Hey everybody, what’s up? I’ve been taking some time away from posting to enjoy the lovely rainy weather that rolls around this time of year (yay!!!). My time has also been consumed by pure relaxation (laziness) and cleaning my apartment from ceiling to floor, literally. Transition to the topic of this post: green cleaning. Commercial household cleaners are evil toxic blends of death. The smell alone burns my lungs. In an effort to avoid sacrificing essential organs for a clean home, Tim and I make our own cleaners (laundry detergent, floor cleaner, bathroom scrub, wall disinfectant, etc) and we love them and their effectiveness. Most of the recipes we use come from the handiest, dandiest little book called Make Your Place by Raleigh Briggs. The book includes recipes/tips/skills for health & first aid, cleaning & body care, and gardening. And, everything is so easy to make. The book is written with charm and humor – I just love this book! I love it so much that I am giving a copy away to one lucky reader!!!! Make your place clean too! All you have to do is leave a comment telling me your favorite eco-friendly cleaning tip, recipe, whatever. I will ship the book overseas, so EVERYBODY can enter. I will randomly select a winner on Tuesday, November 24th (11:59 pm Pacific time). Good luck and I can’t wait to hear all of your green cleaning tips!
What a cute book! I love the illustrations.
My eco-cleaning tip is to use white vinegar to clean counters instead of chemical sprays!
baking soda and vinegar!!! There is nothing they can’t do. NOTHING.
My favorite tip is a cup of vinegar in the laundry. I have white scrubs for nursing school, and it makes them look even better than when I use bleach. I was so happy to discover it cuz I was finally able to ditch the chlorine!
Ooh, that books sounds excellent! I’m always looking for eco-options. I try to use vinegar to clean when possible.
It’s amazing the many uses for white vinegar, salt and lemon. One can clean almost anything with those three ingredients! Nothing makes windows shine like vinegar rubbedon with newspaper!
what a great book! i’d love to win this!
That book looks great, I’m always looking for new eco friendly ways to clean!
Heating a bowl of water with lemon slices in the microwave is a great way to loosen the food bits stuck to the inside and also freshens things up.
Wow, that sounds like a great book! We also like cleaning the green way.
So nice of you to ship overseas!
What comes to mind first is my favorite alternative to nasty drain cleaners and such : dump a bunch of baking soda down the drain, followed by a kettle full of boiling water. It was a tip given to us by a plumber, actually, who told us that those chemical drain cleaners do more harm than good.
Wow, your own laundry detergent? Sign me up!
Wow! I saw that book and I really wanted it. My best tip is to clean the kitchen with a lemon when you are done cooking. You can rub the lemon along the counters and then rinse with water. Then put it down the disposal and the whole kitchen smells lemony clean.
Oh this is awesome!! One of my favorite eco cooking tips is to save all of my vegetable scraps (onion peels, carrot tops, etc.) and make my own vegetable broth. I can make several gallons and freeze in in 2-4 cup portions, then nothing goes to waste! Then, if you have a compost, you can compost the scraps after using them for the broth. It’s fun and cheap and easy! Yeah!
Thanks for the giveaway! You rock!
My favorite eco cleaning tip is to use dust cloths that use static electricity to attract the dust. It cuts down on “wet” cleaning AND you can throw them in the wash and re-use them. I’ve had mine for about 10 years and they’re still as good as when I first got them.
My tip would be to wipe up spills right away, eliminating the need for large amounts of cleaning products, whether green products or not. This also will reduce packaging waste.
Ooh, I’d love this! I’ll be moving out on my own for the first time in a few months and I’d love to have this handy book.
I use baking soda, salt and vinegar to keep the drains clear. I have a small stash of eucalyptus oil (from Australia) that I use to remove stubborn grease stains from clothing. I use coconut oil as a face moisturizer.
What a great giveaway! I’ll second all the suggestions for using lemon–it’s amazing what you can do with lemon juice!
Awwww, that book is adorable. My cleaning tip is you can use baking soda to scrub up pretty much anything that needs scrubbing.
I love the multitude of uses for vinegar and baking soda!
My favorite cleaning tip is to use the seeds of soapberry trees as laundry detergent. Just throw some in a mesh bag and put it in with your laundry. I think it works great, but maybe I’m just not that dirty? Try it!
Oh awesome! I had been researching alternative cleaning products. This book would be super handy :) Also can’t wait to look through your blog! Thanks for linking on the PPK!!
I’m going along with the group and say baking soda. I use it for those tough stains in the kitchen. I also use it in the shower as a body scrub.
I am also in the lemon/baking soda fan club for cleaning porcelain sinks and tubs. I also like to sprinkle lavender oil in baking soda and use it as a carpet freshener. I use lavender oil and vinegar for fabric softener on occasion too.
I have always wanted this book! Right now I make my own laundry detergent and save so much money, nevermind saving the environment. Vinegar and baking soda are also my favorite cleaners.
I’m afraid I don’t have an eco-friendly tip because I have not read this book or others similar to it and thus am forced to rely on natural cleaners from my local grocery store! Horrors….
I only about baking powder and vinegar which everyone knows about. hence, I totally need this book!
Natural home cleaners are awesome! My favorite is a kitchen counter spray cleaner that I make using borax, oregano oil and peppermint oil (and water, of course)! It loosens sticky messes, disinfects, and smells soooo nice!
I use baking soda, vinegar and boiling water to keep my garbage disposal smelling sweet.
rsgrandinetti@yahoo(DOT)com
This sounds fabulous! Here’s hoping I win it- I think it would be a great gift for my mom.
-K
I have to go with the baking soda–my husband lives by the moto vinegar can fix everything! The book sounds great –thanks for the chance to win.
kakihararocks@gmail.com
Hi! I would love to own this fabulous book! Of course I use baking soda and lemons… it’s just a combo that works… (love the tip about using it for the tub drain). One thing that I do is to simmer old cloves and cinnamon sticks to make the house smell fresh. It doesn’t cause a sinus flair-up and smells great. It’s especially nice this time of year. I sometimes add orange peels to change the scent a little. Great way to recycle older cinnamon sticks that I might would have had to throw away otherwise! Thanks for the give away! Cheers!
I use micro fiber cloth instead of paper towel. It does a better job and it doesn’t end up in the landfill.
I definitely need this book since I don’t make my own cleaners but would love to learn how.
Oooh, I’ve always wanted a copy of this–it would definitely save me time from all the google searches I do every time I have to clean. I always use a baking soda/vinegar scrub on the oven and stove top every few weeks to maintain them, that way I don’t have to use the icky chemical stuff to get off months of black buildup.
Sounds like a great resource! I’ve been using baking soda and vinegar to clean for awhile now. Works great cleaning off water deposits in faucets and drains. I’d love more tips so I can ditch the few chemical products I still use!
After I’ve used up the lemons and limes, I run them through the garbage disposal. Smells so good!
Hi!! I would love to learn more about eco cleaners. I use Mrs. Meyer’s geranium scrubbing powder for my sinks and tub so far on the eco- end and would love to learn how to make my own cleaners.:)
One of my favorite eco-friendly tips is instead of using febreeze or another similar canned spray to make a room smell better, use citrus peels or essential oils.
Cleaning with vinegar and/or baking soda
I have to second the tip about microfiber cloths. I bought a package of 6 in the auto supply section at Target. Much less expensive than the fancier ones in the housewares department.
Here’s a tip: Instead of going through dish scrubbers constantly, use your leftover coffee grounds wrapped in a dish towel or leftover almond grounds from homemade almond milk in the cheesecloth you used to strain the milk — they can even be used as an exfoliant in the shower too!
I use vinegar to clean with
I mix white vinegar, a drop of Dr. Bronner’s, and water in a spray bottle and use it to clean vegetables.