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**UPDATE**4/21 new posthere to confess.. - Page 3

post #41 of 82
3/26/07 at 10:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlutterBee View Post
Is it in a seam or just exposed? Maybe try something like Goo Gone?
Oooh, Goo Gone. There's a thought ... maybe I'll try that next time. See, if everyone pools their ideas, we just might figure this out!!

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post #42 of 82
3/26/07 at 11:28pm
I just wipe things down with water for the most part. When I feel the need to deep clean then I defniitely get out the chemicals.
post #43 of 82
3/26/07 at 11:56pm

crayolaab- does the stuff look like this?

If so that stuff on the bottom/sides of your tub isn't mold, it's dead skin cells and buildup from soap and shampoo and the like. It happens when you have hard water, or at least it happens in every place I've ever lived that had hard water.

I use a scrub brush and comet to get it off. : I bet you could use a more natural cleaner and some baking soda to help with abrasion to help get it off without resorting to comet or soft scrub.

omg that pic makes my tub look so much worse then it is!

post #44 of 82
3/27/07 at 12:22am
Oh yes! This thread reminds me that we switched to costco laundry detergent when ds was in cloth diapers. I guess we can switch back to the natural stuff now! :
post #45 of 82
3/27/07 at 12:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlutterBee View Post
Is it in a seam or just exposed? Maybe try something like Goo Gone?
We might have some, actually. I'll give it a try, thanks. It's not in a seam at all.
post #46 of 82
3/27/07 at 12:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Damiarayne View Post
crayolaab- does the stuff look like this? pic of tub gunk

If so that stuff on the bottom/sides of your tub isn't mold, it's dead skin cells and buildup from soap and shampoo and the like. It happens when you have hard water, or at least it happens in every place I've ever lived that had hard water.

I use a scrub brush and comet to get it off. : I bet you could use a more natural cleaner and some baking soda to help with abrasion to help get it off without resorting to comet or soft scrub.

omg that pic makes my tub look so much worse then it is!
Yes, kind of... but it's a lot worse than that picture, darker anyway, but it could be the lighting. I am so embarrased to admit this

Anyway I will try scrubbing harder... part of the problem is that I have bad wrists/forearms so scrubbing hard for a bit of time is really hard. I'll see if my boyfriend can help too. Ewwwwww....
post #47 of 82
3/27/07 at 12:38am
I dunno what it is thats breaking it down, but I have to let the comet sit on it for a while then scrub and it comes right off. I wish I knew of a better alternative because I hate useing comet. Don't be embarrased, I took 2 pics and that one was the one that looked not so bad, lol.
post #48 of 82
3/27/07 at 12:46am
I GENERALLY use simply Green as it is -- when diluted correctly -- non-toixic (we used it at teh group home and kids shelters where i worked for this reason).

I also use bio-kleen surface spray and their degreeser.

HOWEVER -- that is generally -- and most of the house.

I use blech on the kennel and the toilets. ALWAYS (well now DH does )

Once in a while i dilute blech and blech out my sink with really hot water and then scrub the floor with it in the kitchen adn bath -- again i won't be doing that for a while -- my mom will for me though

and i only use the bio-kleen de-greeser cuz it works -- if it did not I'd use 409.

Natural is great -- but i like CLEAN.

We also use windex when my dad visits -- he buys it he likes it and he is a car cleaning freak .

and i have tile cleaner -- for our slate bathroom too. but again, i can't use it now -- gee darn.

course we built this place -- 95% of the labor was us -- so while i TRY to be careful as i can -- cleaners are a lot less risk than the varnish, adn the stains and the paints and so on....

Quote:
Mr. Clean Magic Erasers


simple green bothering you MIGHT NOT be diluted enough. it is supposed to be like 1 to 10 or something -- really really diluted. too "think" and it is sticky and "chemicaly" and makes my eyes burna dn chest hurt...... i was amazed at how little you are actually suppoed to use
post #49 of 82
3/27/07 at 11:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Damiarayne View Post
I dunno what it is thats breaking it down, but I have to let the comet sit on it for a while then scrub and it comes right off. I wish I knew of a better alternative because I hate useing comet. Don't be embarrased, I took 2 pics and that one was the one that looked not so bad, lol.
I think that crap gets on everyone's tub, doesn't it?

If Comet works, I'd try Mrs. Meyer's cleanser. I'm amazed at how well it works and its primary ingredient is washing soda, if I'm not mistaken. Just wet the area, sprinkle it on, scrub and then let it sit. This is how I get the stains out of my white ceramic kitchen sink. I can't believe how clean I can get it without bleach.

I have found Mrs. Meyer's cleanser at Wild Oats, Fresh Market, and Cost Plus World Market. You can also order it online from drugstore.com. They have good shipping deals.

Another recommendation would be the Holy Cow Degreaser. I can get my white stovetop amazingly clean with it. The Holy Cow stuff is super reasonable, too. I can get it at my local bigg's but I think they are a Cincinnati thing.
post #50 of 82
3/27/07 at 11:33am
Ya know, I just wanted to add a word about bleach. Yes, I still use a bit of chlorine bleach on occasion. I personally think that if you need a cleaning boost, to use something more natural and then add a bit of bleach is better than using a mainstream commercial cleaner. My reasoning is that at least with your own cleaning products boosted with bleach, you know what you are getting -- chlorine. With things like Comet, Tilex, Lysol, etc. you have no idea what you are getting since they aren't required to disclose the contents. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't, IMHO.
post #51 of 82
3/27/07 at 1:23pm
We have to break out the chemical cleaners every 4-6 months but it's still better than using it weekly or daily yk? Most of the time we use EOs, ecover, vinegar, and baking soda but when things start to look grungy we'll break out the bottle of mr clean or bleach, strip it back, and start over.
post #52 of 82
3/27/07 at 4:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Damiarayne View Post
crayolaab- does the stuff look like this? pic of tub gunk

If so that stuff on the bottom/sides of your tub isn't mold, it's dead skin cells and buildup from soap and shampoo and the like. It happens when you have hard water, or at least it happens in every place I've ever lived that had hard water.

I use a scrub brush and comet to get it off. : I bet you could use a more natural cleaner and some baking soda to help with abrasion to help get it off without resorting to comet or soft scrub.

omg that pic makes my tub look so much worse then it is!
Oh ok, yeah I get that stuff too, I use Dr Bronners Sal Suds and a good stiff scrub brush to clean it off.
post #53 of 82
3/27/07 at 4:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlutterBee View Post
Oh ok, yeah I get that stuff too, I use Dr Bronners Sal Suds and a good stiff scrub brush to clean it off.
Maybe that's what I need - a scrub brush. I try to just use scrubby towels but it doesn't work very well. Can you reommend something stiff enough that won't ruin the surface of the tub?
post #54 of 82
3/27/07 at 5:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by crayolaab View Post
Maybe that's what I need - a scrub brush. I try to just use scrubby towels but it doesn't work very well. Can you reommend something stiff enough that won't ruin the surface of the tub?
I use a plain old brush that I bought at Target, it has a plastic handle and its angled in the front to get into corners. I think I have the same kind of tub and it doesn't scratch the surface of the tub at all. I don't really use a ton of muscle either, I think the cleaner breaks it down a bit before I start in with the brush.
post #55 of 82
3/27/07 at 5:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Damiarayne View Post
crayolaab- does the stuff look like this? pic of tub gunk

If so that stuff on the bottom/sides of your tub isn't mold, it's dead skin cells and buildup from soap and shampoo and the like. It happens when you have hard water, or at least it happens in every place I've ever lived that had hard water.

I use a scrub brush and comet to get it off. : I bet you could use a more natural cleaner and some baking soda to help with abrasion to help get it off without resorting to comet or soft scrub.

omg that pic makes my tub look so much worse then it is!

mr clean magic eraser. it is the best tub cleaner i have ever tried! it even cleaned my moms shower, which i am confident hadn't been done in atleast 5 years.
post #56 of 82
3/28/07 at 2:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MommyErin View Post
The toilet bowl cleaner from Ecover. I love it! I get it at Wild Oats.



To be clear, my understanding is that the pink, nasty sh** in the shower is a type of mold that is a result of hard water. And the liquid soap I use is Dr. Bronner's. Actually, I use the Trader Joe's house brand of castille soap as well.



Um, bad news -- that's also mold. Hard water + humid conditions = nasty black crap on your shower caulk. And I know from experience that bleach doesn't do it. Neither does Soft Scrub, Soft Scrub with Bleach, Tilex shower cleaner nor any other disgusting industrial shower cleaner. Again, I would try the Earth Scrub and a toothbrush. Scrub hard and let it sit for quite a while. I did like 20 minutes. There were also some recommendations in this book that I have yet to try. The Earth Scrub got 90% of it out. We removed and recaulked the worst of it.

Honestly, I'm still learning too. It's not something that comes natural to homekeepers in our society. We are so bombarded with commericals for powerful, germ killing, disinfecting commercial cleaners that it's hard to remember that they weren't always around and in use. If we all keep trying and learning and then share what works, we can do it.
Awesome, thank you! If I could solve those two problems, I'd be so happy! I'll report back when I've tried your solutions...

ETA, oops, I quoted the wrong post
post #57 of 82
4/9/07 at 1:37pm
Bumping this thread because I've made a great discovery ...

I LOVE BORAX!
IT ROCKS MY WORLD!

I was cleaning this weekend and I used borax and a little dish soap to scrub my white laminate countertop and it's cleaner than it's ever been. It got out tea stains that have been there for WEEKS. And it rinses easily.

So Mommas, give it a whirl. I was skeptical but I'm definitely a convert.
post #58 of 82
4/10/07 at 7:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MommyErin View Post
I'm sorry to get up on my but I'm just a little . If the mommas here at MDC aren't on the bandwagon, who is? Someone has to lead the revolution and if it isn't the babywearing, CDing, APing, co-sleeping, BFing, amazing parents here, then who will? :

post #59 of 82
4/10/07 at 11:02am
Thread Starter 
huh? Is that in response to this thread or was it posted in the wrong spot?
post #60 of 82
4/10/07 at 11:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mommaof3boz View Post
huh? Is that in response to this thread or was it posted in the wrong spot?
I think anamama was just a little late with her commentary -- she quoted a post I made to this thread a couple of weeks ago.

You may also like:

Sitting or Squatting: What's Really Best in the Bathroom?
There Is Not Always a "Fix" For the Difficult Child
10 Things You Don't Need For a New Baby
Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Natural Family Living › The Mindful Home › Decluttering, Organizing, & Simplifying › **UPDATE**4/21 new posthere to confess..