Green cleaning products

Lets talk about "green cleaning" and what it really means.

green cleaning can mean environmentally friendly but also natural, non-toxic and hypoallergenic. Something that is good for the environment is sometimes not something that is safe for people/pets. Borax being a good example, although borax is a natural element it is highly toxic to humans, pets and plants.

Why is it important to use natural cleaners?

Every year over 5 million household poisonings are reported and many of them are fatal.
Nationwide 32 million pounds of toxic cleaning chemicals are poured down the drain each day in north america.
Something as simple as phosphates which is in almost all cleaners from dish soap to shampoo cause dangerous algae blooms which is the reason phosphates are being banned in cities across north america.
Synthetic fragrance can be composed of up to 4000 chemicals, most of which are toxic and cancer causing.

so what are we looking for when we are talking about a green or natural cleaner?

We want no environmental impact, we want non-toxic, synthetic fragrance and dye free, and we want hypoallergenic.

There are very few over the counter cleaners that fall into this category, in fact there are only 2 that I know of. Eco mist and nature clean.

Eco mist makes a line of cleaners but they are all based on one recipe in different ratios, the eco mist degreaser can be diluted to make almost any cleaning product or used full strength for heavy cleaning. Dwell time is important with this product so if you are cleaning something difficult let the product sit for as long as possible before cleaning.

nature clean makes a product called "cleaning lotion' which is my main ingredient in my general purpose cleaners.

All purpose cleaner; 1 gallon distilled water, 2 tablespoons nature clean cleaning lotion, 10 drops lavender essential oil and 5 drops lime essential oil.

Glass Cleaner; 1 gallon distilled water, 1 drop nature clean cleaning lotion, 10 drops peppermint essential oils

Floor/wood cleaner; 1 gallon distilled water, 1/4 cup eco mist degreaser (optional) 20 drops orange essential oils

Degreaser; straight eco mist degreaser, or 3 cups hot water to 2 tablespoons eco friendly automatic dishwashing detergent with 10 drops of grapefruit essential oil.

use these cleaners with microfibre cloths and mops (you can get 10 HERO microfibre cloths at Canadian tire for 10.99, if you cant find them there check in the car care section) These cloths are re usable, economical and they can often be used only with water for everyday cleaning. Dont fall for ENJO, there is nothing special about ENJO they are just regular microfibre cloths and they to not disinfect with only water.

Stainless steel; soak one microfibre cloth in hot water, wipe stainless well in a circular motion and buff with a dry microfibre cloth.

Microwave; heat lemon juice or vinegar or water in your microwave for 1 or 2 minutes and wipe

disinfectant; 2 cups distilled water and 20 drops of thyme essential oil, thyme is toxic to cats so do not spray directly on cats or near food/litter box. But this solution is a strong antibacterial/viral and antifungal.

Room spray; 8 oz boiled water, 2 tablespoons baking soda dissolved and 30 drops of essential oils of your choice, use this as a "fabreeze" type spray for carpet, fabrics, curtains ect.

Bookmarked this mcpug, thanks for posting. Can you get essential oils anywhere besides health food type stores? Do they come in a range of sizes and are they basically the same 'strength' or are some better than others? And where do you buy Eco mist degreaser?

OK I'll stop with the questions now.

rottnmom wrote:

Bookmarked this mcpug, thanks for posting. Can you get essential oils anywhere besides health food type stores? Do they come in a range of sizes and are they basically the same 'strength' or are some better than others? And where do you buy Eco mist degreaser?

OK I'll stop with the questions now.

The best place to buy eco mist is at home depot, the degreaser is 19.99 per gallon but dilute a lot unless you are cleaning something very heavy like an oven.... don't bother buying the eco mist all purpose or glass cleaner its just degreaser diluted.

The easiest place to buy essential oils is a health store or you can get them at a great Canadian super store (in nature valley where they sell the organic stuff), essential oils seem expensive but there are 500 drops to standard size bottle (the small one) and you are only using 10 to 20 drops per gallon.

Essential oils are all the same strength and if you are using them for fragrance use whatever you like, but some of them have other properties for example lavender EO is a good bug killer and a mild antibacterial/antifungal........ Lemon EO is a strong antibacterial/viral and antifungal........ Lime EO is a "low tone" and blends very well with the flowery type smells (this is why I always mix a little with the lavender because I find the lavender by itself a bit to flowery), Cinnamon EO is a very strong antifungal and is also plant safe, I actually use it for my orchids with no ill effects.

so if you are looking for a specific property its best to just google it and find what you are looking for.

I use Dr.Bronners Castile soap to clean, you can clean anything with it! You can use for body wash too. I buy the unscented one and add essential oils. You can buy Bronners from health food stores.

http://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/LS.htm

http://lisa.drbronner.com/ (lots of great tips and advice)

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ (Ever wonder what's in your products??)

oh and Tea Tree is a disinfectant as well. I use distilled water and several drops in a spray bottle to disinfect counters and stuff.

I use vinegar in the rinse cycle (washing machine) and a mix of vinegar and water for my windows.

Love it!!! Welcome to my world...I have been a "natural product" user and maker for decades.

I'm ordering some ingredients. I'm going to make solid lotion bars...my favorite!! I'm thinking of ordering from lyndenhouse.net anyone know of any better sites? I've noticed a big price difference between a few sites. I want quality oils and butters.

woa Lynden house is seriously over priced I think! I've visited a few sites and their ingredients are way cheaper.

Than you for this information. With young children in the house its essential.

Nero64 wrote:

Mousey wrote:

I'm ordering some ingredients. I'm going to make solid lotion bars...my favorite!! I'm thinking of ordering from lyndenhouse.net anyone know of any better sites? I've noticed a big price difference between a few sites. I want quality oils and butters.

I order most of my natural products and supplements from www.puritan.com They manufacture 95% of their own products , no middle man. most of their products are standardized which is very important. And their prices are very reasonable.

Thanks, I'll check it out