What cleaners do you use? - Homesteading Today
You are Unregistered, please register to use all of the features of Homesteading Today!    
Homesteading Today

Go Back   Homesteading Today > Country Homemaking > Cleaning and Organizing

Cleaning and Organizing discussions, techniques, new products, & chemical-free alternatives


Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Rate Thread
  #1  
Old 12/26/09, 03:11 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 5
What cleaners do you use?

I have some leftover Melalueca cleaning products, but am wondering what other ppl use, that isn't totally chemical-laden. I start to sneeze when I use strong chemicals. My current stock will run out, then I wont be getting anymore Mela.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 12/26/09, 03:16 PM
Tonya
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
I use either bleach, ammonia or baking soda. Do NOT use bleach and ammonia in the same room, or you'll get some nasty fumes going on.

If you go to the dollar store and get squirt bottles it's easier to mix things up. A little vinegar and distilled water or bleach and distilled water will clean most things. What's left over the baking soda will get.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 12/26/09, 03:30 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 25
I like vinegar and baking soda and plain HOT water. I splurged on a steamer for myself last year and have steamed everything in sight! I love that thing!

Susan
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 01/13/10, 06:19 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Alabama
Posts: 14
I use vinegar and baking soda alot as well.....and bleach only for my tubs and toliets.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 01/13/10, 06:24 PM
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: NC---charlotte area
Posts: 878
vinegar
baking soda
bleach a little when needed

regular old soap and water cleans a ton of stuff also


I have some leftover Windex, PineSol, degreaser stuff and I am using it up and won't be replacing it. The cost of chemical junk is expensive also.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 01/13/10, 07:48 PM
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Virginia
Posts: 384
Found a recipe for a spray cleaner I'm just loving... a little vinegar, a few drops of Dr. Bronners soap, a few drops of EO's such as lemongrass, tea tree, and sweet orange, topped off with water. If a scrubbing is needed, spray with this cleaner and sprinkle on some baking soda.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 01/13/10, 08:11 PM
RedTartan's Avatar
Icelandic Sheep
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Northeast Ohio
Posts: 3,344
Quote:
Originally Posted by IAmSusan View Post
I like vinegar and baking soda and plain HOT water. I splurged on a steamer for myself last year and have steamed everything in sight! I love that thing!

Susan
Which steamer is it exactly? I've been wanting one, but I don't want to buy one that doesn't work well.

Thanks.
__________________


www.redtartanwoolies.blogspot.com

Etsy Shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/RedTartanWoolies?ref=si_shop
Currently have Icelandic roving & (for a limited time) 100% Suri Alpaca roving.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 01/13/10, 08:25 PM
glazed's Avatar
Tough Girl, Be Gentle
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: The Lone Star State
Posts: 3,486
I use vinegar, baking soda, salt, peroxide, vodka and essential oils as my main ingredients for cleaning concoctions.
__________________
I LOVE DONUT BALLS

i dont like to think tooo much before i speak ... heehee ... i like to be just as surprised as you are.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 01/13/10, 08:33 PM
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 317
Ditto to each item listed above in Mama Crow's all-natural & non-toxic list. Adding to it is washing soda as well. A very simple but highly effective all-purpose cleaner idea is to take a tablespoon of a quality non-toxic/eco-friendly/all-natural liquid dish-washing soap (for hand-washing dishes, not for dishwashers) and adding that to a spray bottle of water. Recall that the all-purpose cleaners you buy in the stores are 98% water, before you gasp and wonder how in the world this could be effective. It's very effective. I own a professional cleaning business & we used this exclusively as our all-purpose cleaner for well over a year.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 01/13/10, 08:37 PM
glazed's Avatar
Tough Girl, Be Gentle
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: The Lone Star State
Posts: 3,486
Merit, I forgot to add the obvious ingredient to my little list up there: WATER.

__________________
I LOVE DONUT BALLS

i dont like to think tooo much before i speak ... heehee ... i like to be just as surprised as you are.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 01/13/10, 09:06 PM
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 317
Not to worry. I gathered that you'd include water! (wink wink!) Nice to see you're doing all-natural. So many go 'green', but not as many choose all-natural.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 01/13/10, 09:39 PM
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: NC---charlotte area
Posts: 878
Vodka
over ice?

one before we are forced to CLEAN!?

HAHAHA
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 01/14/10, 07:24 AM
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: S.E. Michigan
Posts: 2,064
I have to do this again since I used all my cleaning stuff on the mega bathroom fit the other day. I get a big bottle of Mr.Clean or what ever is on sale that dosent have bleach in it ...ya I know chemicals but Im lazy... then I put a bit of it in squirty bottles with some ammonia (LOL and water) and use it for just about everything.
It lasts a long time and its way cheaper than buying new bottles of fantastic or something similar.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 01/14/10, 08:14 AM
ErinP's Avatar
Too many fat quarters...
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SW Nebraska, NW Kansas
Posts: 8,537
Dawn and water (like merit describes)
Simple Green (the only "chemical" I still use, though it's being replaced by above)
vinegar
essential oils for the smell-good
__________________
~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress

the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 01/14/10, 10:33 AM
Banned
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 304
I just mix water in a spray bottle with a little dish soap.
I used to use peroxide but our stash burned up in the fire
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 01/24/10, 03:39 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Indiana
Posts: 27
I use white vinegar and water on my counter tops, table, wiping down cupboards, and the fronts of my stainless steel appliances. For "stains" on my white counter top, I take baking soda and my vinegar/ water and "scrub" the spot. It comes out no problems.

I am always glad I don't use chemicals when my 22 month old take the wash cloth from the sink and sucks the water out of it! I told hubby never to use any chemicals in the kitchen unless he throws the wash cloth out when he is done.

I also use boiled soap nuts for cleaning my hard wood floor. Smells a little different, but is chemical free so I like it.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 02/17/10, 01:06 PM
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 93
Muddy Boots:
What are "boiled soap nuts"?

I use white vinegar, baking soda, water (!!), elbow grease. I also keep a small
bottle of bleach on hand..."just in case". I still have some Windex and, for whatever reason, I just like the way it cleans windows and patio doors better than whatever
else I could use. But, mostly, I just clean the things before they get too dirty.

I've actually cleaned 3 - 4 really dirty ovens with just vinegar, baking soda,
scrubbing, and patience. 2 belonged to nieces, 1 belonged to a son. And,
they were DIRTY!!!

grief
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 02/20/10, 03:07 PM
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,656
grief I think Muddy Bboots is talking about something like this http://www.maggiespureland.com/snop.html. I use these in my laundry and love them.
__________________
" Not all who wander are lost" J.R. Tolkin
Reply With Quote
Reply



Thread Tools
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:33 PM.
Contact Us - Homesteading Today - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top - ©Carbon Media Group Agriculture