Looking for Info on Natural Cleaning Products home made or store bought

[jacksmomtobe]

DH has been complaining that the smell of the cleaning products I use at home are giving him headaches. I've varied them and same effect and now I'm really feeling yucky after using them myself. I picked up an enzyme based one with coconut oil for kitchen counters at Whole Foods and though it didn't give me a headache the smell made me think of vomit. A while back a friend had sent me recipes to make homemade cleaning products that include vinegar, tea tray oil, castille soap, etc. I was wondering if anyone has experience using homemade cleaning products and could say what they use where, what they think works or doesn't etc or if anyone could recommend natural store bought products that they like. Part of me likes to just pick up something at the store because as of yet years after receiving the recipes I've never gotten around to mixing up my own cleaning products.

Thanks!

[writermama]

I use the clean house clean planet recipies (vinegar, castille soap TTO) and like them.

Nothing I've found cleans windows better than club soda and a microfiber cloth (use one cloth wet and another cloth to dry).

Baking soda is a great scrub, add a little castile soap and water for it to work even better, and rinse with vinegar to get rid of the powder.

I use merlin's magic to clean bathrooms and vinegar with peppermint oil to clean floors.

My one purchase is toilet bowl cleaner, I like the one made by Ecover.

[Tondi G]

the Clean House Clean Planet book has all the recipes you need for making your own. I have never made my own. I don't know if they are the natural you are looking for but we really like the Method brand stuff. The wood floor cleaner, the pink grapefruit or cucumber or lavender all purpose spray etc. My house gets clean and smells nice but it isn't a strong scent and doesn't give me a headache like many regular cleaners have in the past! They have unscented cleaners as well for those who want no fragrance.

http://www.methodhome.com/

[o_mom]

I like the book "Green Up Your Clean Up" and found it easier to use than CHCP. We have used nothing but that for over a year now. I have an 'all-surface spray', which is borax, castile soap and water. A glass cleaner which is vinegar, water and dish soap. And a scouring paste that is baking soda and castile soap. Those three things are the main cleaners that I use. If I'm doing floors I just use vinegar in hot water with a drop of soap.

The supplies I bought have lasted a year and I still have some left. I bought spray bottles at Sam's Club and a jar container at IKEA. (I wrote the recipe on the bottle so it is easy to make more.) I started with one large bottle of unscented castile soap (32 oz?), one smaller bottle of tea tree oil scented and a box of borax. I have most of the bigger bottle left and probably a third of the smaller bottle. It has really saved us money and no chemical headaches from it.

[edurnemk]

I also use the recipes from "Green uo your Clean up". I looooove baking soda, makes me wonder why I spent so much money on cleaners before, when baking soda, vinegar and borax clean so much stuff and so easily. I also love using essential oils in them, like lavander and peppermint, I can't stand artificial fragrances anymore.

When I get store bought I usually get Seventh Generation.