Healthy House Cleaning (Long but food for thought)

[Linariel]

Lavender is okay(that I know of!) but I'd be very careful with the pine oil. It contains phenols, (that's why Pinesol cleans stuff). Phenols are respiratory irritants, and can be pretty harmful.

[Brutus's Mommy]

I have a question about the vinegar floor cleaner. Is it normal for it to leave streaks accross my floor or am I doing something wrong? Do I have to wash it off or do I just leave it on like with normal floor cleaner?
Thanks!

[Linariel]

It leaves streaks? What kind of floor?

I use it on my linoleum and it's fine. I put a couple cups of vinegar in the mop water.

My linoleum is so old and covered in paint it's hard to tell though. It may be streaking a bit.

Castille soap works great, and I don't think that streaks.

[Foxwood]

What do you guys use for dog laundry??
I'm using Tide Free right now, but it doesn't always get the dog funk out...especially if they run in their crates before I can grab them to dry them off....yuck!

[Brutus's Mommy]

It leaves streaks? What kind of floor?

I use it on my linoleum and it's fine. I put a couple cups of vinegar in the mop water.

My linoleum is so old and covered in paint it's hard to tell though. It may be streaking a bit.

Castille soap works great, and I don't think that streaks.

It is a fairly new vinyl ( ) floor. It is a darker blue color. I don't even use a couple of cups either, I maybe use 1.5 cups in a bucket. Should I use more?

[Linariel]

I have no clue! I'm sorry, but I don't have that problem, and I use about the same amount of vinegar you do.

...Maybe the castille soap? I use the peppermint, my house smells like candy canes. Better than dog, that's for sure!

I will check my Better Basics book to see if there is a 'streak free' floor cleanser in there, and get back with you.

If I don't before Monday, please PM me and bug me.

[jaygirl]

I hear it you mix vinegar, ammonia and water, it is great for washing down walls. It's probably great for cleaning the floor too. I just wonder if the ammonia is unhealthy to use. It sure is cheap though.

[EagleEye]

I have a question about the vinegar floor cleaner. Is it normal for it to leave streaks accross my floor or am I doing something wrong? Do I have to wash it off or do I just leave it on like with normal floor cleaner?
Thanks!

I've tried a vinegar cleaner on my mirrors and it really streaks badly. My kitchen floor is a whitish / creamy color so I can't tell if the vinegar water is streaking it, but it probably is.

Have you tried just wiping the damp floor with a clean diaper rag or paper towel after you mop? Or a cold water once-over with a clean mop? It's worth a try.

[Linariel]

Eagle, what recipe are you using for the vinegar cleaner?

[EagleEye]

For normal cleaning and touch-ups (bathroom, kitchen sink, etc.), I use about 1/3 white vinegar and 2/3 water with about 10 - 15 drops of lemon oil in a normal-sized sprayer bottle. If it smells too strong of vinegar, I'll water it down after I've cleaned with it a few times. In the last cleaner I made, I added some zest (no pith) from 1/2 lemon to the bottle for added lemony scent and to make my oil last longer. I cut the zest in big enough pieces that it won't clog the sprayer straw. The zest just floats to the top of the bottle. Wow, is it good!

For mopping, I'll add about a 1/2 cup of vinegar to about 1/2 bucket of mop water. This might be a bit too much vinegar if you have a small area to mop. I don't add lemon oil to it. Sometimes I'll rinse the mop out and run it over the floor with clean cold water afterwards and then wipe up any excess water with paper towels. The floor shines like a mirror!

BTW, my kitchen cabinets are old-fashioned metal painted a dark red (not my doing, but they are fun). The cleaner recipe with borax, vinegar, castille soap and water works great on them and doesn't take off the paint.

I added lavendar oil to a bit of canola/olive oil for furniture polish, for a change. Very relaxing and pleasant to smell, especially for cleaning the bedroom furniture.

For the mirrors, plain water works just fine for me.

[concreterose]

I use club soda to clean glass...no streaks at all!
I washed windows outside last weekend, and I used a little squirt of palmolive dish soap in a bucket of cold water. I dried it with a towel, and didn't have any streaks.

For the floor, if vinegar streaks (I've never noticed that it does) just put a little bit of dish soap (I like palmolive because it's so mild) and a few drops of whatever oil you like (I like lemon oil or bergamont). It smells great and gets the floor really clean, no residue. I dry my floor with a towel as I'm mopping because there's so much of it...that's probably why I don't see streaks either.

Oh, I wash my dog beds in lavender castille soap. I like that Meyer's washing liquid too, but I only buy it if it's on sale...a little goes a LONG way though, it's super concentrated and lasts a long time!

[INOCNTKITN187]

If you mix the peppermint castille soap with water for mopping the floor, what ratio of soap to water do you use?

[MuttsMom]

Oh, I wash my dog beds in lavender castille soap. I like that Meyer's washing liquid too, but I only buy it if it's on sale...a little goes a LONG way though, it's super concentrated and lasts a long time!

Do you use the castille soap in your washing machine? Just like regular laundry detergent? I'd love to try this... about how much do you use for a load of funky doggie beds ???

Thanks!

[concreterose]

Oh, I wash my dog beds in lavender castille soap. I like that Meyer's washing liquid too, but I only buy it if it's on sale...a little goes a LONG way though, it's super concentrated and lasts a long time!

Do you use the castille soap in your washing machine? Just like regular laundry detergent? I'd love to try this... about how much do you use for a load of funky doggie beds ???

Thanks!

For a small load (one-two beds, or towels) I use a half cup...for large loads 3/4-1 cup. A little goes a long way! And yep I use it just like laundry soap, and I don't use fabric softener.

[concreterose]

If you mix the peppermint castille soap with water for mopping the floor, what ratio of soap to water do you use?

I would say maybe half a cup of soap to 2-3 gallons of water.