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I'm new - where to start?
Hi! I'm not new to the Nest but I'm new to this board.
I went to a holistic pet health seminar this weekend and learned a lot of valuable information about how toxic household chemicals really are. 
The vet who led the seminar had just treated a dog who had a seizure caused my Febreze! She said Febreze and Glade plug ins are two of the worst things for dogs. Scary!
Anyway...getting back on track... I'd love to start using greener cleaning products but don't know where to start. Are there any good readily available brands good for a newbie to use? Or easy-to-follow recipes for cleaners? Right now I mostly use Green Works but sometimes bring out a "heavy hitter" for heavier cleaning.
Any and all help greatly appreciated!! :-) Thanks!!
Re: I'm new - where to start?
Vinegar and baking soda will work for just about everything-cheap too!
I'm sure the other ladies on the board will be able to give you more info regarding specific proportions.
I use vinegar and baking soda for almost everything. Sometimes a little dishsoap or dr. bronner's if soap is needed. For the floors we use a steam mop, which uses water, only (we have hardwood and linoleum downstairs, painted softwood upstairs and wool rugs; it works on all of these surfaces). For laundry stains we use an oxygen bleach. If something needs to be sanitized and vinegar isn't sufficient/boiling isn't an option (rare) we use peroxide. We also use rags instead of paper towels.
When you say you need a "heavy hitter," what type of cleaning situation are you referring to? Knowing this might help us give better suggestions.
Best sound ever: baby's heartbeat! (Heard @ 10w1d)
Welcome! Ditto pp- vinegar is amazing. I have some recipes here.
If you don't want to make your own stuff, Mrs. Meyers is a great store bought brand. Some Method products (I like their floor cleaner) are good too.
Many of us write blogs and you can find the links in our signatures. Browsing those (and this board) is a fantastic way to get lots of ideas about going green.
Have fun!
I'm curious about this too!
I use various products -- a lot of times just vinegar, especially for floors, and then different brands like Mrs. Meyers or JR Watkins. Whole Foods has a good selection.
I also use the Ecos laundry detergent from Costco. Great deal!
I like to add essential oils (to improve smell, or some have antiseptic properties) to my vinegar spray bottle, and I even put vinegar with essential oil into my carpet shampooer.
My Shark steam mop and handheld cleaner can pretty much clean everything in my house. The handheld cleaner is wonderful for walls and baseboards. They get super nasty in my house with the dogs rubbing against them, flinging slobber, etc. I don't need any chemicals at all with those.
Plug-ins aren't just terrible for dogs, they're horrendous for kids and have been linked to ear aches, asthma, and they really make allergies worse.
Beyond that, I've really been working on reducing waste and cutting back on single-use items, plastics in particular. We use washable microfiber mop heads (can be used dry like a swiffer or wet like a mop), reusable grocery bags, storage containers instead of sandwich bags in our daily lunches and for leftovers, stainless steel water bottles instead of plastic disposable, things like that.
Welcome! I just started using green cleaners (vinegar, baking soda, and dish soap baby!) a few months ago and it feels SO good. I don't have to worry about inhaling nasty fumes, ruining the air quality in my home, or accidentally burning my eyeballs when taking my contacts out post-cleaning. Besides that, it gets you thinking about other things you don't need, and will help move you towards making healthier choices and living more simply.
I got one of those water-pitchers with the filter inside, and boy...it sure is nice to not have to recycle oodles of plastic bottles. Such a simple thing, but I know it's something I can do to make a difference that matters.
This is a good resource.
http://goodwifeinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/07/go-green-green-cleaning.html
I'm mostly referring to some stuff I used recently to clean my tub - Kaboom Foamtastic. It worked GREAT but it was so smelly and strong that I get another headache just thinking about it. I can't imagine how awful it was for me and my dogs to inhale the fumes. Gross.
I also use CLR spray - is that stuff bad?
Thanks for all the advice!
I've never used the Foamtastic, but I really like Magic Erasers for my bathtub, and my steam cleaner does an AWESOME job cleaning the textured floor of the tub. I swear, when we moved in, we steamed out years of old soap scum. Vinegar + baking soda will create a foaming action, so if you keep on top of it, that may be all you need to clean your tub. Sprinkle baking soda, spritz vinegar from a spray bottle, then you can cut a lemon in half and use that as a scrubber.
I use CLR on occassion. I haven't found anything else that can get the hard water crusties off my faucets. I chalk that up to the 'reduce' category.
I just came across their detergent and started using it as we just bought an He (I used to make my own, but it was powdered and I wanted liquid with my first washing). Love it! /sorry for the side convo
Ditto on the vinegar.
Febreeze and Glade aren't the only toxic stuff we use all the time and we breathe them in! Pretty much anything else with an artificial fragrance is harmful. Watch out for beauty products too. I'm allergic to artificial scents, so I have a particular issue with it, though.
For a good all-purpose cleaner, I use a solution of about a tablespoon of dish soap with a quart of water in a spray bottle. You can also add a little vinegar to help cut the grease and disinfect. I also have a spray bottle of vinegar and water. A 5% solution of vinegar will kill 99% of bacteria and works against molds and viruses too. Don't use it on marble. The smell of vinegar can take some getting used to for some people but it dissipates pretty quickly.
Ditto on using baking soda. It works great as a scrubbing tub and tile cleaner. Make sure you rinse well or you'll have white residue everywhere. Follow up with a degreaser, if you like. You can buy large boxes if it. I divvy it up into smaller containers around the house so that I have it where I need it.
Lemon juice is also a nice cleaner. Lemon juice is a natural bleach and will help to get stains out of cutting boards and other things. I always put citrus peels down the garbage disposal when I'm done with them and it cleans and freshens the smell.
I have an HE machine and I've been making my own for a couple of years with no problems. I make it as a liquid but you can also make it powdered. I use vinegar in the rinse cycle and run an empty load with just vinegar every once in a while to make sure everything is cleaned out. It works great and is super cheap and easy to use and fragrance-free. It's easy to find recipes for it online. They are mostly all variations on the same thing. Here's one: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/03/15/how-to-make-your-own-laundry-detergent-and-save-big-money/
Search around online. You'll find lots of resources. Good luck!