Green Cleaners

Lemon, mint, orange, pine … what two characteristics do all of these things have in common?

1) They are all popular scents in cleaning products.

2) As essential oils or herbs, they all have associations with cleansing or purification.

Many commercial cleaning products are quite toxic, using natural materials mainly as fragrances.  However, some cleaners rely primarily or entirely on natural ingredients for both fragrance and effect.  They are gentler on the people who use them and on the environment too.  This week’s “Change the World Wednesdays” challenge over on Reduce Footprints involves eco-friendly cleaners, so let’s take a look at some of the options.

Green Cleaning Products

Seventh Generation is probably the best-known supplier of Earth-friendly cleaning products.  They carry glass cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, laundry detergents, and all kinds of stuff.

Simple Green offers products in a range of strengths from household to industrial use, and general-purpose and targeted formulas.  They also have cleaners targeted for particular materials or surfaces.

Essential oil air fresheners are better than chemical ones and less harmful too.  You can make your own or shop around for some.  I always use essential oil air fresheners instead of conventional ones.

Handmade soap is one instance where the natural version performs better than the modern version: a bar of genuine soap produces glorious handfuls of silky white lather compared to the lazy froth of a detergent bar.  And you can get real soap with skin-friendly ingredients such as lanolin, oatmeal, orange, etc.  Outdoor enthusiasts should definitely keep a bar of pine soap for removing human odors.  On several occasions I have received soap for review, and it’s just wonderful.

“How to Go Green: Cleaning” explains how to replace harsh conventional cleaners with green cleaners that are nontoxic, biodegradable, and sustainable.

“Natural Cleaning Products You Have in Your Kitchen” introduces ways of using plain old materials such as baking soda, lemon juice, or vinegar instead of commercial cleaners.

“The Truth About ‘Green’ Cleaning Products” compares conventional and alternative options, with attention to what can help you make good decisions for your home and family.

What are some of your favorite green or alternative cleaners?  When do you use green cleaners and when do you use conventional ones?

You Asked for It…

I don’t usually make up recipes for cleaners, but this is part of the challenge, and I’ve really only got one.

1 tablespoon of sea salt plus a pinch of asafoetida powder, thrown into the washing machine just before a wash cycle, will banish gremlins.

Diagnosing an infestation of gremlins:

• If your clothes come out of the washer with holes that weren’t there when they went into the washer, and the holes look like they’ve been chewed,
• and there are no snags or other mechanical explanations for the damage,
• OR you find small dark sticky dung-like stains or yellowish urine-like stains that weren’t on your clothes when they went into the washer,
• and you have cleaned the washer including the fabric-softener dispenser without finding any logical source for the stains,

then suspect gremlins, and banish them accordingly.  They’re a common metaphysical pest, like mice in the mundane realm.