apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I wonder if you could try a home-made mixture of lemon juice and water in a spray bottle? I just thought of that idea while seeing your reference to citric acid. Hmm.. perhaps one part lemon juice, two parts (or more) of water? That would be a great mixture, I think. Smells good and will be very effective!

yippee! I just found this page full of lemon cleanser tips:

http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/136/1/24-handy-lemon-tips.html

I hope this inspires others!

I've been doing the vinegar thing for a while and not entirely sure that it's working. The bowl might look clean but there's a lingering subway station smell that has been developing. I'm all for a more natural but perfumed product to get the job done.

Oh, I love taking the subway! 8^D

i love ecover brand - they have a toilet cleaner, soft scrub, chlorine free bleach, detergent, etc. their laundry softener is THE BEST EVER!

method is coming out with a new environmentally friendly toilet bowl cleaner called "Lil Bowl Blu". In fact, it's out in stores this month (March) so if you don't find it at your nearest store now, it'll be there soon! You can find more information out about it at: www.methodlust.blogspot.com

They are also debuting a scrubbing cleanser, Le Scrub, which is sort of a companion to the toilet bowl cleaner, for the bathroom.

Actually try this link to be exact! methodlust

I use OxyClean, or any knockoff brand of the same stuff. As near as I can tell, it's basically hydrogen peroxide in dry form... It's gritty, it goes through the rust, it seems to do a fine job across the board. I use it with one of the 'disposable' chlorox brand scrub pads that you're supposed to throw away. I just keep reusing it....

Can anyone tell me if OxyClean is not as 'green' as I think it is? I know it's a strong alkaline, so it'll just balance out all the vinegar you're putting down the drain... right? *grin*

I use bon ami. Like KVH I'm wondering if there's anyone that would like to burst my bubble (and flush it down the drain) with news that it's not so good for the environment?

I never get why people buy "toilet bowl cleaners." You can use just about whatever you use to clean your tub, sink, tile floor, kitchen countertops, etc. on the toilet. Big companies have lead us to believe that we need a different cleaner for everything. That is not the case.

I think I keep maybe three cleaners on hand in my home. One for Glass, one multi-purpose cleaner and one for the wood-floors.

For the toilet I use the multi-purpose cleaner which is an all-natural orange solution from Home Depot. The brand name escapes me. But it's all-natural.

I'm not trying to step on toes OrangeJuice, but 'all natural' doesn't always mean good unfortunately - turpentine for one is distilled from tree sap... non-toxic and biodegradable rank higher in my book. We warn the students in our print shop that the orange scrub soap is almost as dangerous as the solvents we have. But I agree with you about buying ten different cleaning products for the same dirt.

Bon Ami seems to be an alkali and an abrasive. They also have 'non toxic' all over their site -- i'm inclined to believe them.

I use baking soda to clean tub and toilet.

After using BS in fridge, after 3 months instead of throwing away, whole box gets put in a salt or sugar shaker and sprinkle and scrub.

Perfect.

I use Dr. Bronner's. Sometimes I mix in baking soda if I need more scouring power. I agree that it is totally unnecessary to have lots of specialized cleaners. My cleaning supplies include: vinegar, baking soda, Dr. Bronners, tea tree oil and hot water.

Pink Solution is the best! It also cleans carpets, clothes, cars, dishes, you name it! I buy at least 2 big tubs at Costco whenever they come around!

I use Norwex exclusively in our home.
http://www.norwex.ca/norwex/

The toilet bowl cleaner specifically is made of natural surfectants and biodegrades in 48hours vs weeks/months for other products.

I like what I'm hearing guys, thanks for all the resources and ideas!

Vinegar and baking soda always works for me.