

Bleach and amonia, or bleach and chlorine basically make msutard gas.  Be careful mixing anything like that it can be deadly toxic.

I thought it was deadly.  I couldn't remember the exact reaction tho.  They taught us this in chemistry, one of the few things I remember from high school.

[Jlcarrol]

I have been making my own cleaners for about eight years now. I never really thought about it until I had a child. Then I started getting worried about the things I was cleaning with. I did not want my child putting things in her mouth and wondering if I cleaned off all the cleaner. I was worried some of the harsh chemicals in them would get into her body. I started reading and trying to find more natural cleaners. If I could not spell it or pronounce it I did not want to use it. I make my own laundry soap and dishwasher soap. I also clean most of my house with vinegar and water mixed. The smell is strong for a minute or two but fades away fast. Because of the vinegar it also kills any smells in your house too. This works really well for glass too. If I find I have to scrub something I add a bit of baking soda on it. It works like a charm. This is how it started with me. Now I have expanded to do more natural things all over my house. Just a few weeks ago I found a natural makeup remove that not only gets all my makeup off ( and yes it gets my eye makeup off too), it also leaves my skin like silk. All you need is sterile water (about 3/4 amount of the container you will use) and Extra virgin olive oil(about 1/4). You just shake the bottle up every time you need to poor out some more. Poor a small amount onto a rag and wipe your makeup off. You do not even need to rinse your face. For your eye makeup just hold it on for a second or two and then wipe it off. Try it out.

[hunysukle]

White vinegar and baking soda are two of the most versatile natural cleaning agents. You can use vinegar on virtually any surface except natural stone. Vinegar and baking soda combined work great for cleaning drains, cookware, hard surfaces, etc. Vinegar alone whitens laundry and removes stains from carpet. There is no need to buy those awful cleaning products in stores.