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| I was going to post this on the Cleaning Tips forum, but that hasn't had any activity since last year. Is it just me, or do you have way too many cleaning products? Here's my list: Greenworks Bathroom And this doesn't include what I have in the garage! I would love to get it down to a handful that can serve multiple tasks. Do you have any tips? Any multi-use products? Help me simplify for 2013! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by 1929Spanish (My Page) on Sun, Dec 9, 12 at 21:48
| Our problem is my husband and I both lived alone for many years before getting married and we each have our favorites. We also have preferences for soap, toothpaste and some laundry products. Right now we have: It's crazy...And we've actually given some up. Ugh, now I have something else for my "to do" list.... |
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- Posted by BlackChamois (My Page) on Sun, Dec 9, 12 at 21:54
| 1929 - Sounds like the movie "Yours Mine and Ours" :) I'd be open to some "homemade" ones as well! Anything to get rid of some of these bottles! |
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| I think I have all of the above except Sheila Shine and barkeepers friend. I think I'll get them. I also have febreeze and probably a few others. But certainly, this list can be cut down. I would like to get a simplified list of products for under the sink - daily / weekly use and have everything else in the garage. |
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| Liquid Gold Windex Tilex Dawn Dishwashing Liquid (for poison ivy & dishes) Cascade Comet Some kind of toilet bowl cleaner 10 million gallons of bleach All laundry detergent Amway LOC for restaurant work stains Resolve/Spray and Wash Mr. Clean erasers. Shampoo. I have a lot, I guess. I notice I don't have duplicates. Good question. |
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| Simple here. I use vinegar and water to mop the tile floors. I use alcohol/water/lavender oil mix in a spray bottle for the stainless steel appliances and the occasional soapstone cleaning; comet for sinks and toilets; glass wax for the clear glass showers. Try to avoid chemicals. I do use Cascade tablets for the dishwasher and the occasional pot or pan that is really messed up. It all works for me. |
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| I use a good liquid soap called Miracle Soap, baking soda, washing soda, white vinegar and Thieves essential oil cleaner. Rarely, rarely some bleach. That's it for cleaning products. All non-toxic (except the bleach). All work great. It is entirely possible to avoid that nasty cleaner aisle in the grocery all together. It's all marketing that sells that stuff, not necessity. I get a headache when I venture down that aisle to grab a scrubby or something like that. |
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- Posted by sandra_zone6 (My Page) on Mon, Dec 10, 12 at 8:12
| I try to avoid chemicals and use mainly vinegar for cleaning with a few other natural products. I use: alcohol/water/lavendar for counters and stainless I do use carpet cleaners on occassion, but dilute them as I find the odors far too strong. Would love to be rid of all carpet in the house! |
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| I used to have SO much of this stuff!! I threw it all away when we moved, and now all i have is Dishsoap Method cleaner I use alcohol and water for everything else. I tried it on the soap scum in the acrylic tub, but went to the Method because I was SICK of standing on my head for an hour. Nancy |
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| I gotta tell you I cringe when I read lavender! As a 30 year yoga teacher, I've smelled a lotta stuff. Hazard of the job. In the last decade, with aroma therapy becoming a rage, lavender is used frequently for relaxation. Ok, fine. But the lavender yoga mat cleaners they sell have RUINED it for me. Imagine how stinky, sweaty bodies and feet combine with the ... scent ... of lavender. Makes me wanna yak. Sandra. Clever of you to use tea tree oil for the shower! As an anti-fungal, that's brilliant. |
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- Posted by BlackChamois (My Page) on Mon, Dec 10, 12 at 16:38
| Thanks all! So many great natural ideas! I do like Method products as well. 1929/Dilly - I've never heard of Sheila Shine. What is that used for/on? Dretutz - Both you and Sandra have suggested alcohol/water/lavendar for counters and stainless. I'll have to try that! Sandra - Re: the tea tree oil in water. What is the ratio water:oil? Do you have it in a spray bottle? (i.e. How do you apply it? Spray or wipe it on?) Also question about Vinegar in washer as softener. Does it really eliminate the static? And no funny smell? Do you put it in the fabric softener dispenser? CEF - That doesn't sound like a good combination at all! :( Thanks!!! |
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- Posted by 1929Spanish (My Page) on Mon, Dec 10, 12 at 17:15
| Shelia Shine is for stainless. It's more of a polish/protector, than a cleaner for something like a range. It leaves a nice finish. |
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| Mrs Meyers Basil cleaner (I mix it in different strengths depending on what it will be used for) Vinegar and water Barkeepers Friend stainless steel cleaner (sample bottle that came with the range...I'll have to buy some. Though the guy who installed my range told me to us WD40...) Weiman's glass cooktop cleaner (works a treat on the granite inset in my DR--and on my Caeserstone) Dawn for Dishes Cascade dishtabs Lysol bathroom cleaner That's pretty much it! |
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- Posted by desertsteph (My Page) on Mon, Dec 10, 12 at 20:44
| I use very few cleaners. I can't breathe around many of them. I do use: vinegar dow bathroom cleaner - I use this on lots of things (not wood) and I'll have to start using a dw cleaner eventually
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| For over a year now, I have been ordering cleaning products from mrsjonessoapbox.com. and I love them. First learned about them through Country Living and then found them on etsy. I can't say enough good things about them! They clean great, smell good and are very safe for the environment. I went from using about 10 products to four. Highly recommend them. |
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| For over a year now, I have been ordering cleaning products from mrsjonessoapbox.com. and I love them. First learned about them through Country Living and then found them on etsy. I can't say enough good things about them! They clean great, smell good and are very safe for the environment. I went from using about 10 products to four. Highly recommend them. |
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- Posted by AnnieDeighnaugh (My Page) on Mon, Dec 10, 12 at 21:40
| Yes, way too many cleaning supplies.... add to the list "touch of purple" which is a natural product, great for cleaning mirrors, jewelry, eyeglasses, and computer screens... Actually I have even a lot more than you've listed. I've been trying green Tbowl cleaners, but have to admit, I don't like the job they do and I'm going to switch back, at least for some of the time. |
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| Vinegar Hydrogen peroxide Anti-bacterial dish soap Fragrance-free wash soap Occasional bleach. Occasional rubbing alcohol. |
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| I am a sucker for a good cleaning advertisement and when I need something clean I but all three or thirty products that say they can do the job. THese go into various spots in the house, often not even used. Literally I probably have over a hundred different cleaning products scattered about here that either I bought or they came with the house. Now here's the funny part....I have a housekeeper. I never use the products and she brings her own LMAO I'm also not obsessively clean...nor do I hoard, I just like to have something available should the desire overtake me to clean something. OK I"m a freak....for me there is no cure LOL I also love paint and paint brushes....Now those I actually use, but really, I probably have twenty gallons waiting to be used....do I really need to buy that far in advance???? :p |
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| Arm and Hammer liquid laundry soap Dawn Power Clean dish soap works great Comet Simple Green for everything else in various dilutions cleans everything! Vinegar for windows and mirrors Microfiber or cotton/flour sack type instead of paper towels I went through the get-rid-of-the-1000-bottles-of-cleaning-products a few years ago. I used everything I had,bought the Simple Green, and have not looked back. I spend waaaayyyyy less money now to be sure. Right now, I'm working on removing chemicals from personal hygiene products and think I'm settled with Alaffia Black Soap (which is actually a tan color) instead of Dr. Bronners because there's no bathtub ring. Shea Moisture Shampoo and Long Hair Lovers Conditioner though my hair was protesting the lack of silicones, a few drops of Argan or Camellia oil seem to do the trick of getting rid of frizz. It's hard being healthy and environmentally aware! |
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- Posted by sandra_zone6 (My Page) on Tue, Dec 11, 12 at 7:20
| @BlackChamois - The tea tree oil is no set ratio. I have a spray bottle, fill it with warm water, add drops. I don't know, maybe 20? I spray the tea tree, let it sit for a bit and then hop in the shower, clean wipe everything down with a damp cloth that I spray with a bit more tea tree mixture, then I rinse everything and continue on with my shower. I love the smell of tea tree oil, not sure why. With the vinegar, yes for the most part it eliminates static. And yes, I use it in the fabric softener dispenser. In the driest parts of the year, I do add a small amount of fabric softener to the vinegar. I find that say with towels that I used to have the biggest static problem with, ensuring they are properly rinsed and don't have too much detergent to begin with is a biggie in deleting static. My next thing to try with vinegar is in place of rinse aid in the dishwasher. |
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- Posted by andreak100 (My Page) on Tue, Dec 11, 12 at 23:28
| I won't even begin to list how many cleaning products are in my house. It's. Absolutely. Terrifying. That being said, I'm working on getting rid of much of it and using more natural/earth friendly methods. One thing that I am having a tough time giving up is my toilet bowl cleaner with bleach. I just haven't found anything that makes me feel like the toilet is as clean as when I use some bleach based product. Just mixed up a batch of baking soda, essential oils (eucalyptus and peppermint), a little bit of Dawn dishwashing liquid, and enough water to make a paste. This was used to scrub the tub which gets absolutely horrible because it's an old porcelain tub (but the finish was messed up from the previous owners)...it got it as clean as the harsher cleansers I've used with about the same amount of effort. Bonus is that it smelled lovely, way better than most cleaning products you can buy in the store. Looking forward to hearing more about some of the alternate cleaning products that people use. |
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- Posted by EATREALFOOD (My Page) on Wed, Dec 12, 12 at 0:11
| Seventh Generation Multi-purpose Seventh Generation Mold & Mildew Baking Soda/Vinegar Essential oils tea tree, eucalyptus etc for disinfecting the shower/bath/faucets/hardware "Twist" sponge cloths reusable"non paper" towels--THESE ARE GREAT !!! I was never a big paper towel user as I couldn't see spending the money on them and have no storage for them Bleach for white tea towels |
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- Posted by francoise47 (My Page) on Wed, Dec 12, 12 at 7:55
| I was disturbed to find out that the Method products I've always used do not rate very well on the Environmental Working Group's health and safety rating scale. Check out the Environmental Working Group's useful online guide. You can search your product. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Guide to healthy cleaning
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- Posted by onedogedie (My Page) on Wed, Dec 12, 12 at 8:17
| I'd never thought of rubbing alcohol as a household cleaner. My thanks to its listers. I gave it a try on the immovable schmutz on my dogs' plastic collars and voila, schmutz gone. So what do you use rubbing alcohol for when cleaing? |
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- Posted by francoise47 (My Page) on Wed, Dec 12, 12 at 8:21
| I use a solution of water and rubbing alcohol for cleaning the honed marble floor and counters in my bathroom. I also use it for cleaning the stainless steel appliances in the kitchen. I use catmom's recipe (a Gardenweb favorite). |
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- Posted by EATREALFOOD (My Page) on Wed, Dec 12, 12 at 9:56
| francoise47 weiman's & barkeeper's friend on the negative list, I was just about to buy them. Seventh Generation multi cleaner/auto DW gel on the negative list also :( :( :( |
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- Posted by oasisowner (My Page) on Wed, Dec 12, 12 at 10:24
| Alcohol/water for windows, mirrors, bathroom sinks, counter tops (solid surface in the kitchen and quartz in the bathroom), and nearly everything else except painted walls. |
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| It's the oxalic acid that puts BKF on the naughty list. I use the liquid kind, which is less problematic. If you want a fine abrasive WITHOUT OA then I'd use Bon Ami. The powder formula is great, and very safe. |
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