Alternative Cleaning Products

[Amusement Gal]

I need them, badly. I've been looking all over the place and haven't found ANYTHING that doesn't make me react badly. I'm allergic to sulfates, and all of the 'organic' cleaners I've found still get their sulfates...from natural sources. I use French Milled soaps and all that, but that doesn't clean a floor! Vinegar isn't cutting it either now. I'm looking for alternative dish soaps, laundry detergent, cleaning agents and whatnot. There's no 'organic' stores locally, so at this point I'm considering online stores.

I'd appreciate any brand suggestions if you have any.

[lupo pazzesco]

I use baking soda for most scrubby type jobs, and vinegar for most washy type jobs. Oxiclean is pretty good, too, though I don't know if that's what you're looking for. Have you tried a Whole Foods store or something of the like? Someone there may be able to help you out. Maybe.

[AdminAssistant]

I use baking soda for most scrubby type jobs, and vinegar for most washy type jobs.

Okay, not to derail, but I have a question about using vinegar to clean. How do you get rid of the smell? To me, very few things smell worse than white vinegar.

[Amusement Gal]

Okay, not to derail, but I have a question about using vinegar to clean. How do you get rid of the smell? To me, very few things smell worse than white vinegar.

Maybe it doesn't bother me much, but I use apple cider vinegar instead. It's not as strong as white vinegar. I mean, you could perhaps put in some type of good smelling oil like lavendar to cut some of the scent out, but that's just a theory.

Also, lupo, the closest Whole Foods place is an hour away, which is why I hesitate about doing that. I've also looked inside the place, and most of the stuff was, 'Safe for the environment!', rather than, 'Well, with this you won't break out...'

[Der Cute]

Get spray bottle at dollar store.

Add the 5% white vinegar to it, about 2/3 full. Add water to it to dilute.

Vinegar smell does dissipate quickly, just air it out.

Have you tried Mrs Meyers soap stuff, in the healthy section? And, remember ammonia is a darn good floor cleaner.
I do believe that Pine Sol is actually powered by Lemongrass oil, and that Lemongrass Oil is a very good cleaner.

You could also use Tea Tree Oil to cut grease/grime and germs. http://www.ehow.com/how_2313363_use-...oil-clean.html

I sometimes use a micro-terry cloth, vinegar spray to loosen dirt up, and then after that, do a mop job w/ sudsy ammonia.

Good Luck
Cutenoob

[Lady J'ssem]

If you're allergic to cleaners I actually have to suggest that you DON'T use pine-sol!

I'm not sure what I'm allergic to in that stuff, but even a cap full in two gallons of water gave me a reaction. My hand swelled to three times its normal size ! I couldn't use it for the rest of the day even after taking my meds. (I have to be REEEEALLY careful when counting cleaning supplies because of this. It'd suck having to go to the emergancy room cause of a reaction of the cleaners.)

As for cleaners that won't make you break out, have you tried am-way's stuff? (Not talking about being an employee, their products are actually very good.) My family uses them, and I've never had a reaction from it. They're actually made to be safe for people sensitive to chemicals. But I don't know if it contains sulfaites, I think you can check on their site though. They're pretty good about shipping it out right after you order as well.

[ArcticChicken]

Google making your own cleaners, you'd be amazed what baking soda can do.

[NorthernZel]

As others already have written, vinegar is a very good cleaner when it comes to take away water stains or such. Also, it can be used to get rid of bad smell (have you had a party and allowed indoor smoking? Set a cup of vinegar on a table before bedtime, and let it work its magic overnight!).

Also, it is a very good and cheap alternative to fabric softener. Don't worry about the smell - the vinegar-to-water ratio in the washing machine will make your clothes smell "neutral", so to speak.

[The Gatekeeper]

O.k., here is what I do.
Scrubby for things like bathtub, baking soda and a little bit of green dish soap if you can find it. You don't need much, so if have to use regular dish soap...add enough soap to make a paste. Just like Vim.

Tea Tree Oil - I add it to everything. It's a natural anti-bacterial/anti-fungal/anti-septic, and it smells nice. Add it to your vinegar solutions.

For greasy cleaning, like the stove or range hood, vinegar and baking soda. Rinse really well. It's sooo easy to clean with it.

The person who suggested a spray bottle diluted with water is dead on, works that way for glass cleaner. Don't use the vinegar full strength or add the Tea Tree Oil (or any natural oil of your choice). The smell dissipates quickly.

[Amusement Gal]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it! So it looks like I'm still using vinegar now. But the suggestions of pine-sol and dish soap I'll have to pass, since they're the major baddies that my skin dislikes. I'll look up the Amway stuffs and then some, and see if I can finally clean for once.

Edit: Looks like most of Amway's stuff is no-go. Them big bad sulfates. :<

[Chromatix]

I eventually managed to find the EcoBall that Raps mentioned some time ago. It's an alternative to laundry detergent which works by changing the pH of the water or some such. The pellets in the balls are reusable for a fairly large number of washes, and then you just buy new pellets.

And it does seem to work. It's not *quite* as good on stubborn stains as ordinary detergent, but it'll deal with ordinary laundry without any problem.

The best thing is that once I looked in the right place on the right shelf, it was in the nearest mega-supermarket.

[Seshat]

To clean anything that's a 'base':
Vinegar, lemon juice.

To clean anything that's an acid:
Baking soda.

To clean oils:
Vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, or whatever soap or detergent you can manage.
(Soaps and detergents are 'surfactant', which means they soften surface tension & makes the water more 'sticky' to most dirt. They also hook oils together with water, so water becomes an oil-solvent.)

To clean anything water soluble:
Water. Perhaps helped with lemon juice, vinegar, etc.

To clean stuck-on stuff:
Steam, soaking, or scrubbing-things such as salt, baking soda, abrasive scrubbers, steel wool. (be careful of the surface you're scrubbing)

To clean stuck-in stuff (eg carpet stains):
Steam, soapy-steam, or careful washing with just-enough soapy water to do the job.

For sterilisation, or for non-streaky cleaning:
Cleaning alcohols (eg isopropyl alcohol, methanol/methylated spirits).

Additional cleaning substances, stronger but with more potential for danger:
Borax, ammonia, bleaches.

NEVER mix chlorine bleach with ammonia, and never use chlorine bleach in the toilet or to clean anything that's come in contact with urine. You can create chlorine gas, which is one of the toxic gases that was used in World War One - and then banned from use as a weapon because it's too horrific.

[Amusement Gal]

I eventually managed to find the EcoBall that Raps mentioned some time ago. It's an alternative to laundry detergent which works by changing the pH of the water or some such. The pellets in the balls are reusable for a fairly large number of washes, and then you just buy new pellets.

And it does seem to work. It's not *quite* as good on stubborn stains as ordinary detergent, but it'll deal with ordinary laundry without any problem.

The best thing is that once I looked in the right place on the right shelf, it was in the nearest mega-supermarket.

I'll keep a lookout for that. It's better than my other alternative: nothing.

-huge snippet of awesome information-

Thanks! If I don't know what to do now, I'm crazy. Actually, I'm pretty crazy, but I'll let that comment slide.

Also, seems my FIL has some connections to a super all-natural products place member, and they said that I could get stuff through them, but not with a discount. It'd be like grocery price. Which in retrospect is still much better than paying $50 a month just to keep a membership. Here's hoping it works!

[Der Cute]

If you're allergic to cleaners I actually have to suggest that you DON'T use pine-sol!

I didn't say to use PineSol. Just that it has a good cleaning essential oil in it.

[AdminAssistant]

I love Pine-Sol. It's what I use for mopping and those OMG I'M CLEANING EVERYTHING days. When we were cleaning up my great-aunt's house (and later my grandmother's) Pine-Sol was a god send (as was bleach, for the really really REALLY bad stuff). Plus, it smells amazing.