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Green products for house cleaning
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Author:  stuart [ Mon Aug 30, 2004 3:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Green products for house cleaning

I'm interested in avoiding the use of toxic chemicals around the house. Today I came home after the house had just been cleaned and was nearly nauseated by the fumes. Can anyone give me the names of a couple of manufactures of organic products for the home that work well.

Author:  Scott-in-Texas [ Mon Aug 30, 2004 4:57 pm ]
Post subject: 

Stuart,

OrangeTKO works great for me.

Check out there website (linked above in green); there are some tips there and uses on the site and you can order it there too. Get a gallon, it will last a very long time and is more economical overall.

You can clean everything with it but glass. Well, you can clean glass with it but it leaves very bad streaks. Dilute in in a spray bottle and use it as you would any spray cleaner.

And thanks to Kathe Kitchens for this recipe, take baking soda, mix in strong TKO to make a paste (you will see the recipe for Strong TKO on the website), you can use this as a scrubbing cleanser. Works great in showers, sinks, counter tops, toilets and any place where you would have used a bleach cleansing powder previously. Just be sure to be careful with it around Plexiglas, it can pit the surface and make it hazy.

I also have used plain vinegar and baking soda to clean with, this too can be used as stated above, but, it is slightly less powerful and less expensive.

Author:  Kathe Kitchens [ Mon Aug 30, 2004 9:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Cleaning made easy

...and you're welcome, Scott for the scrubbing recipe. Glad to know you're sharing it because that's why I shared it with you!

There are many, many non-toxic products that you can use to keep your house clean these days. The least expensive and most easy to find are Simple Green, which you can find at Walmart, Lowe's, Home Depot and almost any grocery store. It's a natural cleaner, degreaser and deodorizer and it's biodegradable. You can use it on almost anything. Seventh Generation cleaners can be found at Whole Foods and Albertson's stores, and a few other places.

Vinegar is a great glass, countertop and tile cleaner. Use white vinegar (5% acidity) and cut it about a third (or even more) with water, spray on and wipe off. The natural acid of the vinegar dissolves soap scum and other buildup and other residue. If you have a heavy soap scum problem, pour it on full strength and let it sit. If it's too weak, add more vinegar and if it's too strong, dilute it more with water.

Orange TKO is concentrated d-limonene that you can use to clean and deodorize many surfaces. Plexiglass pits and smears because d-limonene is a solvent and actually begins to melt the plastic. I almost never use a concentration of more than 1 1/2 oz. per gallon of water. It's had the natural oil removed so you don't get the oily residue you can have with regular orange oil. Orange TKO is in Albertson's stores and I understand it's coming or already in Walmarts. And you can always find it on the web.

And good old baking soda makes a great scrubbing paste. Keep it around!

Funny story: A friend came to visit and set a Sharpie permanent pen down on my kitchen counter and then pushed some other things against it...without realizing she'd left the cap off. We didn't find it until a few hours later. I had a streak on my white countertop and she was mortified. She still teased me about organic things back then, and insisted that there was no way to ge it out without Clorox bleach and Ajax cleanser, and that I'd have a permanent mark on my countertop.

I calmly handed her my orange TKO and baking soda, told her to make a paste about the thickness of toothpaste and cover the mark with it. It took about a tablespoon of baking soda and less than an ounce of TKO. We spread it on the counter and let it sit for about 30 minutes, came back, and I saw the conversion on her face :shock: as she watched me wipe it all away! NO STAIN. Now she cleans her house like I do. :lol:

Actually, if you just spray some TKO on the mark right after it happens and let it sit 10 minutes, that'll do it most of the time...I've done it myself... I am often teased that my middle name should have been "Grace". :wink:

Good luck and yes, get rid of all those nasty chemical "cleaners"! Your eyes, skin, and lungs will thank you profusely!

Kathe

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