Greening the Cleaning … Bill, Keep Your Falafal to Yourself
Still waiting on fabric…..just have to keep telling myself that using small business suppliers is the right way to go…even if they may take a reeeeeeeallly long time to ship. At least I have a little time to examine all the other stuff that needs to be detoxified around here.
Like everything else in our lives, our thoughts on cleaning changed with the birth of our wee ones. Here’s the deal. They lick everything. In my home, and in half the neighborhood. I if you are looking at it or even thinking about it it has been licked by one of my children. So we switched to some non-toxic cleaners for surfaces. Charlie’s Soap has been the floor cleaner on tiles and big kid thing cleaner, like strollers. I do like it. Don’t LOVE it, but like it. The good thing about it is you can use it on hard or soft surfaces. We’ve had no problems with it discoloring surfaces. I have yet to use it on laundry just because I associate the smell with….well…floor cleaner. On wood surfaces it seems filmy to me and we have all wood floors. It does come in a giant plastic bottle- but that bottle lasts for a very long time. Even if you used it for all cleaning purposes one big jug could prob last you 4-6 months. Of course, it is also always nice to support the little guys.
We recently started using Method, the big brand found at Target. I prefer their all-purpose cleaner to Charlie’s for most daily cleaning. Really like their stuff. Great surface cleaner. Good choice of smells. They even have disposable, biodegradable bathroom wipes which I love for cleaning the ol’ potty. (Well…with as much love as one can muster towards cleaning a poop receptacle.) They have plastic refill bags, but I haven’t really taken the time yet to see what kind of plastic savings they provide.
Things that haven’t worked for us….anything with “orange power.” Holy stink, Batman. They make you long for the sweet smell of bleach. Not to mention, they just add another layer of film on top of what you are trying to clean.
Next on my list of trials ….
- recycled paper towels (Seems so obvious….but BJs is so easy with their jumbo pack of Bounty. Also, a little concerned about absorbency; one bounty does my table and counters.)
- Replace glass cleaner with H2O & vinegar (Still have some Windex to use up first.)
- Try the natural sponges for cleaning (Until I read about them on Beth’s blog I only thought of loofahs for buffing my bum. Just no falafel in the shower please, Bill. Please tell me someone else out there gets that.)
- Try Charlie’s for laundry. (The smell worries me. Has anyone found a green laundry detergent that works really well and smells good or has no smell?)
I would love any input anyone has out there for what has actually worked for them. My next big overhaul will be in the personal grooming department. I predict there will be a bit more sass in that area. People are very touchy about things that touch their touchables.
Cleaning? What’s That?
When you get to the personal hygiene project, be sure to check out the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database. A WEALTH of information!
In the March 3rd post on my blog, I posted my homemade detergent recipe that is safe for the environment and easy on the pocket book. In the comment section someone posted their variation as well. Don’t know if you want to try either or not…but they are options!
I am checking out Skin Deep right now. I am def. going to take a look at your recipe, just ducky.
Thanks!
I do wish Skin Deep said the packaging material. Trying to clean up the plastic around here too.
[...] of my goals for this year was to improve the greenness of my cleanness. We have already made Method and Charlie’s part of the routine, but we still have a lot of [...]