Natural Organic Cleaning Products

Hi there,
I cant remember the name, but if you go onto Moneysavingmom.com and go back a day or two in previous posts, she talks about one she likes. Sorry I cant be more specific. I also know that many people just use vinegar and water to clean countertops ect.

We love our completely natural and safe Shaklee cleaning products! Oprah uses them as well as the White House. You can check out our website to buy any you need at: www.shaklee.net/living4u ! I will admit to buying a lime-away type product for the hard water where we live, but everything else (kitchen, laundry and germicidal) works as well - or better - than the grocery store stuff!
J. K.

Hi Sam!
There are so many products out there it's hard to get started but it's fun. I buy a few different things.
For my sinks I love Mrs. Meyers surface scrub. This would replace things like Comet. You can get it at HEB, World Market, Whole Foods and Central Market. My favorite scents are Lemon Verbena and the Basil one. You can also make your own with just baking soda, vinegar and essentail oil. For wood, so far all I have tried is Method non-toxic cleaner. Method is sold at Target. It's an almond flavor. It works well. I have an All-Purpose Cleaner for counters tops and mirrors by J.W Watkins. I have only found this at the Target Lakeline. For floors I LOVE Ecover Floor Cleaning with Linseed Oil. It smells awesome. My floors are all tile but you can use on any type floor. I have only found this at Whole Foods so far. For my kitchen I have a homemade spray with Vinegar, Grapeseed Oil (whole foods), Baking Soda, Water and a high grade Rosemary essential oil. You can put what ever oil in it you like. I just have Rosemary this month. I get all my essential oils from Young Living at www.youngliving.com
There is a product called Thieves that can be used for everything including counter tops, carpets and upholstry. It is also a disinfectant.
I LOVE the laundry detergent and stain remover from Shaklee. It's a bit more expensive but it smells so good. And you have to order it online only. www.shaklee.com
They have some great cleaning products at Shaklee as well.
I can order from either of these places for you if you find something you like. I have not found a dishwasher liquid that cleans well yet. I love the Seventh Generation dish soap but not the dishwasher liquid. So I still use Dawn for that.
I have not found a toilet cleaner that smells good so I started just using vinegar and baking soda in it and cleaning with a toilet brush. There is really no need for an actual toilet bowl cleaner.
As far as skin care goes, there is so much out there. Whole Foods is probably the best place to start. They have good shampoos etc... Dessert Essence has some good smelling stuff. I love their coconut lotion but you do have to reapply it. The products that you buy at the regular stores have mineral oil in them usually. So there is no need to reapply because it's thicker but mineral oil isn't good for you at all. Good ole olive oil works just fine. It might seem oily but it really isn't. After a couple of minutes you don't even feel it. The websites I listed earlier, Shaklee and Young living, have some great skin care. For Bar Soap I just use Aveda. I have not found a bar soap that I like yet. Most of them smell like hotel soap to me.
There is a book called Organic House cleaning that is pretty good. Lenghty but good. Another fun book is Gorgeously Green. It's a quick read and you will want to read it over and over. It lists tons of websites for great, safe products and where to buy them. Check Amazon for great deals on these and a ton of other fun books.
Good luck with everything. It's so much fun having a clean non-toxic home. Also, if you have pets, you should really feed them a good pet food that doesn't contain dyes, chemicals and additives. Email me with any questions! If you find a product you love let me know about it!
~B

Hi Sam,
I, too, live as organically as possible. Congratulations! For laundry soap and for the dishwasher I use the Ecover brand.
Attached to our washing machine is an ionizer that is a natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungicide and I use very little to no soap. If you have a washing machine that uses a normal amount of water instead of the water saving type, the ionizer attachment is wonderful. It doesn't work on the low water use washing machines. A visitor mentioned the difference in the feel and fresh smell of his clothes, the sheets and towels.
For my body and most other things like washing the windows, hand washing dishes, etc. I use a product called Miracle II. To use Miracle II as a toothpaste I add baking soda.
Our floors and rugs are deep cleaned with our Lady Bug commercial steamer. Our old rugs still look good and do not draw and hold stains.
For personal care products I often use www.realpurity.com
Vinegar is inexpensive and great for cleaning. The down side it that it leaves a bit of a strong smell so open the windows when you use it.
I hope this is of use to you. Feel free to call me for details. ###-###-####

A little about me: An about to be grandmother.

Love the Meyers Cleaning products. You can get them at Whole Foods, C. Market or even HEB. This line has just about every cleaning product you would ever need.

As for shampoo and such, check out this link,http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com which tells you what products have healthier ingredients. You will be surprised at how many products have icky ingredients.

I bought a plastic spray bottle at the dollar store and put vinegar in it. I use it to clean sinks, bathroom tile, glass in showers. If you pour it straight onto those hard water stains and let soak a while, it will sparkle like new. I tried expensive cleaners on the hard water stains in my shower and was very disappointed with the results, but spraying vinegar on the glass and waiting a few minutes before wiping off does wonders! You can find all kinds of info about cleaning with vinegar online by searching with key words "vinegar" and "cleaning". Baking soda can be used as a scouring cleanser. It's great to hear what others use for laundry detergent, because I haven't been happy with any of the organic ones, either. However, I do add vinegar to the rinse cycle to act as a softener. It gets rid of any funky smelling odors really well, too. You can wash your clothes in vinegar (about one cup) per load, then wash with your normal detergent to get rid of foul odors. Regarding stains, I soak everything in Oxyclean - but I'm not sure how "organic" that is. But it has saved children's clothes that I thought were unsalvageable. FYI: a gallon of vinegar costs about $1 and last a long time for cleaning.

vinegar works well for most cleaning, even toilets. Put a cup of baking soda in a toilet, then poar in vinegar, let it bubble then scrub with a scrubber. I found it worked better than other "organic" products for tiolet cleaning. You can use a vinegar/water solution to wash windows to, and in general for all your disenfecting needs. I used it in place of bleach when washing my sons cloth diapers and was wonderfully surprised. So for whites, add a cup of vinegar to the wash with your laundry soap instead of bleach, we do all the time now.

I have not found a good dishwashing detergent, but there is a good dish liquid soap (can't remember the name but its "green" something, totally organic and the soap is green and its made by one of the major brands - I think Joy. As for shampoos, I've had great luck with JASON brand. I find it in the organic section at our HEB. It's not too expensive and works well. Haven't tried the soap though but assume it would work well too.

My mother uses "Seventh Generation" laundry soap because of an extreme soap allergy and it works well enough for her. I have had good experiences and heard wonderful things about other Seventh Generation products.

Good luck, and good for you for going Green.

Baking soda as a scouring powder. Vinegar and water for floors/countertops/windows. Lemon juice for deodorizing. Anything that smells bad can be left in the sun and will smell MUCH better after a nice airing. You can clean just about anything with baking soda, water, vinegar and elbow grease. Salt works as a more abrasive souring powder.

If you have a clog in your sink try vinegar and baking soda down the drain, then follow with a flush of boiling water.

Seventh Generation is used by a community in Oregon where they live off the grid. I've been using SG for almost three years and I like it a lot. They have dishwasher soap, laundry detergent, paper towels, toilet paper. Visit their website for their full line of products and hints on how to be kind to the earth. And it smells nice. :)

There are LOTS of websites out there dedicated to earth friendly cleaning, just google!

My sister-in-law got me the book called "homemade" reader's digest (702 ways to save money and the earth) for Christmas. I was a little sceptical but have made non-toxic bathroom cleaner, shampoo, it has so many products - its great I love it. Its worth checking out b/c its cheap, simple, organic (if you like) and has been a wonderful source so far.

I have always like the Method products for: glass cleaner, bathroom cleaners and the all purpose cleaner.

The laundry stuff I use BIO Kleen and it works for us just fine. They have a product called BAC-OUT stain removal spray that works wonders...all of this stuff can be found at whole foods and Target carries Method products.(they have wonderful scents)

I don't know if you decided what kind of natural products to use, but I saw that someone mentioned Melaleuca. I can help you set that up if you would like. I have been using their products for over a year now, and absolutely love them!

I use Melaneuca products. Go to Melaneuca.com for the entire listing of everything for your home, personal care, etc. I like them very much, reasonable, concentrated, and arrive at the front door. Per month I spend about $75, ie 35 points for my laundry and bathroom needs. I can change an order at any time or order additional. It saves me time and $.
I signed up with someone a few years ago and do not go to any meetings. I just like the products.
P. 841-1221/928-2415

Sloan Barnett has written a book called "Green Goes With Everything - Simple Steps to a Healthier Life and a Cleaner Planet." Sloan Barnett and her husband, Roger, are owners of the Shaklee Corporation. You may have seen them on the Oprah Show last year. (Shaklee Basic H2 is an Oprah favorite). Here is what Dr. John Spengler, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Harvard School of Public Health dsof said this about the book, "Sloan Barnett has written a thoroughly researched, highly readable handbook for cleaning up our act at home. Follow even a little of her advice, and your children will eat healthier, breathe cleaner air, and learn for themselves how to identify and avoid potentially toxic materials." The Barnetts have three small childen.
To learn more about or to order Shaklee Get Clean products please go to my website www.shaklee.net/buddyandbettyking As with all Shaklee products, the Get Clean cleaners are naturally safe and proven effective.
I use them and highly recommend them to others. I live in Austin and will be happy to give you a copy of Sloan's book if you respond and let me know you would like to have a copy.

I'm a demostrator for Gold Canyon Candles and we have a plant based home cleaning product line. Our Homeology line is derived from active ingrediants from natural sources, biodegradable, non-toxic, no ammonia or phosphates, no chlorine, not tested on animals and has no artificial dyes.

Lavendar Eucalyptus Sweet Orange Floor Cleaner -- Simply point, shoot and mop all the floors of your home.

Rosemary Mint All Purpose Cleaner -- Use on cabinets, countertops, appliances and more. Safe for use on granite.

Mandarin Eucalyptus Clove Cleanse -- For use as a gentle scrub on sinks, bathtubs, tile, countertops, back splashes, appliances, stubborn floor dirt and more.

Peppermint Eucalyptus Glass Cleaner

You can view the products on my website www.mygc.com/delightfulcandles or email me ____@____.com

J. Holweger
512/251-8877