apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Maybe I don't clean often enough. I use commercial products and I spend maybe 5 dollars every two months. A bottle of windex can last me a year, easily. A box of twenty swiffer wet cloths is probably my biggest indulgence, but I wipe up minor spills with a rag and mop the floor every Sunday, so it lasts about 5 months.


O, and as a chemist, I'm really confused as to why you'd want to mix together vinegar and ammonia to make all-purpose cleaner. Vinegar is acetic acid and ammonia is a base so the small amount of ammonia is just going to neutralize some of the vinegar and make more water and salt--it's much better to clean with acids or bases separately.

(Drain cleaner is different, because the acid/base reaction releases energy and, in the case of common baking soda and vinegar, releases CO2. This forces minor clogs to break apart. But mixing acids and bases in a spray bottle will just warm the water up a few tenths of a degree. None of that energy gets applied to the actual mess.)

We've been using vinegar and bi-carb soda for the last twelve months or so and its fantastic, also the soap scum in the shower does not seem to build up as quickly as it did when using the market brand products, so it needs to be cleaned less often - got to be happy with that.

I presume bi-carb soda is Australian for baking soda?

i use microfiber towels for 90% of my cleaning and i don't even need to use cleaning products most of the time (i will use cleaning products in the bathroom and in sinks). I usually find that having one damp cloth for cleaning followed by a dry cloth will leave spotless, streakless finishes. It's cheap (I bought a huge pack at costco and split it with someone) and pretty eco-friendly. I really recommend switching to microfiber!

jeez, I just want to know where that little old-owl couple came from!?

apparently i don't clean enough. I probably spend $15 a year on cleaning chemicals.

somethings you can't replace with a chemical, like a good mop. i love magic erasers (are they mr. clean? don't remember) and that's all i use in the tub and sink now.

i don't think that baking soda and vinegar would ever declog my drains, my long hair wouldn't go away. I love my ZIP-IT, it works great for the drain with no chemicals. It's cheap, reusable, and doesn't smell like vinegar.

Yes! I need to know more about the owl couple, please.

Thanks for the info, but I too, want to know more about the owl couple.

I do appreciate these DIY tips, but I have to weigh in yet again and ask, "don't you people clean up after yourselves?"

Okay I don't mean that toward anyone in particular, but a simple rinse/wipe-down of whatever mess you make AS YOU GO means very little effort or chemicals are needed to keep things clean.

In the bathroom I wipe down my shower after every use with a microfiber towel (it takes all of 30 seconds before you step out) and the shower can stay spotless and mildew free for months. I do a "proper" cleaning with Zep tub-n-tile cleaner about once a month to manage the very slight buildup of soap and hard water deposits.

In the kitchen I simply use a a soapy sponge for the countertops and range, and occasionally spray & wipe with isopropyl alcohol to keep the biologicals at bay. Cheap and easy!

If anyone else is a fan of Magic Erasers like Laura123, Google 'Magic Eraser burns' and see what comes up. Even if you dont have kids, surely these are not the kind of chemicals you want in your home.

i've never heard this business about tea tree oil cleaning mold / mildew. that seems like a lot though if you are using an essential oil. can anyone shed some light on this?

It is so funny and ironic that this post is on here tonight. I just went to the local supermarket and bought the products I needed to make my own laundry detergent. I placed two bars of soap into my blender to grate them into a fine powder to mix with the other ingredients. Well, my blender started smoking and the bars of soap are still not even half grated. I am not giving up. Any suggestions?

:o)

Shilo - yes, they're the same things.

dunklekatze, dcexplorer & herkenhealer -the owl couple were a wedding present that a friend brought back from an overseas holiday. I have no more info than that sorry!

beesknees - some info on tea tree oil & its benefits can be read here http://www.nutrasanus.com/tea-tree-oil.html

pinky speedway- great point, those things are nasty!

Kouklah - maybe use a grater? Let us know how you go.

dishwasher detergent... use a grater or try this recipe instead (from an AT post earlier this month):

Mix the following ingredients in a plastic container with an airtight lid. You're going to shake up an assortment of powdery ingredients, and you don't want to find yourself recreating a disaster from I Love Lucy:
1 cup borax
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid (Unsweetened Lemonade-Flavored Kool-Aid can be used also, but be sure to avoid any other flavours due to their food dye content)
30 drops a citrus essential oil of your choice

Shake it, but don't break it. Now you've got a mixture you can dole out into your dishwasher, one tablespoon per cleaning agent receptacle in your dishwasher. We personally don't have a dishwashing machine (though we'd most certainly welcome one the next time we move), but we like Siprelle's advice to use this powdery cleaning mix in a shaker canister (she recommends a popcorn salt shaker, but we're thinking more like pizza parlour shaker for our kitchen sink stains).

I think this is a bit silly and i am with lurker2209 above. in considering the cost to burden ratio, i don't find the suggestions to be a real gain. i do use microfiber cloths for everything but my dogs' fecal matter. for fecal matter, i am going to use disposable paper towels; sue me. it appears that going green is turning into a silly virus.

Pinky - If the kid scrubs himself, whether it's a chemical burn or a friction burn, he'll learn not to do it again. Survival of the species: Ow, that hurts! I'll stop doing that now.

INFO on OWL COUPLE?!

Please.

Pretty Please.

I've never tried this before, but anything to help the environment is alright by me.
To the advocates, is there an issue with the vinegar smell?

i was sent a free magic eraser in the mail not too long ago and cleaned all the grout lines on my bathroom floor with it.. worked amazingly.  its been about a week and now the hand i used to do most of the cleaning has been breaking out in hives every now and then.  lame.
as soon as ive finished using all my store bought products ill be going the more healthy/natural route. im all about it, not because of its friendliness to the environment (allthough that is a plus), but because its better for me and my family's health.

marc from vancouver- as of last night we had made the switch! I got really excited & cleaned our bathroom basin & the kitchen sink. Initially, it does smell a bit "salt & vinegar crisps" but this morning there was no hint of vinegar.

Ok here is an update. I finally succeeded in making my own laundry detergent. I washed my clothes in the mixture and I actually think they came out cleaner than with the usual brand name stuff I buy. Here is the recipe I used:

1 bar soap (I used fels naptha)
1 cup borax
1 cup washing powder

Hand grate the soap. (I tried using my blender and burnt the motor) Mix all ingredients together. Use 2 Tbsp per wash load.

I really liked this recipe because all the other ones I found you had to mix with water and cook on the stove top.

The cost breakdown:
Bar of Fels Naptha $1.38
76 oz box of Borax $4.40
55 oz box of Washing Soda $3.63

I bought a fine grater for $4.27 and an airtight storage container for $11.12. I am also in the hole approx. 20 bucks for the cheap blender I broke so I didn't really save any money yet. However, in time I should.

:o)

My mother uses isopropyl alcohol (mostly in the kitchen) for her household cleaning too! It's great at cleaning out stains. Where do you get yours nashdp?

Isopropyl alcohol (or "isopropanol") is available in pharmacies all over the world. Look in the aisle with bandaids.