Green Cleaners.....

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Tried and tested green (all natural) cleaners that I’ve used.

Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE):
Has many internal and external uses, it kills and protects against many various forms of Bacteria, Viruses, Yeasts, Parasites, Staph, Strep, Aspergillus, Salmonella, Lice, and many other microorganisms found in the home.
 For more information see the Grapefruit Seed Web site: http://pureliquidgold.com
Always Dilute GSE in pure water for internal and external uses!
Uses:
Human Internal, Human External, Baby Care, Pet Internal, Pet External, Household (see below),
 Travel – Camping – Backpacking, Gardening, etc.

I use GSE all over the house; it smells wonderful and has so many uses. It is completely non-toxic and proven to be effective!
-Birds:  For Cleaning my Birds cage and spraying oh her wings/body
diluted of course, make sure you avoid the eyes! If you do get some in your pets’ eyes rinse out immediately with pure water.
My cockatiel loves this little spray bath AND it kills all lice and mites, her feathers are left very clean as GSE will remove oils so do not do this very often, birds need their natural oils! If I suspect an all out invasion of pests on her (always keep your animals well cleaned and It won’t happen but sometimes other birds/animals/people she plays with may have them) Place one drop of pure GSE in the feathers at the top of the neck/head by using a eye dropper, this works well!

Borax: A Mineral Cleaner:
Does not harm plumbing, septic tanks and it contains no phosphates or chlorine!
Where talking about 20 Mule Team Borax, the name brand, found in your laundry isle of most grocery stores!
Use borax alone or mix it with a few drops of GSE and/or vinegar and use this all over the house!
I use it to mop (sterilize- GSE) my floors, scrub down the kitchen, and bath.
Poor some in with your laundry to brighten AND it can remove stains!
BORAX KILLS COCKROACHES
(Do not allow pets and children to ingest 20 Mule Team Borax).
I place small amounts behind furniture and in the corners of my home (I live in Arizona were the Cock Roaches get the size of house cats), the roaches feed on it and it destroys their internal digestion, they also bring it back to their nests! So when I can’t catch them, the borax works!

Cloth Stains: Club Soda is #1.
I always keep this on hand and have had great results on various clothing stains.

All Purpose Soft Scrub:
Recipe: Mix 1 2/3 cups baking soda with ½ cup of liquid soap in a bowl. Using liquid soaps is best because liquid detergents make this scrub too time consuming to rinse off. Dilute with ½ cup water. Add 2 tbsp. vinegar. Stir with a fork until the lumps are gone. Be as exact as you can, otherwise, your squirt will be too thin or thick. Keep the cap on, because this mixture will dry out. Shake well before using.

Furniture Polish:
You can use a little olive oil and vinegar to polish your furniture. Use one part white distilled vinegar and three parts olive oil. Add a little natural lemon oil (not the synthetic kind) and you've got a great polish!

Drain Cleaner:
Try some of the bacteria-based enzyme drain and garbage disposal cleaners, they are available in health food stores
and actually eat up any organic matter (not so hot on hair clogs)! This also does your septic system a huge favor! Try Bi-O-Kleen’s Bacout.
Baking Soda: 1 cup soda fallowed by 3 cups hot water, repeat till clear, works on hair clogs!
Baking Soda and Vinegar: The bubbly cleaner good for many things including drains.
Use 1 cup soda, 1 cup plain white vinegar, let bubble a bit then rense! Works on hair clogs, the vinegar gives it a extra punch!

Glass Cleaner:
Use club soda, vinegar and/or GSE for a great streak free glass cleaner. Good bye toxic ammonia!

Rust Remover:
Sprinkle a little bit of salt on the rust, squeeze a lime over the salt until it is nicely soaked in lime juice. Leave the mixture on for two or three hours. Use the leftover rind as a handy scrubber. Rust is gone.

Air Freshener:
In a large spray bottle combine pure water, a few drops GSE, white vinegar and a few drops of your favorite Essential oil! Shake up and spray away! This Kills odors from foods, pets, and ugly bathroom smells, etc.
This Kills germs, bacteria and parasites, etc.
The Essential oil, preferably organic, spreads in a thin layer within the mist without harming furniture.
The vinegar and GES keep the nozzle from clogging but incase it does clog up, run the nozzle under hot water.
Try spraying this in your smelly sneakers, let dry over night!
This kills the fungus and bacteria associated with Athletes Foot, and adds a pleasant smell (see the herbal chart below)!

Herbal All-Purpose Cleaner:
This Formula disinfects and can be used on any washable surface in your home. Since it’s also antiviral and antifungal, it’s particularly suitable for kitchens and bathrooms.
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
2 tsp liquid castile soap
25 drops essential oil of thyme, eucalyptus, tea tree,
lavender, sandalwood or lemon.
Add all ingredients to a large spray bottle (about 22 oz) shake well before using.

Lavender Soft Scrubber:
¾ cup baking soda
¼ cup powdered milk
1/8 cup liquid castile soap
5 drops lavender essential oil
Combine all ingredients in a squirt-top bottle and add enough water to make a smooth paste. Shake or stir to mix. Apply to surface, then wipe area clean with a damp sponge or cloth. Rinse well.

Basic Laundry Alternative:
1 oz. liquid castile soap
1 cup washing soda (available in supermarkets in the laundry aisle) try Borax here too!
1 cup baking soda
1 cup white vinegar
Fill washer with water and add each ingredient in the order given. Launder as usual. The vinegar in this formula will help to remove stains, odors and soften the water. It will also help to prevent static cling in the dryer.

Herbal Cleaning Chart:
Herbal Organic Essential Oils that can pump up your homemade cleaning formulas and smell wonderful:

Antibacterial: Chamomile, eucalyptus, juniper, lavender, marjoram, orange, rosemary, sage, thyme.

Antiviral: Cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, lemon, oregano, sandalwood, tea tree, thyme.

Antifungal: Eucalyptus, lavender, myrtle, patchouli, savory, tea tree, thyme.

About Toxins in the Home:

Brighteners- Reflect light and make fabric merely appear to be brighter, they can cause severe allergic reactions, and may be pesticides.

Commercial cleaning products- Most are soap and water with added agents that are classified as hazardous wastes and have known toxicity that can damage organs and the central nervous system. Manufacturers are not required to list the individual ingredients on the label.

Laundry Detergents- Brighteners, linear alkyl benzene sulfonate (LAS) and benzene, both liver carcinogens. Tetra potassium pyrophophosphate or fluosilicate, both toxic pesticides and construction chemicals.

Dish washing Liquid- Actually is detergent, a combination of soap, water and various chemicals. Contains two hazardous wastes: Naptha (extremely dangerous to children), a nerve toxin, and chloro-ortho-phenylphenol a highly toxic “bioconcentrate” that which remains in fatty tissues of humans an animals. Diethanolamin, a caustic substance suspected of being damaging to the liver.

Disinfectants- May contain naptha, benzalkonium chloride (damages mucous membranes), phenols (carbolic acid) is known to cause liver and kidney damage, is absorbed through the skin and can trigger convulsions, coma, respiratory arrest and even death. Both benzalkonium and phenol are nerve-deadening agents, sodium sulfites (fatal to chronic asthmatics), and triclosan (liver damage), among other toxins. Disinfectants may also contain formaldehyde, another carcinogen (also found in cheep wine).

All Purpose Cleaners- May contain butoxyethanol, a neurotoxin that causes liver and kidney damage as well as irritate the mucus membrane.

Furniture Polish- A impressive list of many toxins which may include naptha. Phenol, diglycol laurate, and amyl acetate (all three depress the central nervous system), diglycol laurate is also damaging to the liver and kidneys. Nitrobenzene is highly toxic. These polishes may also contain amyl acetate which is linked to depression of the central nervous system.

Air Fresheners- Covers foul aromas with carcinogens such as formaldehyde and piperonyl butoxide. They are chemically engineered to obstruct your sense of smell by coating your nasal passages with nerve-deadening agents. They may contain methoxychlor, a pesticide that bioconcentrates in the environment.

Written By: Ora Moon

Resources:
Grapefruit Seed Extract at http://pureliquidgold.com
Karyn Siegel-Maier author of The Naturally clean Home: 101 Safe and Easy Herbal Formulas for Non-Toxic Cleansers (Storey-Books, 1999.)
Gabriel Mojay author of Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit (Gaia Books Limited, London, 1996.)
Chrissie Wildwood author of The Encyclopedia of Aromatherapy (Healing Arts Press, 1996.)