can I just say I *love* cleaning this way?

[Piglet68]

I just cleaned my entire bathroom using only vinegar, water, and baking soda. It's so clean it shines: not a speck worse than when I used all sorts of commercial cleansers.

I just cannot get over how cheap it is. NOT to mention, how great it feels to know I'm not leaving chemical residues all over the place (like in the tub where my bathwater-drinking DD bathes every night!). I actually feel GOOD about cleaning!

I'm actually starting to be boggled that nobody else really knows about this. I mean, it seems to simple, so , but honestly, until I visited this forum a while back I would never have thought about it. All the money I used to spend on stuff!

I am so amazed that more people don't do this. Then again, we are bombarded every day with ads for commercial cleansers that make us feel like we must be living in a germ-infested cesspool if we're not using "the good stuff".

[Gemini]

Last week I scrubbed my kitchen floor with Dr Bronners peppermint soap, and it smelled WONDERFUL when I was done!!

I'm slowly switching to natural cleaners as I run out of the commercial stuff.

[rainsmom]

Ive been doing this since I was pregnant in 2000. Ive got pets and now a dd and its great to know there is nothing toxic in my home!

Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan.........has the best homemade recipes for cleaning products!

[its_our_family]

i'm slowly working my way through the Karen Logan book.

I just posted above but I've been using only vinegar and baking soda for about 2 weeks. I just caught my son in the cleaning cabinet sucking on my vinegar bottle!!!

[sunnmama]

Intriguing......
What proportion of vinegar/water/baking soda? How do you deal with the "fizz factor"? (Isn't that what we used in middle school science class to make fizzy volcanos?)
Thanks!

[its_our_family]

I use vinegar/water (50/50) as jsut a spray and the baking soda on the tough stuff. Since it is a mild abrasive it works great on stoves!

I tried adding baking soda to my water vinegar spray. I had to add it slow and let the fizz go away before adding anymore. I'm not sure if the baking soda fizzes off or not.....

[Piglet68]

I use a mixture of half and half distilled white vinegar to water. It's in a spray bottle, and I use it to clean the floors, countertops and toilet. For the sink and tub I spray with the vinegar solution, then dip a damp sponge into some baking soda and start wiping. Or sometimes I just sprinkle the baking soda into the sink or tub after spraying. What I also love about this is that it rinses so easily. I don't have to dump buckets of water over everything to rinse it clean (which is why I always ended up with a flooded bathroom whenever I had to clean the tub and shower, lol).

Here's a secret for the bathroom mirror: get one of those microfibre cleaning cloths and just use plain old water. I spray water onto the glass with a spray bottle, then wipe with the cloth. The cloth gets all the spots off, toothpaste, hairspray...you can spritz some water on the cloth too for extra duty. Then when everything is wiped, use a dry surface of the cloth (or another dry microfibre cloth) and wipe again. It dries a bit slower than window sprays with alcohol, but only by a few seconds. It really looks beautiful!

[rainsmom]

Hey, thanks for the tip on cleaning mirrors and windows!

Ive been using club soda, which works great too!

[traixa2]

DeLurking....I used baking soda to clean my stainless steel kitchen sink for the first time....and boy did it sparkle! I too am amazes at how such a simple product can clean so well. I just bought some Dr Bronners yesterday, wonder what I should clean first

Happy November
Kate

[I Fly]

I've used vinegar and baking soda for practically everything for several years and love it. The other day I was talking about kitchen fires with some friends. One of them had a fire in her oven, and thankfully had a fire extinguisher. We were talking about what to do with a fire if you found yourself with no extinguisher. Someone mentioned baking soda, but then said, "but you wouldn't have enough in that tiny box." I was pretty smug, thinking about my enormous box of baking soda, which lives under the kitchen sink with the other supplies.

I have a spray bottle of 50/50 vinegar and water. I spray that on everything in the bathroom to clean because it disinfects well. If I need grit (tub & sink), I dump a liberal amount of baking soda over top of vinegar/water solution and scrub. For the toilet, I pour a cup or so of vinegar in the toilet and let it sit while I clean everything else. Then I go back and use the brush on it and flush. I clean all the wood floors with hot water with some vinegar mixed in.

When I open a new baking soda box, I scoop about a half cup out, and keep it in a small tupperware container in the pantry. I use it for baking, and the rest for cleaning.

[rainsmom]

Im sure at one time everyone cleaned like this......there was nothing else.


Its a shame that Arm & Hammer doesnt advertise (except on their box) about how their product cleans everything.


P.S. Ive got a HUGE box of A&H under my sink too! I also use 1/2c in the laundry to whiten whites! IT really works......I was using only that to whiten my dipes b4 dd was pt.

[HomeBirthMommy]

I love cleaning this way, too. It's especially great since my dd wants to help do everything right now. I don't have to worry about chemical, fumes, etc.

I also think it's hysterical that Windex now has a formula with vinegar in it. Ummmm-just use the vinegar!!!! My mirrors and stainless fixtures look awesome with a little vinegar wiped with newspaper.

[Rebecca]

ITA!! I scrubbed the bathroom with just borax and water, and it shines!! It got all the hard water and soap scum out of the shower and the yuck out of the toilet with minimal elbow grease. I'm so happy!!

Next time I'll try it with some orange EO just to add a nice smell, but the borax alone smells a bit like baking soda... just clean and fresh.

[rainsmom]

Im sure you know......Borax isnt as safe to use as Baking Soda.

I use it occasionally too.......but I keep it out of reach.

[traceface]

Can someone tell me, what is Borax exactly? How do they make it? Is it used traditionally in laundry, or why do I associate it with that

I am off to buy lavender Dr. Bronner's after reading all these raves! what a great thing, to look forward to cleaning -- great to model the excitement about these simple pleasures for our babes.

[Bearsmama]

Piglet-Thanks for starting this thread. I have to confess that although I've known for quite some time that most things in my home could be cleaned using baking soda and some elbow grease, I was/am a fan for a long time of Clorox. Really thought this was the only way to get things clean.

MDC has changed things, though. I am also interested in getting the book someone mentioned on here that has tons of natural cleaning recipes. I have decided that I do not need to buy another chemical cleanser again.

Thanks, ladies!

[Jessviola]

i, too, clean much more frequently and with a bigger smile on my face knowing that my house is getting truly clean, not chemically clean we have the 10lb box of baking soda and a 5 liter bottle of vinegar and some lavendar and peppermint dr B's and everything gets nice and shiny and clean and fresh and smells sooooo good!!! and i don't have to hold my breath or take breaks because i feel light-headed or dizzy from all the chemicals

[rainsmom]

Can someone tell me, what is Borax exactly? How do they make it? Is it used traditionally in laundry, or why do I associate it with that

FROM Clean House Clean Planet, by Karen Logan:

"Borax...boosts cleaning power of detergent,helps remove stains, deodorizes and brightens. Great for hard water. Helps break down minerals in hard water

Borax is a common ingredient in all fabric bleaches, is the strongest chemical cleaner that I keep around the house. Although it is reputed to have antispetic, disinfectant and antifungal properties, I rarely use it. I dont consider it nontoxic. Borax is a strong alkaline, an eye irritant and toxic if swallowed. Ive tried using borax for cleaning, but it irritates my hands. Ive also read warnings that you shouldnt get borax in open cuts bc it is absorbed readily into the system this way. So, I limit my uses of borax to cleaning situations where I dont have to touch it."



You might remember it associated w/laundry as they used to have a commercial "20 MULE TEAM BORAX".
Its great for cleaning toilets.....pour 1/2 c in and wait overnight. No scrubbing needed.

[ccm'smom]

Dr. Bonner's

Hi,

Where can I get the lavender and peppermint Dr. Bonner's? This is a great thread and I can't wait to start using these natural cleaning products.

TIA

[rainsmom]

They are available at most health food stores......Ive even seen them at regular grocery stores!

I get a great deal on Dr Bronners at www.vitacost.com