http://www.care2.com/greenliving/five-basics-for-nontoxic-cleaning.html
5 Basics for Non-Toxic Cleaning
Learning to clean from scratch—making homemade recipes—can truly work if you take time to understand a bit about the chemistry behind how the materials work. Here are the five ingredients that I find to be the safest, most effective, and useful for cleaning.
Baking Soda
A commonly available mineral full of many cleaning attributes, baking soda is made from soda ash, and is slightly alkaline (its pH is around 8.1; 7 is neutral). It neutralizes acid-based odors in water, and adsorbs odors from the air. Sprinkled on a damp sponge or cloth, baking soda can be used as a gentle non-abrasive cleanser for kitchen counter tops, sinks, bathtubs, ovens, and fiberglass. It will eliminate perspiration odors and even neutralize the smell of many chemicals if you add up to a cup per load to the laundry. It is a useful air freshener, and a fine carpet deodorizer.
Next: Washing Soda
Go to the Source
Better Basics for the Home : Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living by Annie Berthold-Bond
Natural living has reached the mainstream: we are now far more concerned about the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the chemicals that surround us, and recognize that government regulations all too often fall short of safeguarding our health. Enter Annie Berthold-Bond, whose Better Basics for the Home is a compendium of practical information -- recipes, tips, and guidelines -- for creating a simpler, cheaper and environmentally safer lifestyle.buy now
Clean and Green : The Complete Guide to Non-Toxic and Environmentally Safe Housekeeping by Annie Ber
In a remarkably easy-to-use format, Berthold-Bond tells how to clean effectively using simple, natural ingredients such a baking soda, Borax, lemon juice, vegetable oil and vinegar. She makes a convincing argument that cleaning with natural products can be handier, cheaper and just as effective as the alternative.buy now
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183 comments
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love those microfibres. also use indian washingnuts for the laundry.
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gotta love baking soda!
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Can you tell me what 'Washing Soda' is? I know what baking soda is, but since you listed that seperately, I know it's not the same thing. Can you tell me where I might be able to buy it in the Vancouver area? Thanks.
Slimming Pills
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I really cut down on the cost of cleaning naturally. I wash my floors with rubbing alcohol - disinfects and leaves a nice shine. I clean my counter tops with vinegar which kills 99% of the germs. I combine vinegar and baking soda to clean the toilets. You can get a booklet from the baking soda mfgr. with formulas or search for it on line. This is so easy and inexpensive that I don't have to spend $$$ on expensive natural cleaners.
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Will any of these baths, with epsom dry out the vaginia area? I have a problem with dry skin there....Please let me know what your answer might be....Thanks..
JessieAnn
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I have had great luck with the homemade natural laundry detergent I made. The washing soda seems to gel up way more than the soda. I just made the switch, cant wait to see if it can work better than the last batch...which was rockin clean and fresh!
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I have to second the complaints about the article's format and add some of my own whine about all the advertising posts here. This is not the place for this kind of SPAM, people! If you want to write an article listing commercially available non-toxic products, go for it. DO NOT post them as replies to an article. You'll only lose readers (make that, potential customers).
Nic A, my local Dominic's stores (a Safeway subsidiary) are starting to carry Seventh Gen and Ecos cleaning products, as well as other green brands. Surprisingly, so is the Super Walmart about 10 mins from my home. You can also get some at Whole Foods, but their selection of cleaning products around here is limited to a shelf of crummy recycled paper towels, wrapped in excessive amounts of plastic.
The best advice I can offer is to find some green brands that you like, and ask you local grocery stores to carry them. I've found that Dominick's responds pretty well to requests, but Jewel (Albertson's) does not, and Whole Foods is wholly disappointing. You just have to try your luck.
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I find that I will not go through the pages. Is the reason you do this is that there is not that much written and you use the pictures for filler?
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Please--I thought you'd given up the multiple pages format...Just FYI, I won't page through them, so you automatically loose not only me, but probably a lot of other readers.
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