Cleaning Supplies that smell good and are natural

**goby** · 09-08-2010, 12:46 PM

Since all of us spend a little extra (hehehe--- just a little) on shaving supplies to make the "chore" of shaving a hobby, I wondered if it would work for cleaning supplies. I'm a single dad with a big house that gets dirty.

I bought Mrs. Meyers Lemon Verbena cleaning solution. 32 oz for 8 bucks. Wow!! The smell is amazing!! I bough a few 99 cent squirt bottles from Walmart, and it takes about 2-3 ounces per 24 oz squirt bottle, so its really not that expensive.

My house (and my car) smells amazing!! I also bought some Seventh Generation and Biokleen cleaning solutions. Both are also amazing! Natural scents without chemicals. It really does make house cleaning more enjoyable.

I like Mrs. Meyers the best, but Biokleen is pretty amazing too. Here's a link to a place that has free shipping and good prices if you want to give it a try. The link is for free shipping (I'm not an owner of Soap Hope, and have never bought anything from them, but I will in the next few days). Walmart has Mrs Meyers now, but at the same price as everywhere else.

http://store.soaphope.com/Kleen-Slate-Special-s/145.htm

Oh, and I bought a zillion microfiber clothes from Walmart and Target so that I could use a new cloth every time I cleaned. That has also been a great investment. No more paper towels, and they don't suck up the solution like dish rags so you can squirt less.

Here's a link to some microfiber cloth if you haven't seen them. I think I paid about $10 for 20 of them at Walmart, and $5 for about 16 of them at Target. I like the ones at Target better because they are thinner.

http://www.amazon.com/Zwipes-Microfi...3974915&sr=8-1

So thanks to B&B and becoming a wet shaver, I've saved money on cleaning supplies, and I actually enjoy it. Hmmmm, I think I'll spend the savings on the BST.

So, anyone else use these natural cleaning products?

**mretzloff** · 09-08-2010, 03:15 PM

You do not need any cleaning products. All you need is a bottle of vinegar and a box of baking soda. Those two can clean 99% of anything found in your house.

**Greglam** · 09-08-2010, 03:49 PM

Great post! I switched to all natural, non-toxic cleaning products a few years ago and what a difference! We have no idea how we are poisoning ourselves, our pets and our homes with commercial cleaners! I can't even walk down the cleaning aisle in a grocery store anymore, it literally makes me sick.

I like Meyers, too, but I also use Shaklee Basic H2 as a base for most of my cleaning products. It is SUPER-concentrated, with no smell. For example. A 16oz bottle of window cleaner requires only 2 DROPS of cleaning concentrate. A 16 oz bottle of all purpose cleaner, (think "Fantastik" or the like) takes only 1/4 teaspoon of concentrate. If you'd like it to "smell good", you can always add a few drops of essential oils.

Thanks for the post and bringing this to people's attention!

-Greg

**goby** · 09-08-2010, 06:23 PM

Originally Posted by Greglam

Great post! I switched to all natural, non-toxic cleaning products a few years ago and what a difference! We have no idea how we are poisoning ourselves, our pets and our homes with commercial cleaners! I can't even walk down the cleaning aisle in a grocery store anymore, it literally makes me sick.

I like Meyers, too, but I also use Shaklee Basic H2 as a base for most of my cleaning products. It is SUPER-concentrated, with no smell. For example. A 16oz bottle of window cleaner requires only 2 DROPS of cleaning concentrate. A 16 oz bottle of all purpose cleaner, (think "Fantastik" or the like) takes only 1/4 teaspoon of concentrate. If you'd like it to "smell good", you can always add a few drops of essential oils.

Thanks for the post and bringing this to people's attention!

-Greg

Thanks Greg! I've heard good things about the Shaklee Basic H2 but have never tried it.

Mrs. Meyers smells so good and so natural. Same with the Biokleen and Seventh Generation. Great stuff, and it really does work. I can't believe I hadn't discover them sooner.

I still have a few boxes of Tide left, then I'm going to try all-natural laundry cleaner.

A while back there was a great post from a Dad (and B&B member) who got Nancy Boy dishwashing soap for Christmas from his daughter. He loved it. Its much more expensive that Mrs. Meyers and the others, but I finally get his point.

**furious1** · 09-08-2010, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by mretzloff

You do not need any cleaning products. All you need is a bottle of vinegar and a box of baking soda. Those two can clean 99% of anything found in your house.

+1, the vinegar/water mix is one of the best all-purpose cleaners I've used. Great for counter-tops and even glass. And costs next to nothing. Give it a shot. The smell of vinegar does not linger after it dries, if that worries you.

**mr_economy** · 09-08-2010, 07:12 PM

Originally Posted by mretzloff

You do not need any cleaning products. All you need is a bottle of vinegar and a box of baking soda. Those two can clean 99% of anything found in your house.

+1. I have converted almost completely to vinegar, baking soda, and essential oils as my only cleaning supplies. I use Lavender, lemon, and orange essential oils, which are unnecessary but add a nice fragrance to a vinegar + water combination.

**goby** · 09-08-2010, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by furious1

+1, the vinegar/water mix is one of the best all-purpose cleaners I've used. Great for counter-tops and even glass. And costs next to nothing. Give it a shot. The smell of vinegar does not linger after it dries, if that worries you.

Hmmm...... Works great..... costs next to nothing.... the nasty smell doesn't linger after it dries ....... I think I've heard this before.....

**mretzloff** · 09-09-2010, 05:02 AM

Originally Posted by goby

Hmmm...... Works great..... costs next to nothing.... the nasty smell doesn't linger after it dries ....... I think I've heard this before.....

At least give it a try before you bash it. Vinegar and water has been used to clean for hundreds of years, so it must work at least somewhat.

**patrisVII** · 09-09-2010, 11:53 AM

Love those Micro-cloths! They clean windows naked - no cleaner required. Plus they don't develop mildew odor like cotton wash cloths.

I don't indulge in cleaning products beyond boiling water, soap, ammonia, bleach, isopropyl and baking soda. Natural or manmade - none of them really top these basic cheapies.

I bought a steam cleaning wand thingy once and it was useless - the 'steam' was cooler than my hot tap water. My wife was on a Simple Green kick 15 years ago and all it did was stink up the house with an evil scent so thick you could taste it. It's been KISS cleaning for me since.