Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to refine your natural cleaning in some way.
Level of Commitment: Baby Steps (or more?)
I’ve talked many times before on how to naturally clean your house, so it’s hard for me to guess where you are today. Maybe you still need to get rid of the bleach. Maybe you’re throwing away lots of paper towel. Perhaps you haven’t found an eco-friendly laundry or dishwasher option. And maybe, like me, you just need to prioritize and streamline because you’ve got too many cleaning options and they’re making your life less efficient.
Today is the day to commit to turning over a new leaf in one area of your cleaning life this week.
My habits are often changing as I learn more or try new products, so today’s post will serve as an update to my comprehensive list of natural green cleaners, which you may want to check out for inspiration anyway.
The Bare Essentials
If I’ve learned one thing while living here at my in-laws’, it’s how to live with less and what’s really important to have along for the ride. I told you about my favorite kitchen items, but I really pared down the cleaning supplies.
I’ve learned what really matters. Being here with only about 5% of my own stuff, yet still needing to live our lives and be normal (i.e. we’re not “on vacation”), I’ve realized that I don’t need very many fancy cleaners. I always knew that, but it’s like packing your carryon for an airline flight: you can’t get everything you might want to have in there, but suddenly it’s clear which toiletries you’d actually need if you had to spend the night in a hotel.
Here are the top cleaning products every house should have, probably in triplicate if you have that many floors/bathrooms. I’m definitely plotting already to strategically place multiple bottles in various rooms in our new house:
- baking soda (what I’ve cleaned with it: my hair with the “no ‘poo” system, grimy bathtub, kitchen sink, baby toys (awesome for grubby-ness on hard surfaces like baby toys) carpet spill…)
- plain vinegar (what I’ve cleaned with it: my hair, carpet mud stains, stinky laundry…would have done the toilet but didn’t have it in a spray bottle undiluted)
- Biokleen Bac-Out – I realized just tonight that if I could only bring one cleaner, it would be this one. I use it to pretreat laundry stains
(and it is FABULOUS), clean the counters/faucets, carpet stains, laminate floors, and even toilets, outside and in. Kills germs, fights stains, gentle on surfaces – what more do you need? - for laundry: soap nuts, oxygen bleach
- for baby wipes and hand soap: castille soap (photo at right)
And a few other updates…
Mirrors/Glass
I still much prefer microfiber cloths and a bit of water for cleaning glass, but I do have one small upgrade.
I got to test out some antibacterial cloths from Norwex. I know, antibacterial stuff is not usually my thing. In fact, I’ve always railed against it. This isn’t triclosan-based, though. Norwex cloths have colloidal silver somehow laced into them, so for two years, you can just use a dry (or wet) cloth, swipe your surface, and kill germs. This is kind of amazing to me, and I admit I like it.
Norwex has a special cloth for doing glass, and in a side-by-side test with my standard microfibers, it left fewer fuzzies on the mirror and soaked up the water much faster. However, I don’t think mirrors need to be cleaned antibacterially, so I’ll probably stick with the old standby as my official recommendation.
Bathtub/Shower/Counters
I am still a huge fan of baking soda for scrubbing the tub, but I have to say I loved the Norwex cloths for this job. It was really nice to simply wipe down the tub with the pink all-purpose cloth and know that some germs are dead without grabbing an extra spray bottle.
I also tried out “forever cloths” from The Willow Store, which are made of hemp and cotton. They’re absolutely terrible for mirrors – the little hairs got all over unapologetically. However, if you’re squeamish about the fact that microfiber is made of plastic and totally NOT biodegradable, the forever cloth is a nice option for cleaning the tub, counters and floors.
The rougher side does an alright job polishing things like faucets and sinks, while the other side is certainly the absorbent part. It comes through the wash well but takes longer to dry fully than the rest of the load. I kind of fail to see the advantage over a regular terrycloth towel, but maybe it’s just that they’re very sustainable.
{You can win a package of them in today’s giveaway!}
Toilets
My only big change with toilets, other than using Bac-Out as an option, is that I collect the family’s holey socks and use them to wipe the outside of the toilet. Then I can throw them away and not waste paper towel, but not have to juggle the “which towel color cleans the toilets and never the kitchen???” issue. Mommy brains can only handle so much on a day-to-day basis, you see. 
Dishes
Dishes remain a nemesis for me. I had my perfect dishwasher detergent, but after just over a year of using it, Biokleen’s version suddenly stopped working. It made white film on everything, especially glassware and plastic lids. Absolutely terrible. Biokleen claimed they didn’t change their formula at all, but all I know is that opening a new tub, manufactured around the time every company had to take the phosphates out of their formulas per a new FDA rule (a good one, hooray!), created total dishwasher disaster.
UPDATE: Ok, readers have convinced me that Biokleen can still work, and my DW just had terrible buildup. I’ll get to try again with a new dishwasher and I’ll be ready this time! See the comments for ideas on how to fix buildup. Thanks, KSers!
I also don’t have a favorite dish soap for hand dishes. Meijer naturals has been my default, but I’m not sure for certain if it’s truly natural.
What do you have success with for dishes?
Laundry
Soap nuts are for sure still my baby in the laundry room. Economical, totally natural, and effective. Love them.
I did try out some new wool dryer balls from Willowstore, and after my first test when I forgot to leave them out for the second load in the dryer – seriously, duh! – I tested them again and decided they definitely speed the drying time on a load of laundry. They’re cute, sustainable, and save energy…and you can win them later today! (I used to use plastic dryer balls, which also work, I think, but are of course, plastic. Depends on how “green” you want to be, I guess.)
Quick note: Use the code MEALPLAN50 for half off Keeper of the Home’s Real Food on a Real Budget, which gets unfortunately more and more timely as the economy declines. Great deal on a great book!
———————————————
I’d love to see more of you! Sign up for a free email subscription or grab my reader feed. You can also follow me on Twitter, get KS for Kindle, or see my Facebook Fan Page.
If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.
Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money. If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.
Disclosure: I received samples for free from Norwex and Willowpads, but my reviews are always 100% honest and completely my own. Amazon gives a few percent commission if you start here and buy anything there, so I appreciate you using my links! Thanks a bunch! See my full disclosure statement here.
I’m linked into Works for Me Wednesday.
![\"BundleoftheWeek.com,](\"http://bundleoftheweek.com/banners/468x70-bundle21.png\")
I cut up grubby t-shirts and put the squares into a Kleenex box on the back of the toilet. They can be used for cleaning, nose-blowing, or as wipes. There’s a bucket to throw them in once they’re used.
I know our family’s transition is complete, because yesterday I tried to think of what a paper towel is called, and I couldn’t. All I could pull up in my mind was “paper cloth,” but somehow it didn’t sound quite right.
[Reply to this comment]
Cut up t-shirt squares in a Kleenex box=no more paper towels.
[Reply to this comment]
I love Laura’s story!
All these brands of plant-based dish detergent (for hand washing) are excellent, in my experience:
Bi-O-Kleen
Citra-Dish
Dishmate (made by Ecos/Earth Friendly Products)
Ecover
Kirkland Signature (Costco house brand–they make both a conventional and an earth-friendly one)
Seventh Generation
Sun & Earth
Trader Joe’s.
The only one I’ve tried that was really not good enough was Nature Clean. I always add about 1 Tbsp. white vinegar to the sink of soapy water and soak the dishes for a few minutes before washing.
You didn’t mention using baking soda to scour stubborn stuff off dishes. It’s fabulous for tea-stained mugs! It works almost as well for baked-on food, but not immediately–dampen the gunk, sprinkle with soda, and set aside for a few minutes; then a lot of it will wipe right off. I recently read that mixing soda with hydrogen peroxide (drugstore strength) makes it even better at removing baked-on food, and this does seem to be true.
[Reply to this comment]
'Becca Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 10:16 am
Oh, I meant to add: I took your advice to use Bi-O-Kleen dishwasher powder back when it was still working for you, when I got a dishwasher in February. It has worked wonderfully for me, and I haven’t used up the container yet. I wonder if I got the old batch?
[Reply to this comment]
Heather Reply:
October 26th, 2011 at 6:19 pm
I wonder if Katie didn’t just get a container of dishwasher detergent that was screwed up somehow. I use BioKleen, totally love it, and the container I’m using I bought last month. I haven’t noticed it working any less well than always.
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 29th, 2011 at 5:43 pm
Heather,
Katie
There’s been more conversation here at KS, and I’m pretty convinced that it was just dishwasher buildup that I didn’t know how to tackle. I’m interested to see what happens in a new house/new DW! Thanks!
[Reply to this comment]
Adding vinegar to the dishwasher will help do what phosphate used to do. You can add it in the cup with the detergent.
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 3:20 pm
Jennifer,
Hmmm, I’ve always used vinegar as the rinse-aid, but I wonder if that dispenser doesn’t release it at the right time to do the job? It didn’t seem to help at all with this problem. ??? Katie
[Reply to this comment]
Jennifer Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 6:21 pm
I think it has to be in at the same time as the detergent. We added vinegar to our old cleaner at the time phosphate was removed, and it did the trick. Biokleen was great at first, and then didn’t work so well. So we added the vinegar to it and it helped.
[Reply to this comment]
Joy Jackson Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
How much vinegar do you add?
[Reply to this comment]
Emily Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 1:31 pm
We started having the same problem with our Biokleen, but hadn’t even gotten to a new container, so know it wasn’t a formula change issue! The vinegar, so far, has solved it for us. Maybe it somehow builds up in the machine and needs the vinegar to clear it out? We just put it in the rinse agent so far. . . .
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 22nd, 2011 at 2:11 am
Emily,
That’s so good to know! I hope I didn’t drag Biokleen through the mud at all – I was just so flabbergasted with the difference! And it was probably just gunk. Hmmmm… Katie
[Reply to this comment]
Emily Reply:
October 22nd, 2011 at 4:21 pm
no, no, no. no mud involved
I thinks its great it got addressed since apparently a lot of us were (are?)having the same issue!
hope you all are enjoying the sun over there this fabulous fall saturday!
[Reply to this comment]
I’ve had good luck with the 7th Generation powder dishwasher detergent. I was using a homemade version before, which worked pretty well (basically equal parts washing soda, borax, citric acid, with a little kosher salt thrown in), but didn’t get things sparkling. At first the 7th Gen. didn’t seem any better but after using it several times (perhaps needed to clean out the machine), dishes are now coming out clean and pretty darn close to sparkling. For hand dishes, I dilute Dr. Bronner’s Sal-Suds.
[Reply to this comment]
I’ve had the same problem with Biokleen’s automatic dish powder! I’ve tried adding LemiShine, using more, using less … just can’t get rid of that white coating.
[Reply to this comment]
Kim Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 11:59 am
I don’t have a dishwasher, but vinegar works great in most things to get rid of that mineral build up!
[Reply to this comment]
Christina Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
I use vinegar as the rinse aid. Biokleen still leaves the white coating.
[Reply to this comment]
The white scum in the dishwasher is usually the result of build up in the system. We were having MAJOR problems with our DW and had someone come out to look at it, and he said you need to give your machine a break every once in a while and clean it out. He recommended putting in some Tang (of all things!) by itself every 2-3 months. I think it works because of the high citric acid content, though I haven’t really tried to find a better substitute, to be honest. You could also run the machine empty (no detergent, nothing) and that could ease up some of the scum, too.
He also said (and this has stuck with me) that you almost never want to use the recommended amount of detergent as it is usually way too much. He said 1-2 Tbsp of detergent would work just as well.
We haven’t had any problems since we started following his advice. Just passing the information along!
[Reply to this comment]
Emily @ Random Recycling Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
Thanks for this suggestion! Sometimes we need to be reminded that we don’t need more “STUFF”, we just need to apply some TLC to make things work better.
Can’t wait to do a clean cycle for my dishwasher and test out the vinegar as the rinse aid. I have been using the 365 Whole Foods detergent and haven’t gotten the sparkly results that Cascade used to bring.
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 11:38 pm
Alicia,
I wonder if I could just use citric acid for the empty run, or add a bit of citric acid to my detergent. I do use less than what’s called for, so that’s good.
That is SO helpful! I was wondering if it was build-up and spent an hour once scraping gunk out. I know I thought about running it empty or running it empty with just vinegar in the bottom, but I can’t remember if I ever did it. ??? Now we sold the house, and with it, the DW. I get to start over.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Katie
[Reply to this comment]
I am a fairly new reader of ks– and I have to thank you for encouraging the baby steps of switching over, as opposed to the wholesale switch-over some recommend. It can be so overwhelming! I’m going to try pp’s suggestion for cleaning out the dishwasher. Since the change of phosphates, this might be a good place to start for us. We have a lot of old t-shirts around that I keep for pattern-making with sewing, and there are always bits too small for patterns, but large enough to start replacing paper towels and tissues. Thanks for the great ideas!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 11:39 pm
Renee,
Great start! 
Katie
Welcome! Glad baby steps speaks to you – it’s the only way I’d survive my own life, so I figured there have to be others out there…
[Reply to this comment]
I’ve kind of fallen in love with Bon Ami lately. I discovered it a couple months ago at Target, totally natural and works awesome, better than baking soda by itself, and it’s cheap-about $1.50 for a shaker bottle. I’ve used it for the bathroom sink/tub (soap scum comes right off!) and even in the toilet. It’s supposed to work great for stainless pots and general kitchen but haven’t tried it for that yet.
For the dishwasher, I’ve been using the Method brand but am aware that there’s got to be a better option out there (just have had too much going on in life to figure this one out). I figure it has to be better than the cascade, etc., but still not the most natural. It seems to work better for me than 7th Generation though (which didn’t seem to work at all).
[Reply to this comment]
I have used Norwex products for over 2 years now. I love all of their products and would highly recommend their cleaning paste,fresh wash, mop, toilet cleaner(your dog could drink it it is so safe)laundry detergent(a teaspoon cleans a hold load and it gets out stains better than any other natural product I have found)microfiber cloths clean better than anything with just a spray bottle of water. In could go on and on. Love this company. ..even their body products rock!
[Reply to this comment]
I have used Norwex for over three years now, and absolutely love their product line. I am a nurse and was so intrigued by their claim that I had to look into it. After going through all their laboratory testing and cleaning with the products, I fell in love and started to sell it. Cleaning with only water….it doesn’t get any easier than that!
[Reply to this comment]
This is what I do for dishwashing detergent:
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup citric acid
1/2 cup kosher salt
Fill rinse agent compartment with white vinegar.
I don’t know how natural and safe Borax is though. But that recipe is super cheap and really works great.
I don’t have a favorite dish soap either right now. I guess I do love Mrs. Meyers’ b/c of the yummy scents, but they are pretty pricey.
[Reply to this comment]
I am new here to KS and really haven’t tried any products besides baking soda & vinegar. I welcome the suggestions.
Thank you!
[Reply to this comment]
Another great use for vinegar and baking soda is cleaning glass top stoves with them. I spray on the vinegar and let it sit for a couple minutes. Then use a glass scraper to scrape off as much of the burnt stains as possible. Then I re-spray with vinegar and sprinkle some baking soda and rub the rest clean with a towel. Works great!
[Reply to this comment]
BioKleen started doing the same thing to only some of my glasses. It isn’t a change in their formula, because I am still working on a case of it that I ordered 5 years ago. I tried using less and it didn’t help and I only use 1 tablespoon or less to begin with.
Alicia, I’m going to try what you suggested, but use vinegar. I wonder if using vitamin C powder would do the same thing? I never thought of there being a build up in the dishwasher. Thanks.
[Reply to this comment]
I’ve heard good things about citric acid for that dishwashing film – read the reviews on amazon and see what you think…
Anyway, your post got me inspired to FINALLY order some more bac out. I’ve been waffling between putting in a huge order on Amazon or just picking up the bare minimum to qualify for free shipping on drugstore.com and finally decided that the big order was just too much right now and I just needed to buy SOMETHING because I’ve used bac out before and I’m using shout right now and it sucks.
So, now that I’ve ordered it – you use bac out as your all purpose cleaner? I’ve always used a 1:4 vinegar:water mix with a few drops of dish detergent in a spray bottle as my general purpose cleaner. For windows I think I use a 1:2 mix (with no detergent)…. But I’ve been buying bathroom cleaner for the scum in the bathroom and toilet cleaner for the toilets – just too gross. LOL
Babysteps!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 1:04 am
Susan,
In my normal life, I use vinegar and water a lot. But in this temp living situation, if I literally only brought one spray bottle with me, it would be (and is) the Bac-Out, because I really need it for laundry, and I’ve been realizing it’s great for everything else!
I don’t know what kind of scum you have in your bathroom, but I would use Bac-Out or vinegar water or hydrogen peroxide spray for a lot of stuff, even gross stuff.
Katie
[Reply to this comment]
My sister turned me on to using a bar of Dr Bronner’s Castile Soap for hand washing dishes.
It lasts SO much longer than any liquid dishwashing soap, so I’m saving lots of money and it’s all natural.
I have a small flower pot next to the sink that I keep the bar of soap and sponge in.
[Reply to this comment]
Michelle Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 11:07 pm
Could you elaborate how you use the bar of soap to wash your dishes? Yes, I have mommy brain as they call it. So I apologize if this is a silly question. I’m just picturing having to take the bar over all my dishes versus a little capful of BioKleen in my water. Please share.
[Reply to this comment]
Unfortunately we have about the hardest water one can have. The ONLY way I can get that awful white stuff to not appear on our dishes is to put a tablespoon or two of citric acid in with the detergent. I also need to “clean” the dishwasher once a month, but being as it seems either the dishwasher or washing machine is running, I tend to just add in vinegar once in awhile while it’s running a load of dishes…so far so good.
[Reply to this comment]
I like Borax better than Baking Soda…is there much of a difference? I find that Borax leaves things much more sparkly (who doesn’t love a shiny toilets and sinks…).
I also love sprinkling baking soda followed by a squirt of vinegar on stuck-on foods….works wonders.
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 22nd, 2011 at 2:12 am
Eta,
There are some questions about borax’s safety in my book – for example, it is used as an ant poison. Baking soda goes in my food, sooooo…
??? Katie
[Reply to this comment]
Katie -NH Reply:
January 11th, 2012 at 2:54 pm
Borax is “poisonous” to ants because it has a tiny crystaline structure. As the ants eat it the crystals, it scratches up their throats… I guess sort of like eating glass. I hate thinking about it like that, but that’s my understanding of what happens.
[Reply to this comment]
Hubs is a plumber, and he recommends a cup of vinegar dumped in the bottom of the dishwasher, run on an extra-hot (sanitize) cycle as an occasional de-gunker.
[Reply to this comment]
I’m new to KS, and I have to say 100 thank yous! It’s good to know others are working at the same things, and I’m not sorting all this out alone.
I recently found that Rubbing Alcholo does a GREAT job cleaning the faucets and shiny things around my sink.
I do wonder if it’d work on windows? (I’m not ready to let the little ones help in that experiment yet…) so I haven’t tried it yet.
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
November 4th, 2011 at 3:13 am
Katie – Welcome aboard and you’re welcome so much (100s of them!).
Hmmmm…rubbing alcohol! Keep us apprised!
Katie
[Reply to this comment]
I wonder about different types of vinegar, namely the acidic percentage. Most vinegar is 5% acidity, sometimes 6%. the local supermarket also carries white vinegar with 8% acidity. does anyone know if this would make a positive difference as a cleaning agent?
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 5:03 am
Sandra,
Katie
A good question! I’ve never seen that kind of vinegar so hadn’t even thought about it…hopefully it wouldn’t be too much of a good thing and hurt your surfaces.
[Reply to this comment]
quesion on the wool dryer balls. how do they do with static? i’m looking for something gentle to replace fabric sheets, but having static problems.
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship Reply:
March 14th, 2012 at 11:27 pm
Heidi,
Sorry to say they don’t help static at all. 7th Gen has a more n atural alternative that works well on my limited tests…
Nothing.
So sorry it took me so long to respond…I got absolutely behind on comments when I released the second edition of the snacks book and truly have never caught up.
[Reply to this comment]
Two things: I use the Melalucca dishwasher soap since they took out phosphates, and it does great, even in our hard water.
Also, did you know that nano silver like in the norwex cloths has been linked to defects in baby fish? It is a problem in some watersheds.
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship Reply:
April 14th, 2013 at 10:21 pm
Uh oh…do you have a source for that? Does it get into the water system in the processing or use? Nothing is easy, is it?!
Katie
[Reply to this comment]
mbw Reply:
April 15th, 2013 at 10:42 am
I looked this up a few years ago when someone approached me about the cleaning cloths…I am very wary about anything that is “killing” things in my house, and I worry about creating “superbugs” because we are so obsessed with keeping things sterile. I can’t remember the exact places I found information, but I have a few sources here I have just found recently.
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/antibacterial/health/nano.php
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_13185.cfm
http://www.foe.org/news/archives/2011-09-nano-silver-and-bacterial-resistance
http://www.foe.org/news/archives/2009-06-nano-silver-extreme-germ-killer-presents-growing-thr
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Nano
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship Reply:
April 15th, 2013 at 8:28 pm
Thank you! I will totally look into that – Katie
[Reply to this comment]
Elizabeth Reply:
May 13th, 2013 at 11:11 pm
Norwex cloths do not have nano silver in them. They have micro silver, and the silver is added when the microfiber is in liquid form. It’s like adding cream to your coffee, it doesn’t leach out. Once you’re finished wiping your surfaces down, the microsilver suffocates the bacteria in the cloth and prevents it from reproducing.
Yes, I’m a consultant, but I’ve spent quite a bit of time researching this stuff on my own, too.
[Reply to this comment]