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I recently had a baby and am trying to rid my home of chemicals and anything not natural that can harm my little one. It's a little overwhelming. Can anyone suggest good products to clean floors/ dust, dish soap, dishwasher detergent, etc that are safe for my family?
I use a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water to clean just about everything - countertops, floors, windows etc., I also use the vinegar straight to clean toilets (just pour in, let it sit for a few minutes and scrub). If you don't like the vinegar smell, you can put a few drops of any essential oil in the mix. Vinegar also does well in the dishwasher as a "rinse aid" - just pour it into the little rinse aid compartment if you have one in your dishwasher. I have also used olive oil as a furniture polish with good results, just rub it in really well. I add a couple drops of lemon oil to give it that "furniture polish" smell. Baking soda works well as a scrub for tubs/sinks/etc. For dish soap, laundry, or dishwasher detergent I generally like the Seventh Generation or Ecover brands, although I recently made my own laundry detergent and really like it - I used a recipe similar to the one here: http://chemistry.about.com/od/cleanerchemistry/a/laundrysoap.htm Super inexpensive and made a TON. Method products are also on the more non-toxic side and are easy to find.
Vine.com is a great source for green cleaning products. It's a branch of Amazon, so prices are typically better than in stores. For cleaning items, they have a list of green attributes and certifications that you can compare. They usually have some kind of promo to save on your first order and, like Amazon, will bundle certain products for an additional discount :)
Young Living essential oils, especially Thieves and lemon, are great antibacterials/antivirals and smell great.
http://www.youngliving.com/en_US/thieves
You can buy their cleaning products, but I buy oils and add to my own cleaners using baking soda or vinegar or peroxide, because I use them for so many other things. You need a member number to order: 46796
I follow this blog too and get all sorts of cheap and green ideas for household cleaning:
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/homemade-solutions
Hope you have some good clean fun!
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