"Green" Cleaning Products

[mmsmom]

I see a couple of posts about green or non-toxic cleaning products (don't know if they are the same). I have been on a mission to use only these products but have limited knowledge on this topic and have not found any that work for some areas. Here is my feedback on what I have tried so far. Please post information or experience you have with non-toxic cleaning products.

Method products (I got at Target): I use & like the dish soap. I use the floor cleaner & wood floor cleaner. The handle on the mop that comes with it has broken twice. The floor cleaners do have an odor. They seem to clean well, but I do not like that it is just a squirt bottle. Seems inefficient and we go through it pretty quickly. I do like that the mops have microfiber cloths that can be washed & reused. The stainless steel wipes do not work- leave lots of streaks.

Seventh Generation: I use the toilet cleaner, bathroom cleaner & all-purpose cleaner. They all seem to clean pretty well (but not the same as Tilex!) The Seventh Generation dishwasher detergent did not work at all for me.

I am looking for: Soft Scrub replacement, dishwasher detergent, Pledge replacement

[Chris Johnson]

A couple other product are Shaklee and Ecover.

[just_teachin]

I'm using all Melaleuca products now. Most come in concentrates so there's less plastic to deal with. Even the ones that don't come in concentrates come in refill bottles so you're not tossing sprayers and such away.

My favorites?

1. the Tub&Tile: we have really hard water and it just cleans the hard water/soap scum off so easily.

2. The window/glass cleaner: smells so nice, though not a heavy scent. cleans amazingly well without leaving streaks. (It also doubles as a JetDry replacement.)

3. The laundry line- especially the stain treater (Pre-Spot). AMAZING. It got out a tomato based stain that was over two months old and had already washed AND dried.

4. The dishwasher detergent - does a fantastic job, and you only fill the reservoir 25%!

[supercalifragilous]

I wasn't too impressed with the laundry detergent, but I love the MelaBrite. It works so much better than OxiClean!

I also love the PreSpot - it smells and looks just like Folex (purple hue). I wonder if it's chemically identical. Works just as well.

Sol-U-Mel is great & so is the Tough & Tender - I really feel like I'm sanitizing everything in a very safe way.

I haven't tried the autodishwasher detergent yet, but I love the LemonBrite liquid soap. I feel like it takes more to drop the grease, but still it's better than the 7th Generation stuff.

I just wish that Melaleuca would be more open about their ingredients instead of just "proprietary blend..." That's my only reservation about that company that I feel makes them a little shady.

[daisymommy]

Method:
Loved their dishwasher detergent "pillows" when Target carried them, but now I can't find them anymore. But they work as well as the Cascade packs.
Liquid dish soap: not so much...
Glass Cleaner: streaky.
Bathroom cleaner(s) and All Purpose Spray: Work great!
Good For Wood spray: Use in place of Pledge for dusting. Love that stuff!


Bi-O-Kleen:
Tried and really enjoyed the following products:
All Temperature Laundry Detergent
Powdered Dishwasher Detergent
Bac-Out stain and odor spray
Soy Toilet Scrub (did you know that toilet bowl cleaner is the most toxic thing in your home besides bleach and drain cleaner? If a child were to ingest this, it could completely eat away his trachea...UGH. Or go blind if it were to get into their eyes. I don't even keep those 3 products mentioned in my home. It's just too scary and dangerous.

7th Generation:
Both the All Purpose Spray and Glass Cleaner work super.
Liquid dish soap: not powerful enough.

Shaklee: Things I've Tried so Far and Like-
Laundry detergent (both scented and unscented)
Liquid fabric softener
Dryer sheets are okay (clothes are soft, yet full of static).
Dish washer powder detergent
Liquid dish soap

Ecover:
LOVE their liquid fabric softener (smells like Downy, but it's all natural!)
Dish washer tablets
"Soft Scrub" type product, forget the name. Scrubs well, but doesn't bleach stains. I use it in my kitchen sink.

[kijip]

Vinegar, biodegradable dish soap, baking soda, club soda (for glass). Cheaper and better than $4 bottles of various solutions packaged in lots of plastic. We have ecover for dishwasher detergent and we have 7th generation and Charlies for laundry soap.

[Meatball Mommie]

I am also in search of green cleaners to use around our home. I like to use vinegar, but my DH draws the line when I clean the bathroom with it - he HATES the smell! So, I'm always looking for good shower cleaners. I will have to look for some of the ones suggested.

The only thing I wanted to add to this thread is regarding the Method cleaners. If you are truly aspiring for a green household, you should look to other brands. A lot of it is really clever packaging and marketing - in a lot of their products (I can't say 100% because I just don't know), if you look at the ingredients, you will find synthetic fragrances and FD&C colors. If a company is trying to create *green* cleaners, why would they put these additives in their products? The answer is consumer demand - people want their cleaning products to smell a certain way - and their package design is certainly appealing as well. The products are certainly better than the average cleaners you find in the supermarket, but there are better ones out there still - ones that don't have these synthetic additives. I remember looking at some hand soap at a friend's house and not liking what I read (I always look for certain things like dyes, fragrances, parabens... and I can't remember specifically what it was I didn't like).

Just my 2 cents - in my life pre-kids, I was a polymer chemist, so I read lots of ingredient labels and it's downright scary!!! So many things are toxic in the lab and then you see them in cosmetics or cleaners - yikes!

For a "soft scrub" replacement, I just save the mesh bags onions come in and kind of scrunch them up (I use an old hair elastic, but that's probably tmi!) and use my regular soap.

Karen
Mommy to 2 boys

[brittone2]

Vinegar, biodegradable dish soap, baking soda, club soda (for glass). Cheaper and better than $4 bottles of various solutions packaged in lots of plastic. We have ecover for dishwasher detergent and we have 7th generation and Charlies for laundry soap.


Ditto that. Personally, I think a lot of green products aren't always all that "green" in the first place. Green is the new buzzword, and how *truly* green a lot of those cleaners are is debatable.

Baking soda, vinegar, castille soap, essential oils, club soda, and Bon Ami (kind of like eco-friendly Comet...ridiculously cheap) take care of most of our needs. Ecover dish washing tablets work great (even got a very good review in Consumer Reports). We use Charlie's for laundry.

I also consider some of the packaging of all of those "green" products to be not-so-environmentally friendly. At least if you are making your own, you don't need 100 different products so there are fewer containers (and things like castille soap can be diluted a LOT and be very effective).

[klc92201]

I second the shaklee products. I love there cleaning products and use them all around my house. I don't even have any of the old toxic ones. So far we have been healthy too, knock on wood. I was worried that when we took away the disinfectant cleaners I was afraid we might get sicker. I will say that I love their laundry detergent and I don't weeze anymore when I fold laundry or get into new sheets that were washed in the tide we were using. So worth the money.

Heather

[SnuggleBuggles]

I use castille soap from Trader Joe's (very cheap) mixed with water filled in an old Seventh Generation cleaner bottle for just about all my normal cleaning. Vinegar rocks for windows and glass!

I used to like the Method bathroom cleaner wipes but I am really trying to minimize disposable products like that. Like other posters have said, take a look at the packaging of the products. Do you really need another bottle of something?

Beth

[vludmilla]

I agree about the Trader Joe's castile soap...it's wonderful. It is cheap and smells lovely. There are no undesirable ingredients. It's biodegradable and no animal byproducts. I also use it as bath soap and shampoo for DD. She smells great afterward.

[jdsmom731]

All of Shaklee products I use have been awesome. The great thing is that their Basic H2 is for everything and get diluted to different strengths for different things and it's only like 11! You can make 5000 bottles of Windex from it or 48 Gallons of all purpose cleaner! All their stuff is awesome and will save you a lot of money!

Amy

[MamaKath]

Dr. Bronner's Castile soap is a favorite around here for regular soap. Also Borax, Baking soda, cream of tarter, vinegar (great replacement for fabric softener in the wash cycle even), and lemon juice. Mother Earth News just had a great article on cleaners and Mothering also did a few months ago.

[kat_eye21]

Ecover Cream Scrub works AWESOME. We've used it on our pots and pans and to get mildew off our bathroom tile. Highly recommend them

[Bens Momma]

It's been mentioned, but I also give two thumbs up to Ecover dish detergent. We LOVED the tablets for convenience and they did an awesome job. Also have used the powder, it is cheaper and seems to work as well. Anyone have feedback on the Trader Joe's dishwashing powder? Don't know if it is as "green" as the Ecover, but it would be easier for us to get and a whole lot cheaper!
Love Charlie's Soap for laundry!!! DH & DSs have super sensitive skin and haven't had any problems since we switched to it. We have a front loader and I only have to use a tiny amount per load!! I also got some of the Charlie's Soap All Purpose Cleaner and although I haven't mastered the dilution ratio for all jobs, I've been pleased using it for a laundry pre-treat, window cleaner, cleaning stainless, and it worked great in our carpet steamer. They advertise that it "cleans everything from false teeth to diesel engines!"
Would love to hear more about uses for castille soap.

Thanks-
Momma to 2 Energetic DS

[ilovetivo]

bumpity bump

[charlotechai]

Ahhh. . .green spring cleaning. I know it's the end of summer, but at my house, it's always cleaning time. And green cleaning is the best way to go!!! Non-toxic, environmentally safe and of course, safe for the kiddies and pets as well! How can it get any better?

Orange oil helps repel fleas and ticks from dogs (forget the icky flea collars and the other harmful substances you put on your faithful fido).

Using your dryer for half the normal amount and then finishing the dry cycle outside or in the bathtub.

using nontoxic cleaners (such as vinegar):

http://gabwith.us/going-green/will-vinegar-damage-any-of-my-furniture-or-fabrics-if-used-as-a-household-cleaner/

This is a good site because it dispels the myth that vinegar can harm your furniture. Vinegar is great not only in the kitchen but in the home and (surprisingly) as a beauty product!!!

Mindy