love2shop
I really do not believe the new clorox is truly 'green'
I can honestly vouch for Shaklee products. My favorite is Basic H2. It is an organic all purpose cleaner. one bottle will last 6 to 8 months, so it saves you money also. below is the link. I also have a hand held steamer for sanitizing, along with a steam mop for my floors..

in the laundry department, I use Charlies Soap. It is a natural laundry detergent > www.charliesoap.com.. if you go to the laundry forum, type in the search bar at the bottom "Charlie's Soap" you will be able to read all the posts about it and what Charlie users have to say...
Hope this was helpful!
Ree

Here is a link that might be useful: Shaklee Basic H2

"I really do not believe the new clorox is truly 'green'
I can honestly vouch for Shaklee products".

So what is in Green Works that makes you "believe" it is not "truly 'green'"? What is in Basic H2?

I looked at green works when it first came out.. they do use plant and mineral based materials, but they do have other ingredients that are not natural added in... to me, it is not "truly" green. I am not saying it's a bad product, but there are products out there that are all organic/natural.. As the question was " are these products REALLY natural? " there is a link to basic H2..feel free to read it...
do you work for clorox?
Ree

I read the H2 info on that link. I couldn't find any information on the ingredients, so they can claim whatever they want.

I don't even know what people mean by "natural" anymore. Natural is in the eye of the beholder. Petroleum is natural; it comes straight out of the ground. People throw these words out all the time but rarely know what they really mean. If you're not going to eat or drink it, how much does it matter?

Reeree, since you "can honestly vouch for Shaklee products", does that mean you work for them?

I read the back of the Green Works container and what really bothers me is that they list what it "contains". To me it means that it has those ingredients plus other stuff they aren't listing. I always look for the word "ingredients" just to be sure. And to metaphysician, many people here are trying to go "natural". It can mean different things to different people but for the most part it means that we are trying use products that are better for our health and the environment. And just because you aren't going to ingest it doesn't mean it's harmless. Many of the chemicals in traditional cleaners are toxic. They help in the polluting of our Earth and seep into our bodies to pollute them too.

thanks for stepping in ebear.. you said it perfectly!

meta... this is a place where people share and try to help people. Usually, I wouldn't entertain this because it is uncalled for. This is a nice forum, we want to keep it this way. I can vouch for anything I use, or I wouldn't be using it or sharing it with anyone else. Isn't this what these forums are about??? Since going green has become very popular, everyone is coming out of the wood work with their products being "natural" yes, natural has a lot of different meanings, but when they have just a few natural ingredients, and the rest of the product is not, does not justify it's claims to be natural... and it is misleading to the people who are buying it. I am not new to cleaning with natural products and have tried many different ones..so when I say I can vouch for something, that means I am very happy with it and would recommend it as I have.
If you are looking to start a war on here, take it some where else, we do not accept this here and want to keep it a helpful friendly place.
Ree

Ree - honestly, you threw the first stone in this one.

There was nothing wrong with geguy asking what the basis is for using the word "natural."

Current issue of Good Housekeeping has helpful recommendations.

Here is a link that might be useful: Good Housekeeping article

graywings
it's the way it was presented... I answered her question based on my experience using the product.
when I said I can 'vouch' for shaklee..that simply meant I use it and it works.. I do not think I threw a stone..I wrote back and explained what I had wrote. nothing nasty there at all. asking if he worked for clorox wasn't meant to be a sarcastic question .. there are people on here who work for product company's.. tone is hard when writing, my apology to geguy..
Ree

I read the Good Housekeeping article and what bothers me is that they listed Arm and Hammer and Purex as the best laundry cleaners. I would bet that they both contain optical brighteners which are horrible for you. To be a fair, accurate article they should only use products that don't contain any toxic chemicals. I'm sure Arm and Hammer probably works better than my Ecos but at least Ecos lists all of the ingredients on the bottle so I know exactly what I am getting.
And Ree, you're right that it's very hard to get a certain tone across when you are writing. However, I am getting tired of people trying to belittle or degrade the questions about green cleaning that have popped up on this forum. I've seen it many times and I wish that if people don't like it or don't do it that they would let the message go on without trying to stir up trouble.

ebear
one thing I did notice about A&H..they have a new detergent out ..it says "naturally" on the bottle ..so I did look at it.. at first I thought it was 'natural' until I re-read the bottle and they were referring to baking soda! you really have to watch and read before you buy...

what gets me is, these products that have been out on the market containing toxic chemicals are suddenly putting 'natural' on their labels. the truth is, they are adding one or two new ingredients that are non toxic, but other toxic chemicals remain in there.. with all the talk about going green, they are probably losing money and changing their ingredients a little, but this is just deceiving the public because it is not 100% true.

don't get up set if someone is 'bashing' on here..some people are just looking to stir up a fight.. those are the ones not to entertain and just move on to another post :)

did you ever try Charlies???? I am curious...
Ree

reeree-- thank you for your help answering my question! I am wanting to go natural so I am not going to buy the clorox green works & instead am going to order the shaklee. I have also ordered the charlie's laundry soap will let you know how I like it all when it gets here. Thank you again & have a great day:)

reeree natural

I am trying to get you to tell the people, who visit this forum, what is in both products that makes Basic H2 a good "green" product and Green Works not. You still are not answering it. Instead, you give Basic H2 your "seal of approval" for being a "truly green" product. Why is it?

I looked at the link to Basic H2, but it shows the same thing some others, like "ebear", are complaining about with the Green Works. Not enough info! I also downloaded the label of the Basic H2 last night and see that it too does not tell everything. I pulled out my old bottle of Basic H and see that it too does not list every ingredient. Yes, I have used Shaklee products in the past.

I found some forums for Shaklee moms(reps and distributors) and noticed that they too steer people away from Green Works. But what do you think they recommend? Right. Basic H2.

I am presently using Green Works natural dilutable cleaner on my floors. I found it quite cheaply using a coupon. It works well. I am happy that there are more and more products that are better for the environment and help us to be more responsible. Not everyone is able to make their own home cleaning products or wants to. I cannot name all the reasons. What they can do is go out and purchase the products. Not everyone has a "natural" store near them, but having a product like this helps them move closer to being "green". Having a product like Green Works helps bring "green cleaning" to the world. I even believe that one company like Seventh Generation even admitted that Clorox has the means to speak louder and promote the "green" cause. IsnÂt that what we want? To promote "greener" living. I think "Olympiceagle" posted a link which made reference to Green Works as a good choice.

You see, I believe that we should care about our environment and use better cleaning products. No, I do not work for Clorox. I think longtime members of this forum can see that I do not . What bothers me is when I see two threads about Green Works and read negative comments about it not being natural. Then, to top that, another product is promoted as natural.

ReeRee Natural, you can turn this around as much as you want, but the simple fact of the matter is that I asked you to explain why. Back up what you say.

A few observations about Basic H2:
I first tried it many years ago in the 1960's when my then MIL sold it. It was advertised even then as a "miracle cleaner" of sorts, supposed to work on everything from food to heavy cleaning and was very expensive in those days. I tried many times to find out the ingredients in it, as I am leary of using anything for cleaning food or dishes w/o knowing what is in it. What I found was that the company keeps that information close to the vest. As a matter of fact, they frown on anyone even MENTIONING the company or product names on the internet. I know a lot of people swear by the stuff, but I would never refer to it or anything else as being "natural" w/o knowing what is in it, and quite simply, the company doesn't want us to know that information!! This post is not meant in any way to be a negative one, just merely a personal observation, as the subject has already been discussed in this thread.

ree, I haven't had a chance to try the Charlie's. I'm trying to stay with things I can buy locally because I'm horrible with ordering online. Right now I am using Ecos. My local Costco was selling it for a great price and I really liked it but they don't have it anymore so I got some Seventh Generation at Whole Foods. I still might try the Charlie's, I just wish I could buy it at a store near me!
geguymw, for the most part "green" in this forum means non-toxic, non-petroleum based, dye and "perfume" free, and safe for the environment. I am partial to Earth Friendly Products and Seventh Generation. I do make some of my own cleaners (such as vinegar and water with tea tree oil for an all purpose cleaner) but I don't have the time to make all of them. The biggest problem I have with Green Works and all of the other large companies jumping on the "green" bandwagon is that they don't disclose all of the ingredients in their product. They call them "trade secrets" but I call it suspect. If other companies can do it, why can't they? If you want an example, take Arm and Hammer Essentials. They list what the product "contains", what they don't list is that it also contains optical brighteners. I prefer to avoid such chemicals. By listing all of the ingredients, not just some of what it "contains" on the bottle I can make an informed decision. I don't have time to call every company that comes out with a new product to see exactly what's in it. Just for the sake of argument I went to the Green Works site where they have a list of ingredients. Of the 5 products listed, 3 contain "colorant". What exactly is this, a synthetic chemical? 2 contain "fragrance" and essential oil. What is in the fragrance? More chemicals?
People come to this forum to ask for opinions and about experiences and that is what we try to provide. If someone asks about a product I will give my honest opinion, for what it's worth.

love2shop
oh good!! I am sure you will really love both the products. Another great product by Shaklee is their Nature Bright. It is a stain remover and a laundry boost. It is amazing on stains! You can also use it on carpets and upholstery. Let me know when you get them..will love to hear how you like them!
Ree

geguy
Shaklee does not have a long list of ingredients, correct. They do list ALL their ingredients in Basic H2 as corn and coconut based. They also list everything they do not have in their product. Synthetic solvents, ORGANIC solvents, butyl cellosolve, ammonia & morpholine. They are also **Green Sealed Certified**. You should know this since you down loaded it last night... Any company can say 'Natural' if they have one or more non toxic ingredient , but they can not say *ORGANIC* unless it is.(by LAW) PLUS..I LOVE the product!

You are not telling me anything new about the importance it is to be more earth friendly and live healthier. The list is long and it's not just about what we clean with. I assisted a fund raiser with special ed children for Earth Day and they planted 6 new trees in our local park yesterday. It is wonderful people are going more green, very important. I agree it is a great thing that the products we find on our shelves contain less toxic chemicals in their products than once before..it's a step in the right direction..no argument there.

last... for someone who has been a member for a long time, you forgot your forum manners for sure. I do not like your tone, or the way you wrote to me.. I will not answer another post from you if in that tone again..
Ree

pink
thanks for the info..I do not know anyone working for the company..only the lady I put my order in with. They are green sealed certified. I never used this product long ago..did they state it was organic back when? Oprah endorses their product all the time..have you ever seen the show?
Ree

ebear
you can call charlies ..1-800-854-3541 you don't have to put an order in over the net..they take phone orders and it's free shipping , no tax. come on..you know I have been waiting for you to try it..lol!
Ree

last... for someone who has been a member for a long time, you forgot your forum manners for sure. I do not like your tone, or the way you wrote to me.. I will not answer another post from you if in that tone again..

Ree, as an outside observer to this conversation, I see nothing wrong with geguy's questions or responses. I don't understand why you are reacting this way.

Pink and everyone else reading this... I called a Shaklee rep. ( not the one I buy my stuff from)I asked her about ingredients that may not be listed...she told me they are all organic in Basic H2 but the company does not list all of them because they do not want other company's copying it. By law, they would have to list it if it wasn't organic, toxic etc. She added in, one product that shaklee has that is not organic is their Basic G.

Ree

graywings
you don't think there is anything wrong with her/his wording? sorry..I see it very differently. I felt as if he/she was backing me into a corner.. all because I said I didn't believe green works was truly green? and I recommended what I like and felt is was worthy enough to pass it on..I didn't need to get into a scientific battle over my opinion.. this isn't a board of experts, just people sharing. I have learned a lot on here and shared a lot on here.. but never had this happen before. it is ending here, I am not looking to keep going on with it. I said how I felt, and it is the end. I will not reply to this subject again.
Ree

geguy - Have you not figured out yet that if you question a true believer you are automatically the bad guy, no matter how valid your questions may be? Green Works lists ingredients, Shaklee doesn't. If those were my only two cleaning choices (and thank heavens that is not the case) I would choose the one that lists ingredients.

Regardless, corn and coconut based ingredients (soap from coconut and ethanol from corn) are not very environmentally friendly when you consider the vast tracts of land that must be used for cultivation and the incredibly wasteful production processes required to turn the raw material into useful chemicals, particularly when they are only cost effective due to large tax subsidies. "Green" groups conveniently leave these facts out of the equation because they start with the assumption that petroleum is intrinsically evil. In fact, when you get down to basics, these so-called "natural" ingredients have bean chemically altered more than any petroleum product you can name.

"Green" is trendy but not necessarily environmentally (or fiscally) responsible. This all leads back to my primary rant - an education system that, intentionally or unintentionally, spews out high school graduates without enough science education to live in today's world. alkyl polyglucoside is the same chemical, whether it is derived from a recently deceased plant, or one that his been dead for millenia.

This is just getting out of hand! Good grief, nobody is conveniently leaving out any facts. Anyone who reads or watches the news knows that the down side of raising bio fuels has become a hot topic. The main reason I, and I believe many of the people here, started using natural products was for the health benefits. Being environmentally friendly is an added bonus. I have asthma and the junk in regular cleaners is known to aggravate it. When I have to clean my bathroom with an inhaler by my side I would call that a problem. My husband would cough so badly at night that I almost moved out of our room. Since switching to natural, non-toxic products these problems have been alleviated. I use an all natural laundry soap - no petroleum byproducts or chemically created scents - and my husband has stopped coughing because our sheets are free of toxins. I clean the bathroom with vinegar, baking soda, tea tree oil and a steamer and I don't need my inhaler to do it. In fact, the air in my house has a better quality to it. So if I have to choose the lesser of 2 evils I am going to take the one that doesn't pollute my body or my drinking water. Lastly, Green Works does not list all of the ingredients. What exactly is the "fragrance" or "colorant" made of? I can tell you exactly where the fragrance in my laundry detergent comes from because it's listed on the back of the bottle. And I may be 20 years out of school but it seems like plain common sense that a recently deceased plant is easier to replace than the one that has been dead for millennia!

Hopefully, we can all can unite on the "green" issue no matter what product we use to achieve that. I find this site linked below both informative and inspiring on many issues relating to a cleaner Earth. Enjoy! Please don't read this as spam. I do not work for them. Annie B. Bonds ia a regular contributor and healthy living expert. Many great articles here on healthier alternatives for the environment.

Here is a link that might be useful: care2

ree,
In answer to your question, I believe Shaklee referred to Basic H as a natural product way back when. I don't recall anything being referred to as organic then, but I could of course, be wrong. It was not my intent to be negative about the product, as I never had any problems using it. I quite liked the fact that it seemed to be much more gentle on hands than other products of those days. It was recommended as being safe for cleaning salad vegetables, and maybe it is just me, but I always have a problem using something that seems to be so multi-purpose! I am pleased that it is not as pricey as it used to be! Yes, I watch Oprah quite often! As for the other thing I mentioned about the company and the internet, I read a post on another site from a rep of the company, where she said that they don't want anyone referring to the products or company name on the internet. I personally thought that to be strange!

Another vote for Charlie's! I haven't used it personally, but my dd swears by it!

I bought a bottle of Green Works Natural Dilutable Cleaner made by Clorox. The ingredients on the lablel are:Coconut-based cleaning agents (anionic nonionic surfactants), corn-based ethanol,filtered water and lemon oil. Contains no phosphorous, no bleach. I have used it to wash my fairly-new linoleum floor in my kitchen. It has a very slight but pleasant odor and it works well. I use a regular sponge-head mop to clean the floor. I can certainly recommend this particular cleaner to others.

pink..
I didn't think you were being negitive at all...don't even give that a second thought..thats what this board is about..to share. not everyone will like what someone else does..and that is perfectly A-ok..

I happen to really like Basic H2, but it is not the only thing I use to clean with. I honestly have a few 'favorites' ..

I don't know much about basic H from back when, but I do know they say the H2 is organic. as I hear it, by law a company can not say organic, unless it is. I have used it to wash fruits and for an all purpose cleaner too, never gave that concept much thought..I guess I felt it was a safe product for many uses. I don't know if you knew this, but they do spend millions on research..they also plant tree's all over our world and I admire them for doing so.. they are more than a company selling products, they really do give back and I don't mind supporting them.. :)

It is strange they don't want people talking about them, I never knew that, I do find that very weird, especially because they are on national tv!

anyhoo.. I do not hold hard feelings to anyone, I always enjoyed the people on here, met many really nice people who I enjoy talking with..I really think it is a great bunch and it's a nice place to visit when we have some down time for ourselves.

Thanks for sharing..
Ree

pink
Charlies is a great laundry detergent , I just love it. Give it a try, I am sure you will too!
Ree

Ree,
Thanks for the added info on the company! I knew them to be an old reputable company. I look forward to trying Basic H2. I still have questions about Green Works. My dd says Charlie's is great for stains too. Like you, I like to use a variety of products and have been toying with the idea of making some myself, having even purchased a book on the subject. Again, thanks for all the wonderful feedback on everything. I am coming to rely on this forum. To my mind, there is nothing like a referral from one who has actually used a product!
pink

pink
here is a link for you to read about the company. when the page opens, on the top of the page ckick on " OUR CAUSES" , then look for the link HEALTHY PLANET. Click on that to open that page. once that page opens, on the left you'll see, environmental achievements, climate changes , million trees.. it's very interesting and up lifting. I do not know of another product company who does as much as they do. This is one good example of why I recommend them besides liking their products. on the left of the page there are more links to open and read.
Ree

Here is a link that might be useful: click here

if you also click on COMMUNITY, on the left it will bring you to links about tree planting and shaklee cares..
Ree

If you notice in this thread, the word ORGANIC is thrown around often. There are different levels to being called organic. In order to be called ORGANIC, the product must be tested and certified. That being said, certified ORGANIC has at least 95% organic ingredients, etc(including processing). If a product is all organic, it would be certified 100% ORGANIC. And if made with between 70%-95% organic agricultural ingredients, it can be certified MADE WITH ORGANIC___________.

Now look at the bottle of Shaklee Basic H2 ORGANIC Super Cleaning Concentrate. It is not 100% ORGANIC.

Another thing to remember also, just because a product is not "certified", does not mean it is a bad product. It just means that a company has not payed for a procedure(a secret procedure at that) and will not pay for the regular "maintenance" fee. Certification is more of an advertising "hook". Certification companies, including the USDA, will even mention this as a selling point in their advertising.

As for the comment that Shaklee does not want to be mentioned on the internet, well then why are they selling on the internet. If you google them, you will even find different forums, blogs,etc. where Shaklee reps. discuss(sell) the wonders of Basic H2.

So Love2shop, you said, "reeree-- thank you for your help answering my question! I am wanting to go natural so I am not going to buy the clorox green works & instead am going to order the shaklee". I wished that you would have read through all of the posts, including this one. You would have been more informed.

reeree, How do you like your steam cleaners? I've been thinking about one for my floors (wood laminate) Do they work well?

lyoung,

I'm not sure what your laminate floors are like but mine have to be dried by hand or I get water spots. Even the steamers don't work on mine. I use the Bissell Flip It with Heat. I picked it up at Linen's & Things with a coupon. It's like a vacuum/mop. It has a squeegee on the end that sucks the water back up, leaving the floor dry. I don't use regular chemical cleaners either so I just use hot water with a little bit of vinegar and some tea tree oil.
As far as steamers go, I just picked up the Shark Ultra Steam Blaster (canister-type) at Lowes. So far so good, it works great on everything (except my laminate!). I've even started using it to steam the mattresses or covers, depending on what I'm washing that week. They're a great cleaning tool to have around. Lots of uses for something that cleans with just water!

hi lyoung!
I am very happy with my steam cleaners! I love my hand held steamer.. it is great to clean the little nooks and crannies that are nearly impossible to clean other wise. Also a great way to sanitize , especially the bathrooms.

The steam mop is a joy to have as well..very fast and efficent way to clean floors. I don't have laminate flooring, but they say it's safe to use on them. There are posts from back when on here when the shark mop was a hot topic... here is a link that will take you there and you can read what members had to say, I believe there is a few topics about laminate flooring that might be helpful...

Ree

Here is a link that might be useful: steam mop

Thanks! I'll check it out!