Choosing Household Products

About two years ago I started really looking into the products I use around the house both for cleaning as well as body products. I already had some knowledge and liked to choose products that seemed more "natural" and kinder for the earth. I use a lot of vinegar, washing soda, baking soda and lemons in my cleaning regimen but I do like to have a couple of prepared products on hand. 

The few things I buy prepared for household cleaning are all purpose scrub, dish soap, laundry soap, dishwasher soap and a hardwood cleaner. I have always embraced brands like Method , Mrs. Meyers, Biokleen and Dr. Bronner's. None of these companies test on animals, are biodegradable, use natural ingredients of high quality and seem to really care about the environment and the people using their products. 

I love gathering information so I can make good choices and decisions. One of the resources I use is the Go Cruelty Free website. This is where you can see if the products you use are made by companies that test on animals. There are so many good products available by companies that do not test on animals that it seems silly to not choose one. 

The most recent site I found that has given me some information on the products I use is the Enviornmental Working Group. They firmly believe we have a right to know what products might pose a health or environmental risk and what some solutions might be. Not only limited to products, they have information on our drinking water, cell phone radiation possibilities, sunscreen safety and pesticide residues. All very serious topics. 

I found that some of the products I have loved because they are "natural" are actually full of ingredients that may pose a risk to me or the environment. They grade household products on an A-F scale using these metrics:

• Asthma/Respitory Risk
• Skin Allergies/Irritation Risk
• Developmental/Reproductive Toxicity Risk
• Cancer Risk
• Environmental Risk

This new tool helped me look inside the "natural" products I have been using and see what they are made of. A lot of the ingredients on the packages are foreign to me so this was helpful. I do know that even too much of a natural product can be harmful. Of course how often you use these products etc really makes a difference. But if you are suffering from asthma you might want to now which products to avoid.

I did make a list of my current products and check each of them on the site to see what grade they received. After seeing a failing grade on some of my products I made a list of the grade A products that I would be willing to switch to when I need to buy next time.

I thought you might like this information as I think we all deserve the right to know what is in the products we use. 

Twist Clean

One of my first jobs was cleaning houses. My mom had a house cleaning business and on the weekends I had a few small houses of my own to do. I liked cleaning even at the age of 15. Weird I know - but organizing, cleaning and putting thing in their place made sense to me. 

To this day I really enjoy cleaning. It is so satisfying to have everything sparkling and smelling good. I am always looking for ways to clean greener and these products from Twist Clean are awesome. 

Twist makes plant based cleaning products. Specifically scrubbers, sponges and cloths. These products are made from loofahs, cellulose and other plant materials. Many of them are compostable. Priced from .99 to $4.99 these are a great choice if you want to toss out those unnatural, petroleum based cleaning tools. 

I recently picked up the Scrub Sponges. "The Scrub Sponge from TWIST is the perfect multipurpose scrub sponge for your kitchen, furniture, bath and outdoor purposes. Unlike the conventional yellow-green scrub sponge, the TWIST scrub sponge is dye-free, and also doesn't use any plastics or toxic adhesives. Best of all, they are priced to compete with the conventional yellow-green scrub sponges! " They are even hand sewed. How can you beat that?

More and more stores are starting to carry these. I have seen them at Whole Foods and my local co-op. I hope you get a chance to try one of these products out. I would love to hear about it!

Keeping your drains clean

I love the house we are renting right now. Though being built in 1911 there are some things I wish I could change. Like the fact that there is no insulation and it was 48 degrees this winter inside or the very small old pipes that are in parts of the house.

There is nothing worse than showering in a shower with a slow drain - water destined for the drain held up around your ankles. It is terribly frustrating to me. I had this happen lately and knew I needed to fix the situation but forgot every day until I got back in the shower. I finally made myself a note and remembered to take care of it. 

My new year's resolution was to finish removing all the products in our home that are made by people who test on animals. This has been a big undertaking over the past couple of years. One of the things I started with was removing products with dangerous ingredients. This meant a lot of baking soda, lemon and vinegar in our house which I think is awesome.

When talking about drains most people would reach for their handy dandy Drano. For slow drains that need a good clean out I have a natural remedy.

You will need - 

1 cup baking soda

1 liter of white vinegar

1 kettle or stock pot of water just off boil

Take the plug out of the drain if needed and spoon into the drain the baking soda. Slowly trickle the vinegar down a little at a time. The combination will bubble and foam then slide into the drain. Finish pouring the vinegar down and let soak for 20 minutes. 

To finish it off, pour the hot water slowly down the drain. This should rinse down the baking soda vinegar mix and any residue they loosened. 

If the problem continues or your drain is clogged and not just slow you may want to call a plumber. I like to do this on a quarterly basis in my most used drains. This keeps them moving and fresh smelling.

Scouring Cleansers

I think that a good scouring cleanser is a great addition to a household. I have been known to take a lemon with baking soda to clean a tub or sink but sometimes you need more power. Stainless steel skillets and grubby tubs sometimes need more power. Along with that I want to be good to our world and our family so products with safer ingredients are important to me. 

I like a dry cleanser. They usually come in paper casnisters which can be recycled. There is something therapuedic about scrubbing with a dry cleanser and seeing the shiny results of your labor. When I was a child it was Comet and I loved the smell and the process. Now I am glad to see some better options available. 

I picked these three cleansers to review based on what I know about the company that makes them as well as the reputation the product has. 

Bar Keepers Friend - Bar Keepers Friend has been around since 1882. They are chlorine free. Formulated from an active ingredient in rhubarb and formulated into a baby powder smooth powder. This cleanser can be used on some of the more delicae surfaces like acrylic, chrome and porcelin. It retails for under $3.00 for a 12oz container. 

Mrs. Meyers Surface Scrub - This non-scratching powder is made with a naturally safe ash and oxygen bleach for use on household surfaces. It's chlorine and phosphate free. It comes in several scents. I opted for lavendar. It retails for about $5.00 for 11oz. 

Bon Ami - This product has been around since the 1880's. This formula starts with vegan, plant-based cleaning agents made from coconut and corn oils, then adds feldspar and a softer abrasive, limestone. They also added a little bit of soda ash and a touch of baking soda. The result is a natural, effective cleaner for modern surfaces. Bon Ami is  biodegradable, nontoxic and hypoallergenic. All of their packaging is recyclable. Bon Ami retails for about $1.50 a can.

To challenge these cleansers I cleaned my filthy porcelain tub with them. I used a natural sponge with no abrasive surface to that their cleaning power could stand on its own. 

On first impressions I liked the smell of the Mrs. Meyers - fresh lavandar. The others had no noticable scent and I liked that as well. They all had a nice texture, more powdery than gritty. It seems that they would work well on more delicate surfaces.

Overall the three of them did a good job on my tub. I took them downstairs to use on my stainless steel sink and had equally good results. I think if I had to choose one I would go with the Mrs. Meyers. I don't have a lot of delicate items to cleanse and the scent has me hooked. Only bummer is that it is the most expensive. 

If you have not tried any of these I urge you to give up your cleanser and give one of these a whirl. You can feel good knowing you have a clean tub and have not added any chemicals to your home or the world.