getting started with natural cleaning

[Linda on the move]

I'm just getting started with a natural approach to cleaning. So far, I'm at the "vinegar and water in a spray bottle stage". I'm wanting to cut chemicals out of life as much as possible, and right now we are very mainstream in this respect.

So, if you have an favorite advice, website, link to old post you made, let me know!  I'm a total newbie to this.

[Turquesa]

http://www.womensvoices.org/our-work/safe-cleaning-products/learn-more/green-cleaning-recipes/

REALLY love their recipes for soft scrub and laundry detergent.  I won't go back to the commercial stuff again. 

Hope that helps!

[mkksmom]

I find that vinegar and water cleans most things. I like to add mint oil to make it smell better. Some peroxide is nice to clean the toilet bowl. I got a steam mop (Eureka) and I love it. I don't use any furniture polish or anything. Straight vinegar on windows.

[bignerpie]

These are my cleaning supplies:

- baking soda

- vinegar

- Dr. Bronner's

- Tea Tree Oil

- microfiber cloths

I clean pretty much everything with a combination of those things. I have a spray bottle with 50/50 vinegar and water, and another bottle with diluted Dr. Bronner's and a few drops of TTO. I also make cleaning wipes (not totally green, since I use paper towels), which comes in handy in the bathrooms. I use the microfiber cloths to clean everything except the toilets because I just find that too gross, so I mostly use the homemade cleaning wipes for that. For the floors, I use a Swiffer mop with a microfiber cloth, and I refill the solution container with my own mix of diluted Dr. Bronner's. I've tried a few recipes for homemade laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent, but in the end I went back to using Dropps for the laundry and Ecover tablets for the dishwasher. It must be our water because none of the homemade stuff worked for me.

This is the website where I originally got the idea for the wipes: http://organizedhome.com/clean-house/make-your-own-cleaning-wipes. I use an old Folgers coffee container. It's the perfect size for half a roll of paper towels, plus it has a built-in handle. 

This website has instructions for making cloth wipes and the solution is closer to what I actually use on my paper towel wipes: http://www.liverenewed.com/2009/09/homemade-clorox-wipes.html. This website has a ton of info on other natural cleaning solutions, too.

[Linda on the move]

Thank you for the tips and links!

[Shantimama]

I use Enjo for everything and have for a few years now. The cloths last for years, they deep clean and use only water. They have been thoroughly researched and certified unlike knock-off cloths on the market. I used to use vinegar but the smell irritated me and nothing felt or looked as clean as it does now.