non-chemical cleaning - does it actually work?

[rachelp73]

All that Kim and Aggie stuff - to use soda crystals and vineger and bicarb and lemons etc instead of ready-prepared cleaning solutions - does anyone use this stuff, and how good is it at shifting stuff compared with your Cillit Bang kind of spray?

Have recently got into Flylady and am keeping on top of stuff, but loathe to use too many chemicals as when I'm cleaning the bathroom with spray cleaner such as Cif, I can feel the air-borne bits irritating the skin on my face and also my throat. Can't be good, especially for the kids.

I already use Ecover washing up liquid as other stuff irritates my hands, but wondered how good the other things are in that or other ranges. Or can I just buy vinegar and soda crystals etc and make up my own stuff?

And will my house smell like a chippy if I do?!

many modern cleaners are based on the old remedies and have chemical equivalents of the old favourites. one of the best modern cleaners of the market is orange glo, orange oil is fantastic at cleaning and shifting grease, I ''wash''all my gloss painted surfaces every couple of months with my own orange oil concoction.

just one of many sites available to look at;

www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html

yes

What are soda crystals if they are not chemicals?

I had a phase of doing non chemical cleaning, it definitely works but I found it more labour intensive. I also live in a hard water area and keeping on top of the limescale was a nightmare.

Now I've settled into a compromise routine, I use the most powerful chemicals known to man to clean the toilet and I use a normal kitchen cleaner spray and bathroom cleaner spray. I found Eco Balls a bit rubbish so abandoned them.

I think white vinegar is amazing and use it for all kinds of stuff, in washing, cleaning windows and mirros, de-scaling the kettle etc and I use a steam cleaner on floors, carpets, upholstery. I also have a stash of borax, bicarb of soda, tea tree oil etc for major cleaning accidents and incidents.

I found this book really useful.

I am curious, how do you use white vinegar to descale your kettle Prof? and in your washing?

Borax is quite a hefty chemical!
Vinegar is acetic acid !!
Soda crytsals - again can be quite nasty if not respected!

The kettle thing is amazing! You fill it with half vinegar half water, boil it, leave it overnight, tip it out (don't forget this bit and then make the pil tea with it ) rinse a few times and - hey presto - completely clean and shiny kettle.

I also use it instead of fabric conditioner, just fill the conditioner draw of the washing machine with it. It's great for nappies, I've never had any problems with smell etc, it's softens and kills bacteria and the washing doesn't smell like a chippy.

Can I also just add if you are making your own 'recipes' & trying different materials you have to be really careful as you can get unwanted reactions (acid + an alkali for example)

I use vinegar, lemon juice, bicarb and ecover as my main cleaning stuff - along with various essential oils to make my own room freshener sprays. They work really well to do specific jobs. However, in order to get as clean as I like, I use another "harsh chemical free" method: steam. I have a portable steam cleaner that works wonders when cleaning those places that you would normally reach for harsh stuff. It cleans the oven, hob, microwave, behind the taps, all the windows, kitchen tiles, bathroom tiles etc. Also, it has a special attachment bit so I can clean curtains hanging up and steam all the mattresses twice a year: deodorises, cleans and gets rid of any dust mites. I leave uncovered for an hour or two and it is dry for that night. Really I guess I should steam clean them more often but 2 times is an honest reflection on how often I do it - only take 5/10 mins to do each one.
Benefits of steam cleaners are obvious I guess - as well as only using water so cheap to run (compared with buying endless bottles of different cleaners) it is great for people who suffer from asthma and allergies - and anyone who is just unhappy with using too many chemicals.
I bought the Fragrant Pharmacy ages ago as I was worried about chemicals and too much reliance on pills and potions in general. It has a lot of good ideas in there re: things like room fresheners (cheap and smell wonderful), polishes etc Obviously, the main angle of the book is using fragrance (in form of essential oils in various ways) to treat everyday ailments or stress and strains, but lots of interesting household stuff in there too.

I have just bought some E-cloths for cleaning the kitchen, bathrooms and windows and they are fantastic.

No chemicals required, you just wipe and hey presto! I'm a convert.

(and no, I don't work for them!)

Whizzz: you are right about chemicals needing respect. Many modern cleaning products contain the same old ingredients or are just as harsh. However, many of the modern cleaning products have been adapted and given in foam cleaning or aerosal form which is where (I think) a lot of the health problems come into it. Along with fake fragrances, colouring, extra chemical combinations etc. I suffer from Asthma very mildly (carry an inhaler but not a daily user). If I go into a house where someone has used certain cleaning products that day, I will wheeze and cough until I am out in fresh air. Vinegar and Soda, lemon juice and bicarb, steam cleaning has never ever brought on that type of reaction!

Standard commercial cleaning products also carry warnings about mixing them etc so that applies whatever you clean with. My understanding is that natural cleaners, even borax, are kind to the environment, break down more easily in the water course etc They're also cheaper.

Lemontart - steam cleaners are great aren't they? I wouldn't be without mine.

this book although American based is very good

will try the kettle thing i think! although it would be just my luck to make pil a cuppa with the vinegar still in there!!!

It was quite funny actually, they complained bitterly about how horrid our water is and asked why their tea was fizzing but

lmao fizzing?? really?

Don't forget to wear safety goggles if you are meddling with all these chemicals.

The E-cloth sounds interesting. Had a look at their website, but just can't fathom out how it would work as well as it claims. I've got something similar for dry dusting - all the dust just clings to it, maybe the e-cloth is similar.

Is a steam cleaner the way to go then?

They say the fibres used to make the cloths are so fine that they pick up and trap all dirt, grease and deposits. Then you hot wash them. I was sceptical but they really do work on bathrooms - my shower cubicle has never been so clean! Haven't tried kitchen grease yet but they are fab on windows and mirrors too.

OH yes, microfibre cloths are brilliant. Really good for all sorts of things. Especially windows and mirrors - so easy to clean the windows - no streaks (sorry to be soo enthusiastic about them but they make a crappy job so much easier).

I'm finding vinegar and lemons very effective. Make the place feel fresher and crisper too

The chippy hit fades after 5 mins topside, honest

E-cloths and similar style products are based on Micro Fibre technology - they are excellent (we use them for our cleaning company)

They work by having a very large surface area, by virtue of all the fibres and electrostatic properties - all the dust n dirt just clings to them.

We use them dry with a sprayer - essentially its lemon, vinegar and water - lights sprays are all you need for mirrors, glass, ceramics etc.

what is VERY important - is NEVER use bleach on them, it destroys the fibres and dont use washing powder with conditioners as again they stop working. (buy the cheapest detergent - a supermarkets own brand is fine) and washt them at 90.

They will last 300-500 washes if you stick to the above.

As i said we use these commercially, they are effective cleaning "tools", cost effective and eco-friendly.