Comments on: Our New Contest!

By: M.

M. — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:56:25 +0000

j.r. watkins is hands down amazing! and it’s a family business, yet available in major retailers like target.

By: michal

michal — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:05:01 +0000

there are quite a lot of cheaper green cleaning supplies around these days at Target (Method) and Trader Joe’s (their own brand), so no real need to spend big bucks at the local whole foods superexpensive market.
as far as the recommendations go – i love the Mrs. Meyers toilet cleaner. it smells great and does a really good job with the bathtub too. there’s a bunch of stuff you can use for cleaning that’s not sold as cleaning supplies – like white vinegar. just watch a couple of episodes of “how clean is your house?” on BBC and you’ll get plenty of ideas.
my personal reasons for choosing green clean is because i was in a teen research group in jr. high and we did research on water quality in this river back home. it was shocking to see how much cleaning supplies alone damaged the water and the life in it. my only weak spot – mr. clean magic erasers. nothing cleans a filthy stove like those. sigh…

By: Lola

Lola — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:34:56 +0000

I used to belong to Melaleuca – which is one of those “you have to order so much stuff a month to stay in the club” deals. Liked the organic/natural products, didn’t like being forced to spend $60 a month. So I switched to Method, mostly because it is easily available and affordable. My faves are the detergent, the dishwasher “pellets” and toilet bowl cleaner.
BUT…this is my favorite eco-friendly cleaning tip: I have a ceramic top stove which are a bi$%^ to clean. We have discovered that baking soda works wonders. Just dump some on, use a wet rag and scrub away and pretty soon all the burn marks are gone and it is sparkly! The soda gets clumpy and grey…so I use an clean cloth to wipe that goop off. And much cheaper than the chemical crap that they sell.
I am also a big proponent of getting water marks of the faucets with vinegar although I rarely have the drive to care enough about the water marks. But it does work!

By: StephanieL

StephanieL — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 07:04:15 +0000

I like method, too. It’s totally eco, and looks cool!

By: EmilyWynne

EmilyWynne — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:20:33 +0000

The best way to be “green” around the house is not just using purportedly eco-friendly products, but also being proactive curbing your waste output (not like i’m being preachy or anything)
here are some little know tips:
1) We eat a lot of honey. Instead of buying a new little glass jar of whatever organic crap is stocked at Whole Foods, we get big industrial-sized jars of organic honey at Costco in 3 packs, and then use them to refill a little reusable, dishwasher-safe bottle. Less waste!
2) instead of buying trash bags, we use the plastic shopping bags that seem to magically accumulate around the house even though we mostly shop with adorable tomato-printed totes now. (seriously, they are so cute. i keep them in my car at all times)
also, in the interest of actually obeying the rules of this contest: DR. BRONNERS SOAP IS AMAZING
minty, gentle (when diluted), effective…sometimes the thought of that stuff is the only thing that gets me out of bed and into the shower in the morning. also: undiluted, it makes a great tile/grout cleaner, and is 100% hippie-approved environmentally friendly.

By: Anne (in Reno)

Anne (in Reno) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:20:52 +0000

I have started volunteering at my local food co-op. They are like a tiny grocery store but the focus is on produce from local farmers and organic produce. They have to clean out all of the stuff that has spots or is past its sell-by date, but most of it is still perfectly good. So I have started taking home the produce that isn’t pretty enough to sell – I cut the spots out and it is still fine for cooking with.
I also use Mrs. Meyers for cleaning most things. Recycled paper products are slightly more expensive, but I think it is really worth it as I don’t need fresh trees for my TP. Also the Green Forest brand is really good if you’re burned out on super thin eco-TP, it is nice and fluffy. And I clean with rags or old t-shirts instead of paper towels (I use dishtowels in the kitchen), this has cut my paper towel consumption WAY down.
And shelly, I totally re-wear clothes, I just hang them out to air so they don’t have any lingering odors (I’m talking coats here, not under-layers). I made my own “Febreze” with cheap vodka and some essential oils and I use that on really smoky stuff.

By: M

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:17:45 +0000

The “natural” cleaners available at my local Walmart as well as baking soda for around the house. It works just as well and keeps smells away!

By: Ms. Fab

Ms. Fab — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:38:47 +0000

I like Mrs. Meyers’ counter spray and Seventh Generation dishwashing detergent. Unfortunately, w/ the Seventh Generation you still have to use the awful, toxic Jet Dry, but hey, it’s a start!

By: rachel

rachel — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:42:03 +0000

I love the Mrs. Meyers’ geranium. I was never into cleaning (and my husband thinks that products have to be crazy toxic to do anything) but the counter spray, all purpose cleaner, and shower cleaner from Mrs. Meyers all work like a charm. And they make your house smell like a flower shop.

By: mona

mona — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:36:05 +0000

Method, Method and Method. The wood floor cleaner smells like almonds- the entire house smells great.
Method shower spray-( they also sell refills)- if you spray the shower everyday it cleans without even touching it.
Mrs Meyers rose germanium dishsoap- mmmm smells so great.
and my last secret- white vinegar cleans stainless steel better than anything.
Here in Sf they sell method at target and it is cheap and good.
love it!