What are some environmentally friendly household items i can use to clean my home with?

Question

example - baking soda for scrubbing the shower, salt for scrubbing the sink, etc.

I can't afford those expensive fancy organic cleaning solutions, so I'm wondering how I can make my own using already environmentally friendly products in my home or readily available at the local grocery store. I like the convenience of availability and cost to using these products (baking soda, salt, vinegar, etc) versus the more hard to find organic products (that usually turn out to be not so great later on).

i'm looking to find ways i can clean - dishes, laundry, floors, mirrors, sinks, showers, toilets. anything that has the possibility of sending chemicals into the environment I want to limit or eliminate. thank you for your help :o)

Answer 1

If you have anything stainless steel like appliances, vinegar works real well and doesnt leave streaks. Use newspaper instead of paper towel when cleaning windows. I know it sounds dirty, but it actually works better. No streaks, none of the fluff from the towel and you already have it so it's cheap!

Answer 2

Look into buying Simple Green!  It's non-toxic, bio-degradable, and comes in a wide variety!

Car wash, stone cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, stainless steel polish, and just about everything else you could think of.  

I worked with wildlife, and we used it on just about everything to clean, because it was harmless to the animals!  It smells good, too!

Answer 3

We buy chemical free washing liquid and dishwashing liquid in bulk. It cost us $420 for 20L of each. At the rate we are using it, I expect it will last us about 18 months. That includes the fact that we have a baby and wash nappies every other day.

Other than those two products, I use nothing but bicarb soda, vinegar and eucalyptus oil. The bicarb can be used on anything that needs something abrasive to scour like the sinks. Vinegar can be used for mirrors, windows, floors and the shower. I use eucalyptus on the toilet. All three of these can be found easily in the supermarket. People over-clean. You don't need to bleach the toilet. It's not like you are eating out of it. If you need to bleach the shower or anything to get rid of mould, you should be working on keeping the area better ventilated and cleaning more often. Not that I'm saying you are doing this, it's just an example!

Answer 4

Here are a bunch of recipes for organic cleaners - you can make your own :-)

http://www.organic-items.com/organic-dir...

Answer 5

uh salt in great amounts will ruin our sewer plants and kill the informant, soda is good, but will harm the endowment. Vinegar is an acidic. Just quit cleaning, if you really want to be in tune with nature.