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Dr. Bronner's Soap
Dr. Bronner's Magic Castille Soap is the crazy looking bottle you'll find in the health food/natural beauty section of many stores. It has crazy strange rantings on the label.. very odd. However - the stuff is awesome!
I like this 'blog' off of Dr. Bronner's website - http://lisa.drbronner.com/
The soap is super concentrated - I rarely use it straight. I mix it with water and keep it in a container in the shower to wash my body and to just pour it on my legs to make shaving easy. I use the baby/non-scented version. I'll squirt it out of the bottle onto the shower walls if I see a spot that needs cleaning and things come right up.
I use the peppermint for cleaning in the kitchen, bathroom (when I am not already in the shower - I've heard that peppermint can tingle a bit if you use it to clean your body) and the floors. I had been using the pre-soaked swiffer wet cloths, but once I was done with that I kept the container and I just leave Dr. Bronner's soap and water in it with some wash cloths so I can take a swipe over the floors with the swiffer with minimal work.
I'm looking forward to using it to wash the cars this spring/summer - it will fully break down so I won't be washing chemicals into the sewer system.
I've seen all sorts of green/natural/eco bloggers post recipes with ways they use it. The only thing I've seen that conflicts with Dr. Bronner's website is that people are mixing it with vinegar, which according to Dr. Bronner's website is pointless because they conflict with each other.
Other nesties - Kiz maybe? - mix it with water and put it in a foaming pump for handwashing. I think there are others that use it as body wash (JosiePosy?)
jack | born 9.13.12 at 40w4d | 9 lbs 12 oz | 23 in
my puppy loves - chloe & jenson
pregnancy blog | chart
Re: Dr. Bronner's Soap
DH LOVES the peppermint soap in the summer when it's hot out. It leaves a cooling feeling on your skin when you're out of the shower. I also use it with hot water to soak in the bath when I have a cold - it opens my sinus'.
Yep! I mix half unscented Dr. B's and half water with a shot of Mrs. Meyer's lavender soap for smell and put it in this (<---click). It foams up really nicely and it's not too shabby looking to have sitting on the counter. You have to give it a little shake sometimes to mix it up.
Awesome dispenser! I'm going to order one!
Photo taken at 16 months old
I'm really intrigued...
Please don't flame me for this...
I never thought I could get something clean unless I was using something 'tough' like 409 or another brand cleaner (soft scrub etc). Although I hate the smell & the stingy nose feeling I get when using it or the light headed feeling from cleaning my bathroom with a 'tough' cleaner & no circulation.
I really want to try this stuff. Is it expensive? Can you buy it at Target? I'm reading a little from the blog and I really like it. I haven't looked into where to buy it or anything. Can you ever get coupons for it?
No flames!
I am really sensitive to chemicals - it's so bad that we joke if I even look at a bottle of bleach I'll get acute-bronchitis. I can't breathe around chemicals, I lose my voice around them, my skin breaks out into an awful rash if I clean with harsh chemicals.. so we've stuck to more natural cleaners for a while. I usually buy Seventh Generation, Method or Mrs. Meyers. I haven't had anyone complain that my house is dirty!
If we need grit, we add some Arm & Hammer and scrub that way.
You can get Dr. Bronner's Soap at Target - it's a little expensive, but you only use a small amount of it. The bottle will last forever. I haven't seen coupons for it.
jack | born 9.13.12 at 40w4d | 9 lbs 12 oz | 23 in
my puppy loves - chloe & jenson
pregnancy blog | chart
Just a heads up: Dr. Bronner's isn't by the other "regular" soap at Target. It's over by cosmetics near Burt's Bees stuff and other more natural products.
Marketing makes us think we need all the strong chemically stuff but in reality, as I just found out this weekend, straight vinegar removes soap scum from my bathtub faucet MUUUUUCH better and quicker than CLR!! I was amazed! I sprayed some on, waited about 10 seconds, and then wiped the grime off with my finger and it was SO shiny. You wouldn't want to touch the strong chemicals with your bare hands. If I really wanted to, I could LICK my faucet clean because it's such a safe product! It stinks...but that is the only draw back. Really you should be able to clean just about anything with vinegar, water, and baking soda (if you need some abrasiveness.) And a little Dr. Bronner's doesn't hurt either. :-)
It is really quite fabulous :-) Someone posted it on the Green Living board and I ordered one right away! I want to get a couple more for the bathrooms!
A large bottle of Dr B is about $15 I think? But it lasts forever because it's super concentrated.
A vet told me recently that one of the worst things for dogs is Febreze and Glade plug ins. She treated a dog who was SO SO sick and the second all of the scented things were removed from the house the dog felt a ton better and is now good as new!!
I have a few candles that are soy with all natural scents. I'm done with Glade and "fake-y" scents forever!
Thanks for posting this! My husband loves those fake-y scents.
Photo taken at 16 months old
I am intrigued. What scents do you guys use?
I do not really like the smell of vinegar while cleaning, and my husband really hates it! So I have been looking for other more natural cleaning products.
I didn't know that vinegar removes soap scum. I'm so going to try this this weekend!
jack | born 9.13.12 at 40w4d | 9 lbs 12 oz | 23 in
my puppy loves - chloe & jenson
pregnancy blog | chart
Our water softener is on the fritz so our hard water makes the faucet and handles look really grimy. A little vinegar sprayed on it and presto! Shiny and new! Let me know if it works for you!
It's seriously mind blowing how well vinegar cleans things... And you can get a huge jug of it for cheap!
You can also use salt for added abrasiveness! I pour a little salt in my kitchen sink to avoid the chemical reaction from the baking soda. Once I'm done I pour a little baking soda down the drain and rinse with vinegar. Once it stops foaming I run hot water for a min or so. Voila! Clean sink and drain.