Mommy Goes Green

Until recently, I had no idea that Bon Ami carried multiple cleaning products.  I’ve used their Polishing Cleanser for years and like I said here, it’s a great safe alternative to Comet or Ajax.   It’s extremely affordable – just over $1 per can.

I’ve been using their other cleaning products for about a month and they are just as good as my favorite Polishing Cleanser (now called Powder Cleanser). In fact, I was actually disappointed when my first bottle of the All-Purpose Cleaner ran out.  It cleans well, has no soapy residue, doesn’t leave any film on my black granite counters and has no smell ( a big plus to me ).

Their Liquid Cleanser is similar to their powdered Polishing Cleanser but easier to use on surfaces like shower walls and tubs.  I’ve been using it in my porcelain kitchen sink because I’m out of the Powder Cleanser and it works just as well.  Tough on cleaning but super gentle.  Gentle enough to use on stainless steel and porcelain without scratching. The consistency is similar to Soft Scrub – so if you’re a Soft Scrub kind of girl – make the switch to Bon Ami Liquid Cleanser - it’s non-toxic and works just as well!

Bon Ami uses safe, simple ingredients that you can pronounce like baking soda, limestone and feldspar – all ingredients in their original formula made in 1886.  They don’t smell fake because they use essential oils for fragrance.

The company has totally updated all their packaging but it’s still got a great classic and clean look (I’m a sucker for cute packaging).  All the cleaning products are also bottled in recycled and recyclable packaging.  Unlike many other green cleaners, Bon Ami is also priced comparably to conventional brands – from just over $1 to $3.99.   You can buy online or find a local retailer.

Several months ago, Earth Friendly Products sent me their products to try out and  I’ve incorporated many of them into my daily routine.  The Dishmate Dish Washing Liquid is made with purified water, 100% natural anionic coconut kernel oil-based surfactant, salt, almond and cherry oil.  It comes in 4 scents – all created by essential oils – but I prefer the Free & Clear which is scent free.   It works just as well as any other dish washing liquid I’ve used and I’d buy it for regular use in our home.

I have mixed feelings about the Parsley Plus All Surface Cleaner.  It does work well on many surfaces. I’ve used it to clean my car, tables and granite countertops.  It doesn’t leave streaks on the dark countertops – something I can’t say about every green countertop cleaner I’ve used.  The parsley scent has grown on me.  At first, I was overwhelmed by it but now I’ve come to like the scent, it’s ‘fresh’ and it’s a nice change from the traditional lemon or orange scent.  The one thing I don’t like about this cleaner is how sudsy it is.  Even if I use just a little, it takes a lot of wiping and rinsing before all the suds are gone.  I don’t find this to be an issue with other cleaners I’ve used.

Earth Friendly Products has a laundry detergent specifically for babies. I don’t usually wash my kid’s laundry in separate ‘baby’ soap.  I always use a mild, non-toxic, eco-friendly laundry soap anyway so I feel safe washing my kids laundry with the same soap I use for the rest of the household laundry.  But, I know some moms use a conventional laundry detergent and then wash their children’s clothing in a safer, non-toxic detergent like Earth Friendly Products,  Baby Laundry Soap.  The liquid soap is lavender scented and I’d personally prefer a scent-free version since I’m not a big fan of scents for household products but it’s not overwhelming so if you don’t mind scented laundry soap then I wouldn’t pass this by.  I rarely use stain remover and wash almost everything in cold water so the  laundry detergent I  use has to do most of the heavy lifting.  The Baby Laundry Soap does not disappoint. I haven’t had to re-wash anything as it has easily removed spit up, poop, grass stains and marker.  If I did regularly use baby specific laundry detergent, I would use this product.

If you are looking for affordable, eco-friendly household products, give Earth Friendly Products a try.  They are easily found in local mass retailers and tend to run on the lower end of pricing for green cleaning products. For extra savings, print out coupons for $1 OFF most of their products..

This past spring, we did an 8 week series on Green Spring Cleaning but since then, I’ve discovered a few more simple cleaning tips I wanted to share.   

Rugs – we had 2 wool rugs in our house that I rolled up and stored for the summer.  I replaced them with natural fiber rugs ( jute and seagrass ) just to make our house a little ‘lighter’ in the summer.  The biggest thing I noticed was a huge decrease in dust on our furniture.  We’ve had wool rugs in our house for years and I never realized how much they contributed to the level of dust – they likely will not be coming back in the fall!

DIY Glass Cleaning Solution – I’ve used a vinegar/water combo for years to clean glass and it worked pretty well.  I occasionally got some streaking but nothing I was going out to buy Windex for.  When we finally got around to cleaning all of our windows, I needed to make a fresh batch of glass cleaner so I decided to see if there were any different recipes ‘on the market’ ( I always like to try something new ).  I found an Annie Bond recipe that worked fantastically and wanted to make sure to pass it on!  Combine 2 cups of water, 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar, and up to 1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap or detergent in a spray bottle.  I have a big spray bottle so I made a double batch, using liquid dish soap and my windows are sparkling, inside and out.

Vacuums - My vacuum and I had a huge “ah ha” moment over the weekend.  Who knew vacuums could have 4 filters that need to be cleaned every 3-6 months?  Obviously, not me.  I have ( very unregularly ) cleaned 3 filters on my vacuum because they are reusable and can be washed in the sink ( love that ! ) but until I read the manual, I didn’t know that the HEPA filter was NOT one of those three.  Here I am thinking I’m keeping allergens down in our house with all my crazy vacuuming and then I find out that I haven’t changed the HEPA filter since I got the vacuum ( about 6 years ago ).   I finally found the filthy filter, marched myself down to the appliance shop and picked up a new one.  My vacuum is SO happy now, and maybe it’s just me but I SWEAR the thing sucks better, literally!

To green and clean homes!