Natural and Homemade Cleaners

I'm all for this stuff, but doesn't the Vinegar leave a smell? I smoke so I guess the smell would help dissipate the tobacco smell right? Now I just have to convince the cleaning lady to use this stuff instead of the store bought junk ;-)
Going shopping for soap nuts and EOs on google.

You can do a Google search on Soap Nuts and find an abundance of information and many sources for their purchase.
Wikipedia says that "soap nuts contain saponin, a natural detergent which is used to clean clothes. Soap nuts, especially Sapindus mukorossi, have become popular as an environmentally friendly alternative to manufactured, chemical detergents . A few nuts can be placed in a cotton drawstring bag in with a washload and reused several times. Soap nuts are safe for washing silk, woolens and other delicate fabrics".
I just recently found out about these too and plan to purchase some soon.

You can do a Google search on Soap Nuts and find an abundance of information and many sources for their purchase.
Wikipedia says that "soap nuts contain saponin, a natural detergent which is used to clean clothes. Soap nuts, especially Sapindus mukorossi, have become popular as an environmentally friendly alternative to manufactured, chemical detergents . A few nuts can be placed in a cotton drawstring bag in with a washload and reused several times. Soap nuts are safe for washing silk, woolens and other delicate fabrics".
I just recently found out about these too and plan to purchase some soon.

What are soap nuts and where would I get them?

Thanks for the help.

Peace

Well, if the materials are still toxic, and can still cause skin irritation, why use them if they are less effective?

I've replaced all the harmful and toxic packaged chemicals in our home with soap nuts, vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice.

I use the soap nuts in the laundry, to wash the car, in the dishwasher, as hand soap, as shampoo, a bath soak, and I mix a combination of soap nuts tea (easy to make yourself), with vinegar and water to clean counters, stove, car windows, glass doors, and about anything else I can think of. My dishes sparkle, my silverware and glasses are spotless, and my house is clean and chemical free!

They are natural, chemical free, non-toxic, hypoallergenic,unscented, safe for sensitive skin, babies, and pets. They remove residue that's built up in your laundry and on dishes and the harvesting is 100% zero carbon. They are compostable and 100% bio-degradable and there is not packaging to recycle. No need for dryer sheets, fabric softener either.

I actually enjoy cleaning and laundry now that I know I'm not polluting my family's environment inside the house or the planet outside my house. What a great feeling.

I've replaced all the harmful and toxic packaged chemicals in our home with soap nuts, vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice.

I use the soap nuts in the laundry, to wash the car, in the dishwasher, as hand soap, as shampoo, a bath soak, and I mix a combination of soap nuts tea (easy to make yourself), with vinegar and water to clean counters, stove, car windows, glass doors, and about anything else I can think of. My dishes sparkle, my silverware and glasses are spotless, and my house is clean and chemical free!

They are natural, chemical free, non-toxic, hypoallergenic,unscented, safe for sensitive skin, babies, and pets. They remove residue that's built up in your laundry and on dishes and the harvesting is 100% zero carbon. They are compostable and 100% bio-degradable and there is not packaging to recycle. No need for dryer sheets, fabric softener either.

I actually enjoy cleaning and laundry now that I know I'm not polluting my family's environment inside the house or the planet outside my house. What a great feeling.

I make most of my cleaning products. My All Purpose Cleaner is vinegar and water with either Tea Tree Oil or Eucalyptus oil for their disenfecting properties. If I am going to be cleaning stains, I will add Hydrogen Peroxide as a bleach substitute. So many Essential Oils not only smell good but have antibacterial properties.

My Laundry Powder is (I think) fantastic:

One bar of Castille Soap (4 0z.) Grated
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup washing Soda
Esential Oils

Grate the soap (I use my food processor to save my knuckles)
Add the Borax, then the Washing Powder. Then add your EOs to you liking and continue mixing until all ingrediants look like they are evenly distributed. If you make this in a food processor, it takes out all of that mixing and even distributes the oils better. Use about 2 TBSP per load of laundry. This is such an inexpesive recipe!

Fabric Softener:

I have a recycled Downy ball. I fill it to the fill line with white vinegar and add Essential Oils for the aroma. You don't have to but it is so nice if you do! I get my white vinegar in gallons and have a quart glass jar so I can premix my vinger and EO's and leave it by the washer. I try to line dry everything to save on energy and this softerner works well even when you do line dry.

I love getting in the kitchen and figuring out how to make something that I like to use! It is so much better for the planet as everything is natural, organic, and biodegradable! Not to mention the money that is saved!

I use natural cleaners in our household as I am very sensitive to inhaled chemicals and my skin reacts to cleansers like Comet, etc. Who wants that?!

My favorite cleaners are vinegar, baking soda, and rubbing alcohol. We have a glass-top electric range (these are notoriously hard to clean) that we keep in great shape with soda and vinegar, which works much better than the expensive chemicals we could buy formulated for these stoves (how silly!). I also use vinegar as a laundry booster instead of bleach or those "oxy" cleansers.

Patience is important--but just let things sit for a little bit and the cleanup is easy! I much prefer this to toxins...for me, my partner, and our doggy!

My wife and I do 95% of our cleaning with Vinegar and baking soda. Our house is wonderfully clean, we save a ton of money and we feel better about cleaning around our kids