cleaning with vinegar, baking soda, etc

[bizarro]

im a horrible person, i usually buy bleach, lysol and other hardcore chemicals.

im trying to be considerate and need a vegan alternative. i hate germs, and i have to continue to kill them! :whip:

what natural products do you use and how?

help!

[IWorkAtHome]

Wow, if you only knew what that stuff was doing to you, you would trash it immediately. That stuff contains pesticides, carcinogens and even formaldihyde!

I order everything from Melaleuca, The Wellness Company so my home is toxin free! Let me know if you want more information. I can get you wholesale prices. Have a great day and good luck to you!

[qetta]

I make my own. Here's a good site with some recipes:

http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/home/14 (sorry - not sure how to make it a hyperlink...)

You can also find good recipes in aromatherapy books. Many essential oils are considered antibacterial. As is using juice from lemons and oranges.

[Joe]

I don't know if this is vegan or totally natural, but you might try using oxygenated bleach (like "OxyClean") instead of chlorine bleach in your laundry and other cleaning projects where you now use chlorine bleach. It would be far less toxic.

[Feliner]

Where do you buy essestial oils to mix up your own cleaners? I'm sure it's a simple find I've just never seen them on the shelf anywhere. We're gradually making the switch to more natural (& homemade) cleaning products, when all the older stuff finally runs out.

[qetta]

Good for you! You can buy essential oils at natural foods stores and co-ops (Whole Foods), at some gifty-type shops, herb shops, etc. They even sell them at my yoga studio. You do need to check the label to make sure they are 100% essential oils, and do not contain any perfumes/other synthetics.

Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (Borox -?) are great for adding to a load of wash.

While on the topic, does anyone know of a natural way to clean a porcelain sink? Our kitchen sink is quite old and I think it's made of porcelain (only it has a porous surface?) and is white and stains so easily. Any drop of turmeric or a tomato-based sauce or if I leave tea bags in the sink . . . is an instant stain.

[kat]

My mum uses salt for cleaning sinks and taps- but her sink is stainless steel,

K

[Joe]

Washing soda (containing sodium carbonate)

http://www.thelaundrybasket.com/Our_Products/Our_Products_Super_Washing_Soda/our_products_super_washing_sod.html

and Borax (derived from boron) are two very different things, although both are added to the wash as laundry boosters.

For more info about Borax, visit:

http://www.purex.com/index.cfm?page_id=55

and you can download a brochure here:

http://www.purex.com/documents/borax.pdf

For your sink, though, I would first try using Borax powder, a mild abrasive. If that doesn't work, try Barkeeper's Friend. If that fails, try BonAmi.

[spud]

re white sinks - give it a wipe over with a lemon skin next time you have one spare. Years ago I had a porcelain sink I seem to remember soaking it in salt overnight. But I'm a bleacher now :(
Tea bags are an obsession with me. Anyone who puts one in my sink is in deep kak. I keep a pot or jar next to the kettle for them to be dumped in, and trot them out to be recycled once a day. They are very good for chucking out the window at a cat who is stalking a bird.

[bizarro]

Washing soda (containing sodium carbonate)

For more info about Borax, visit:

http://www.purex.com/index.cfm?page_id=55

and you can download a brochure here:

http://www.purex.com/documents/borax.pdf

For your sink, though, I would first try using Borax powder, a mild abrasive. If that doesn't work, try Barkeeper's Friend. If that fails, try BonAmi.

i have used borax in the laundry and saw barkeepers friend just today at safeway. i like bon ami but i react to it, then again id react to lemon juice or vineger. (currently ISO vegan hypoallergenic cleaning gloves)

are these products tested on animals? what about simple green?

i can buy seventh gen at my local store for many of my needs, its just so expensive.

im going to check out all these links you guys posted. thanks a lot, i think ive got most of it handled.

but one other question. whats best for windows and mirriors? ive been using newspaper for years, its the best and leaves no streaks. but i need to stop using that toxic 'misty' stuff.

[Joe]

i have used borax in the laundry and saw barkeepers friend just today at safeway. i like bon ami but i react to it, then again id react to lemon juice or vineger. (currently ISO vegan hypoallergenic cleaning gloves)

are these products tested on animals? what about simple green?


Barkeeper's Friend has some sort of mild acid in it, so definately wear gloves if you are sensitive. But the washing soda site recommends you wear gloves when using it as a cleanser, so gloves would be useful with most cleaning products.

I don't know about animal testing on these products. I suspect that many of these products have been around for so long that there is no current animal testing being done on them.

Simple green I've seen more often in the automotive departments as a degreaser. I'm not familiar with it as a general purpose cleaner.

[Joe]

Here are some threads on vegan cleaning products from Joanne Stepaniak's discussion board that might be of interest to you.

http://www.vegsource.com/talk/veganism/messages/61030.html

http://www.vegsource.com/talk/veganism/messages/62587.html

http://www.vegsource.com/talk/veganism/messages/63846.html

http://www.vegsource.com/talk/veganism/messages/84465.html

FWIW, Sabrina Nelson recommends Simple Green.

[bizarro]

thanks again Joe! i tried to go to Joanne Stepaniak's discussion board homepage, looks like its down. but those archives are still active viewable. somebody there mentioned dr bronners as an all purpose cleaner, i might look into that. i can get it in bulk at natures. i bet it would work great with salt to scour the stove top and tub.

[kmosi]

I love cleaning with vinegar. I just put some vinegar and essential oils in a spray bottle and spray the surface and then if it is really dirty sprinkle some banking soda on top and wipe down.

[Joe]

One of the threads I mentioned above had a link to a website about green cleaning products. The link was broken by the time I looked at it. But I found one page that survived in the Wayback machine archives. This page in turn had a bunch of links, which I had to update to get to work. Anyway, here are the updated links:

http://web.archive.org/web/20030323143916/http://www.dentdelion.com/simplyput/april2000/green.html

http://co.howard.in.us/swmd/page8.htm

http://www.drbronner.com/main.html
http://www.drbronner.com/archive.html

http://www.sdahq.org/cleaning/chemistry/
http://www.sdahq.org/cleaning/products/

http://msucares.com/pubs/infosheets/is1436.htm

[bizarro]

yet more helpful info, thanks!

and another:

http://www.armandhammer.com

[Christy]

Another thread:

http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=11879

[punkmommy]

I love cleaning with vinegar. I just put some vinegar and essential oils in a spray bottle and spray the surface and then if it is really dirty sprinkle some banking soda on top and wipe down.

I clean a lot with vinegar too, but I HATE the smell. I'll usually put some essential oil in with it, like vanilla or lavender.

[Joe]

Another thread:

http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=11879

You're right. It looks like we've discussed this before. And this previous thread itself refers to other still previous threads on VB.

Maybe we have a form of discussion board Alzheimer's--we keep discussing the same topics over and over again and forgetting our previous discussions.

As Yogi Berra once said, "It's deja vu all over again!" :D

[bizarro]

LOL!!! quoting Kreeli from another thread:


ohh, i'll have to dig mine out. but the vinegar and baking soda thing is so easy. i just bought one of those re-fillable spray bottles, and mixed a solution of 2 parts water and 1 part distilled white vinegar. i put baking soda in a container with a lid that allows for sprinkling. then i go around to counter tops, walls, tile floors, toilets, tubs, sinks, spray with the vineger mixture, sprinkle with the soda, wait a minute or two, and then wipe clean (using water if neccessary). white vinegar is naturally anti-bacterial.


this sounds pretty easy. cant wait to try some of these ideas!

[bizarro]

there was a company that used the pyramid scheme like amway (or early KKK) and sold earth friendly products. the products were great and the reps came to my home like the avon lady. unfortunatly they were always trying to get me to become a rep, it was super annoying. they are out of business now, not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing. anybody remember them? the company name started with an E...???

[kachina]

there was a company that used the pyramid scheme like amway (or early KKK) and sold earth friendly products. the products were great and the reps came to my home like the avon lady. unfortunatly they were always trying to get me to become a rep, it was super annoying. they are out of business now, not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing. anybody remember them? the company name started with an E...???

It wouldn't happen to be Enviro-Tech, would it?