apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I picked Other because I clean every surface in my apt with various mixtures of water, distilled white vinegar, baking soda and lavender oil. I haven't bought a commercial cleaner (non-toxic or otherwise) in months and I like it better this way.

I use mostly natural cleaners... but there are some surfaces where i really feel the need to use conventional products. i know it is just in my head, but i can't help myself...

I mixed Dr. Bronner's with water in a spray bottle and use that as my all-purpose cleaner - works well!
Otherwise use Seventh Generation in the bathroom, microfiber cloths for dusting and glass (along with a natural vinegar cleaner), and Method for floors.

I'm contemplating getting the Method "Home Detox" bundle. $28 through their website gets you:

hand wash
all floor wash
dish soap
all surface cleaner
tub and tile spray
furniture polish
microfiber cloth

Anyone have experience with all of their products? I've only used the hand soap because I love the scents and bottle shape.

Natural cleaning products also tend be more expensive than their conventional counterparts.

Not necessarily. Hot water, white vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, etc. are cheaper than even generic cleaning products and they work just as well.

I use a mix of products but I'm a recent convert to baking soda and vinegar. Not only did it help with unclogging a drain (ok plunging really helped it)..it cleaned my lightly blackened pot.

i make my own. much cheaper than buying an eco brand.

I use natural cleaners, but our cleaning lady refuses, and is very sceptical about them. She insisted that we pay for her to get the products she likes to use... (and since legal cleaners do not grow here on trees, we didn't argue).

Bleach, by the way, is the first product I replaced well over 10 years ago. Hydrogen peroxide bleach is environmentally friendly and a great cleaner. There is a gel version of it that is great for disinfecting floors, walls, sinks, etc.; I know they sell it in hospital supply/industrial cleaning places, but I haven't found it. They sell it at HipBaby for washing diapers, but the store in our city closed, and the only one left is in Vancouver (and on the internet).

We use a mix of conventional and commercially-produced eco-friendly products. Lately, any time I've needed to replace something I've been able to find it on sale locally (which helps with the cost). For the bathroom counters and sink I use a Method surface cleaner, for the toilet - Seventh Generations' toilet bowl cleaner, for dishes - Seventh Generation dish liquid. To do laundry, we've been buying Arm and Hammer's natural laundry liquid...but I'm a bit skeptical about just how natural it is. According to the bottle, it's phosphate-free and made from plant-based soaps. We also by Cacscades toilet paper made from all-recycled paper...it's not scratchy at all and the plastic wrap is also made from recycled materials.

As demand for these products grow, I hope manufacturer's continue to make them more affordable. Already I've seen the prices come down at our local grocers. But I find that dishwasher detergent and laundry soap remain fairly pricey.

closertotheocean,

I use Method products and I love them. I'm always pleased with how well they work and the scents they leave behind.

So far...I use the dish soap, all surface cleaner, floor cleaner, tub and tile spray, the new tub scrub, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, body wash, and various air fresheners. My new favorite thing is the beach sage candle. Next trip to Tar-gé I'm going to get the toilet bowl cleaner and give that a try.

If you're interested in trying Method products, you could just start with one or two items like I did. This way you choose which scent you want and you can opt for one scent for all the products, if that's what you'd prefer. In the starter package, if I remember correctly, you'll get a variety of fragrances. Whichever, I'd bet you'd be happy with them.

I'm about 70% Method products and 30% conventional. I still put a bleach tab in the toilet tank, use a conventional shower cleaner, and conventinal (but new!) dishwasher 'gel pack'.

I use Method:

Toilet bowl cleaner
Glass cleaner
Wood floor cleaner
Laundry detergent
Soft-scrub style product
Dish soap
Hand soap (foaming)
Body soap (liquid and bar)

I use mostly natural stuff, but the one thing I can't get away from is a Tilex-type bleach-based product for bathroom mildew - our grout is ancient, and there is pink and black buildup in the tub/shower all the time. Tilex is the only thing that makes it go away for more than a day or two.

Anyone know of a long-lasting mildew-buster that doesn't involve bleach? I'm not going to clean or squeegee every day - life is too short. But I'll try another product on a strong rec! Thanks!

Bon Ami is super cheap and it's basically just chalk. I use it on pretty much everything - kitchen sink, counter, stove top, bathtub, toilet, etc. My kitchen sink is white and stains like mad. Bon Ami and a little elbow grease takes care of it.

Vinegar water on the windows & mirrors has been fine.

I use hydrogen peroxide bleach on my laundry. I haven't tried it for cleaning other things.

If I still dyed my hair with Punky Colors, I think I would have a hard time giving up the Tilex. That stuff was amazing.

Ecover products are incredible. Method works nice, but the Ecover dishsoap works so much better. I am a massive Method fanatic but I am not allowed to buy their dishsoap because it doesn't cut grease that well and the bottle design is not so great. However, the Method Lil Bowl Blu got the thumbs up and it is much safer than conventional products, especially when the dog swigs out of the toilet every now and then. Also, the Method Omop and Good for Wood is a total no-brainer. It works and smells awesome.

@ brenjay: I've heard glowing reviews about Melaleuca products. In fact this blog listed them not too long ago, and the comments were very positive. Anyhow, I checked out their website and they have something called "No Work Daily Shower Cleaner." Link here: http://www.melaleuca.com/ps/index.cfm?f=ps.productDetail&pid=124&pType=1&sCatId=1216

I use Dr Bronners Sal Suds for surface cleaning, dishes, & as handsoap.

i saw a huge pack of shower cleaner at costco that comes with 2 spray bottles and a big refill container for fairly cheap. you're supposed to just spray it on everyday after the shower... maybe that will work?

oh! it was method shower cleaner... forgot to mention that. :)

as above, white vinegar and water, with a few drops of lavender or rosemary oil, is great for almost anything. and it's so cheap. i use this to clean the bathroom, kitchen and in some loads of washing too.

we use mostly:

baking soda
vinegar
dr bronner's

and a mix of any of the above. vinegar is great for our hardwood floors, baking soda and vinegar awesome for sinks, unclogging drains, etc. the only thing we use conventional for is the toilet. psychologically, i still need that "chemical smell" to feel as though the toilet is clean.

vinegar & water, Orange Plus, Method, Mrs. Meyer. All work pretty good. Love the Method biodegradable wipes. Love Orange Plus.

Tried ECover products, but don't think they cut the grease that well.

I've been using a tea tree oil mix in a spray bottle as an all purpose cleaner and even air freshener and I am really happy with it.

We use Enjo fibres - the kitchen fibre is great for removing greasy buildup on surfaces, and the all purpose floor cleaner is great on hard floors.

www.enjo.com.au

I changed our house to totally Ecover products but unfortunately most of them just don't work as well as the conventional products:

the spray cleaner shown above is useless - I have gone back to using Mr Muscle
the toilet cleaner was useless - I have gone back to using regular bleach
the washing up liquid was useless - I have gone back to using Fairy

However, the clothes washing liquid and fabric softener are the BEST EVER!!! - I wont use anything else now!

I have a small selection of natural cleaners but I use vinegar more than anything else.

Ecover is the best!
laundry softener, detergent, dishwashing tablets and soap, lime scale remover, general spray, glass and window, floor soap, and their soft-scrub and non chlorine bleach are all super!

not only do they work very well (better than conventional especially in the case of the lime scale remover which beat out lots of other products that i used to try to get my bathtub clean) but they are really good smelling. any flowery smells and i get a headache or feel nauseous. no problems with ecover! even my grandma, who came to stay with me, was impressed.

Thanks for all of the recommendations guys!

All method, all the time! (You could say I'm addicted!)

- Nate
method lust
one man's unsupressed lust for method products