Cleaning Products

Heather had asked in a comment about the cleaning supplies I use (with both my husband and son having severe allergies). I wrote an e-mail to my daughter, asking her because she deals with even more severe sensitivities than I do. I'll write out what I use and then I'll actually post my daughter's e-mail here. She gives a lot more detail than me...

I use the Mrs. Meyers (it doesn't seem to cause my husband or son any problem), Bon Ami for scrubbing (I have one grocery store that still carries it), and I find Dawn dishwashing liquid works fine most of the time for heavy duty things like cleaning toilets. I do use an actual toilet bowl cleaner about three times a year that is especially made for hard water stains but we have a well and septic system, the septic tanks do not like harsh chemicals so I have to be careful. Before Mrs. Meyers products, I bought Seventh Generation at the health food store. I use the Magic Erasers when necessary with no problem. We're switching to Charlie's Soap for laundry, ordering a bag as soon as we run out of our current supply of laundry soap.

(By the way, Mrs. Meyers is having a "No Shipping Charge" today...March 20th.

Here's my daughter's reply, her husband and son are extremely sensitive to chemicals:

We are successfully using Seventh Generation glass cleaner and dish soap, a mop that would be comparable to the Mr. Clean magic eraser mop (because it cleans with just water)...in the bathroom I spray some disinfectant on it first...I use the Shaklee Basic G for disinfectant and for all purpose I use Basic H with some drops of lavender or lemongrass oils.

If Basic G would be too strong (it does have a strong smell that could trigger some athsma issues), then disinfectant can be made naturally with Basic H and tea tree oil, or even with half water, half vinegar, tea tree oil, and some scented essential oil to cut the vinegar smell.

For scrubbing we use Bar Keepers Friend, it's great on sinks, faucets, and shower walls. We used to use Bon Ami but I can't find it anymore. I use a little tiny bit of Basic G to clean the toilet, but if it gets stained and I have trouble with the stain CLR can be used, believe it or not it's safe and very effective. To make my own antibacterial soap, I order castille soap by the gallon from the co-op and put it in pretty dispensers throughout the house, with tea tree oil and lavender or lemongrass essential oils. Castille soap can also be made into a solution that effectively cleans woodwork, including floors.

For really tough stains on hard surfaces I use Magic Eraser and water. I haven't purchased it yet, but for oven cleaner we can use Arm and Hammer, apparently they make one that's safe. The only things we use that aren't on the Feingold list (which would certainly be safe for allergies and athsma) are the Shaklee products but we have not had a problem with them. Believe it or not both J. and D. had severe reactions to OxyClean Free and Clear, so that's no good for us anymore.

Instead, Biokleen puts out a color safe Oxygen Bleach, and of course I use the Charlie's Soap for all my laundry, which is perhaps my best recommendation of all, especially since it eliminates the need for fabric softener and gets things so clean that I don't need to use as much of the oxygen bleach. Oh, and our automatic dishwasher detergent comes from Trader Joe's, it's very reasonable, but I think the Shaklee would be comparable in price if purchased in bulk, and Seventh Generation does make one that would be safe.

The really funny thing is, our house and laundry have never been so clean! Most of these products are more effective than the stronger cleaners I used to use. I like being able to go through my cleaning routine without getting lightheaded from the fumes, and without damaging my hands from the harsh cleansers (yeah, I guess I should have been wearing gloves).

I can make a similar list for Health and Beauty aids if anyone is interested.

Heather, hope this helps! My son had an asthma attack last week at work, the day after they had cleaned the carpets! That's terrible for allergies and asthma.