Green Options

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Usually, I make my own cleaners or simply use Ecover dish soap on everything. I figure if it is safe for my dishes, it is safe for everything else.  One place I struggle though is the bath tub/shower.  I have tried every homemade concoction under the sun from vinegar to cream of tartar, but those stubborn mineral stains remain. I have finally found the solutions: Seventh Generation Natural Tub and Tile Cleaner.

My spring water comes from the roots of an old oak tree and is gravity fed to my home. This may sound idyllic, until you see the mineral stains it leaves on the shower and tub walls.  I scrub and scrub until I get tendonnitis, but those stubborn stains return in about a week.  Like my toilet, I like to keep my bathtub clean for my little ones.  Seventh Generation Natural Tub and Tile Cleaner has simplified this tedious job.  I simply spray it on, let it sit for about three minutes, then gently scrub the stains away with a walnut scrubber sponge.  No more crazy scrubbing until my arms ache, and since it is made by Seventh Generation, I am not worried about my children being exposed to this cleaning product.

I have a confession to make: I am not the best housekeeper.  I don’t really enjoy cleaning, although I do enjoy a clean house.  There is one area of my house I insist is clean: the toilet!  Usually, I just pour in a little vinegar and sprinkle a little powdered laundry soap into the bowl and scrub away, but recently I discovered Seventh Generation’s Emerald Cypress & Fir Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner. There’s nothing like a new natural cleaning product to motivate me to clean.

Most toilet bowl cleaners are made with caustic acids that can burn your skin, and I certainly don’t want my little one’s bums to experience that!  Seventh Generation’s Emerald Cypress & Fir Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner is biodegradable, safe for septic systems, chlorine-free, phosphate-free, dye-free, etc.  It comes in a cool shaped bottle allowing you to squirt under the toilet bowl rim. Unlike many other natural cleaners who guard their ingredients in a shroud of secrecy, Seventh Generation fully discloses its ingredients.  This toilet bowl cleaner is made from:

Aqua (water), lactic acid (plant-derived demineralizer), polyglucose, coceth-7, coceth-4 and deceth-5 (plant-derived cleaning agents), xanthan gum (natural thickener), essential oils and botanical extracts* (citrus aurantifolia (lime), abies balsamea (balsam fir), calilistris columellaris (emerald cypress). *d-limonene is a naturally occurring component of these ingredients.

When reviewing our stats to see how people find Eco Child’s Play, I’ve discovered that many parents are looking for ways to clean their children’s toys naturally. I thought I would share a few of my tips with you for soft, wooden, or plastic (ugh) toys. My methods are gentle for the earth and your family, as I don’t use harsh chemicals like bleach water, yet they may not kill viruses such [...]

If you have pets in your house or an older carpet (such as in a dorm or apartment), your flooring may need freshening and deodorizing. Although there are many natural carpet fresheners available in health food stores, it is much simpler and cheaper to make your own. You probably already have the ingredients in your kitchen.

To make your own carpet deodorizer, combine one cup of baking soda with 1/2-cup cornstarch. Next, add

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If you have pets in your house or an older carpet (such as in a dorm or apartment), your flooring may need freshening and deodorizing. Although there are many natural carpet fresheners available in health food stores, it is much simpler and cheaper to make your own. You probably already have the ingredients in your kitchen.

To make your own carpet deodorizer, combine one cup of baking soda with 1/2-cup cornstarch.

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There are many natural window cleaners available at coops and natural food stores; however, these products can be expensive, and in my experience, their performance leaves much to be desired. It is very simple to make your own window cleaning solution with vinegar and water. This homemade window solution is very effective and inexpensive.

To make homemade window cleaner, combine 3 teaspoons of vinegar to one quart of warm water. Pour the solution

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