Green cleaning mamas...what's your non green indulgence?

[kijip]

I keep a roll of paper towels for bacon or oily jobs I don't want in my dryer.

I really, really like Lysol wipes for my desk at work, totally not a great green choice.

No plans to change this. :wink2:

What are you holding onto?

[edurnemk]

I keep a roll of paper towels as well, for occasional use, not daily, but I need to have them just in case. I do plan to change that habit eventually.

We use ziplocs bags fro several things but we reuse them as many times as possible.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Paper towels are the rule, not the exception around here. I know it's terrible but I am so terrible about washing rags that they get so gross and I *hate* sponges- the way they smell, how they absorb gross things...they make me feel far less clean!

I don't buy them unless we are in a vacation house, camping or some other task that just makes them practical but I *love* those Clorox clean up wipes that come in that dispenser tube. So, so simple but so, so unnecessary. When I have them I use them all up with great joy. It just simplifies quick clean up jobs.

Beth

[Puddy73]

My skincare products. After suffering with bad skin for 15 years, I finally found something that doesn't irritate my skin or make me break out and I frankly don't care if it is made in China from scary chemicals.

I do also use paper towels for some jobs and now that DD2 is potty training I've given up on cloth diapers. We are using Pull-Ups and Seventh Generation wipes.

[crl]

Swiffer floor mop clothes. Disposable, nasty chemicals, etc. But for some reason I find it soooo much easier to mop with them.

Paper towels. I use rags a lot, but still also use paper towels a lot.

Catherine

[babyready]

Magic Erasers. They have scary, scary things in them but I have not found anything else that works as well.

I use disposable wipes sometimes...only on nasty thing I don't want to touch with my washcloths!

[westgre]

Magic erasers here too! They are the only things that have removed black Sharpie from my hardwood floors and walls.

[Neatfreak]

I don't use them much at all, but I can't quit Magic Erasers either. On some jobs they save me so much time!

[Puddy73]

Yikes, I forgot about Magic Erasers. I"m not giving them up either. DD2 will color on any surface with anything that she can get her hands on.

[Melaine]

Darn it....why did I think Magic Erasers were not too bad? We do use those sometimes. I also can't seem to find a "green" dishwasher soap that will do the job so we keep using those little cascade gel packs. Our dishwasher sucks though. Paper towel use comes and goes but I mostly clean with rags.

[edurnemk]

Magic Erasers. They have scary, scary things in them but I have not found anything else that works as well.



I don't use them much at all, but I can't quit Magic Erasers either. On some jobs they save me so much time!

:yeahthat: I forgot about Magic Erasers! We don't use them often, but sometimes it's the only thing that works.

[brittone2]

Magic erasers

Like you I keep a roll of papertowels to drain grease on occasion. They last us forever though.

If the costco electrosol/"Finish" tabs are on super sale (coupon) I will sometimes buy them. I try to do Ecover though.

[Jenn27]

I use bleach spray after company on the toilets :)
I keep a magic eraser for crayon on the wall.
I keep paper towels for bacon grease.
DH insists on dryer sheets and prefers Bounce to Seventh Generation (though I use dryer balls on DDs clothes and diapers and our towels)
I use Tampax...

[ThreeofUs]

Paper towels and bleach, for germy issues I just can't stand the idea of....

[SnowflakeJen]

For me, it's dishwasher detergent. I use homemade laundry soap and cleaning products, but I can't get past the mental hangup over "real" soap for dishes. Oh, and Clorox Anywhere for spills in the kitchen like raw chicken and other yucky food spills.

[boogiemomz]

Paper towels, clorox wipes, occasional bleach use, tampons, zip loc bags, I still have a couple of calphalon non-stick pans (not the standard Teflon, but still...). There are lots of green things I DO do, promise... :shy:

I also didn't know Magic Erasers had scary stuff in them. Can I pretend I don't know that???

[BabyBearsMom]

Paper towels, clorox wipes, occasional bleach use, tampons, zip loc bags, I still have a couple of calphalon non-stick pans (not the standard Teflon, but still...). There are lots of green things I DO do, promise... :shy:

I also didn't know Magic Erasers had scary stuff in them. Can I pretend I don't know that???

Are tampons really cleaning products? Also, I am afraid to ask this but why are they bad and what would you use instead?

[salsah]

i'm afraid that if i start listing, i'll realize that i'm not as green as i think. but here goes:

paper towels, not used often -- only for things that can't go into the wash (cleaning up some thing with little bits of broken glass mixed in -- like when a jar of applesauce falls and breaks).

i recently switched from using bleach for washing whites to using oxyclean, but i'm not sure if oxy clean is all that green.

actually, when it comes to cleaning, since i discovered that vinegar works for everything, i'm pretty good. but there are some other areas where i could improve:

zip lock bags -- i don't use them for everything (like some people i know), and i try to avoid using them, but they are just so convenient.

cosmetics/toiletries for me -- i have made some changes but haven't been able to go green 100%

i don't go out of my way to get things that are in green packaging. if i have a choice between peanut butter in a glass jar or peanut butter in a plastic jar, i will choose the glass, but i don't drive around town going to 5 different stores, that i don't normally shop at, looking for the one in glass. it has to be at a store that i already shop at.

i've started using fabric for gift wrapping (wrapping or making little bags) but i don't always do it because some people i know would think that is weird, being green is so not on their radar that they would just think that i ran out of wrapping paper or was too cheap to buy a gift bag (which would actually be easier and cheaper).

[boogiemomz]

Are tampons really cleaning products? Also, I am afraid to ask this but why are they bad and what would you use instead?

:rotflmao: I guess they're not... I forgot to limit myself to just cleaning products (darn... I would have come out looking a lot greener!!). They're not "bad," just create a lot of garbage. A lot of the mamas here are faithful Diva cup users... It's a reusable cup that you insert and it catches everything, then you remove, rinse, and repeat. I think. Dunno, never used one. Divas, please correct this description as needed! :)

[infomama]

Nothing cleans my floors better than Armstrong Once and Done. It's awful but I have tried everything and nothing works as well.

[love_a_latte]

A lot of the mamas here are faithful Diva cup users... It's a reusable cup that you insert and it catches everything, then you remove, rinse, and repeat. I think. Dunno, never used one. Divas, please correct this description as needed! :)

I'd say you described it in a nutshell!

I have the Moon Cup (http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Cup-Size-A-MoonCup/dp/B001HB3F08), and to say that it has been life changing would not be an understatement. After I had DS tampons were not working *at all* (lots of noticeable, random leaking), and pads were a total PITA. I heard about Diva Cups, looked into them, saw that many women found the Moon Cup more comfortable, ordered one and never looked back.

[salsah]

Swiffer floor mop clothes. Disposable, nasty chemicals, etc. But for some reason I find it soooo much easier to mop with them.


have you considered making your own? i use a swiffer mop but i put a cloth diaper on it and use diluted vinegar. it is easy and cleans well.

[edurnemk]

i recently switched from using bleach for washing whites to using oxyclean, but i'm not sure if oxy clean is all that green.


It's pretty green, actually, it's basically washing soda with hydrogen peroxide. The Oxi Clean brand does have some fragrance and other stuff, but some store brands have none of that so they're a pretty green option.

[mecawa]

Paper towels. We also use the occasional zip lock bag, and after reading the thread, I need to throw Magic Erasers in there too, I'd forgotten about those.

[Ceepa]

Bleach in my bathrooms. This will not change. And I'll never fully swear off paper towels.

[citymama]

Definitely paper towels. And non crunchy laundry soap (always phosphate free, but my whites look gray when I use Bi-O-Kleen or Ecover).

[essnce629]

The Oxi Clean brand does have some fragrance and other stuff, but some store brands have none of that so they're a pretty green option.

Oxi Clean has a fragrance-free, dye-free version and that's the one I buy. They were actually all on clearance at Target a week ago and I stocked up!

My non-green indulgence would be ziploc bags. DS1 uses a laptop lunchbox and I even have little separate stainless steel containers for his and DS2's snacks, so I'm not using them for that, but I can't get away with not using the ziploc freezer bags. I also find myself using ziplocs to store a half onion or tomato or a block of cheese once the original package has been opened.

I use paper towels, but very rarely. I use the reusable microfiber towels for cleaning the counters and table every day. And I have separate thin reusable cloths that are pretty similar to paper towels that I use to wipe all the mess off DS2's booster seat and splat mat before cleaning with a microfiber towel.

I do keep a travel size pack of Clorox wipes in my diaper bag though. I use them to clean off DS2's FP booster seat that we keep in the car when I don't have easy access to a bathroom.

I also use a tiny amount (2 tbsp) of bleach in my cloth diaper wash since we've had stink issues since switching to a front-loader. That's the only time I use bleach.

Oh, and I plan on stocking up on Magic Erasers tomorrow to help clean off all the smudges on the walls and baseboards of the new house we're moving into this weekend.