"Eco-friendly" cleaning and other interesting household ideas

[Saffron]

Lemon rosemary dishsoap:

http://backtoorganic.com/lemon-rosemary-dish-soap-pure-baking-soda-distilled-vinegar-fresh-lemons/

Homemade dishwasher detergent (borax-free):

http://myhealthygreenfamily.com/blog/wordpress/homemade-borax-free-dishwasher-detergent-with-secret-ingredient/

Lots of interesting things on these two sites, including food recipes. I'm quite keen to try the homemade dishwasher detergent. Anyone else tried something similar?

[magkath]

I'm sorry, but the soap dish recipe is rubbish. If you mix soda and vinegar they react releasing CO2 and what you're left with is water and salt.

I use castile soap, vinegar and soda for cleaning, but given that London is a hard water area, you do have to go and fork out some cash on a coconut derived dish and laundry soap. Sorry, but that's just pure facts.

[Saffron]

That's interesting. You've tried it? Does the liquid castile soap not stabilise the soda in solution? Curious that the recipe doesn't say how much soda:vinegar to use.

You say yourself that you use castile soap, vinegar and soda for cleaning. How do you mix these products? (Or do you use them separately?)

Why coconut derived soap? What advantage over regular castile soap (generally olive oil based)?

I'm not so bothered with the dish soap, it's really a "natural" dishwasher detergent that I'm interested to find. Ideas welcome!

[magkath]

I mix soda with water to make a thick paste for scrubbing. I use vinegar for lime scale removal.

I pour soda down the drains and follow with vinegar to fizz out any possible build up.

Vinegar is great for cleaning toilets. I use castile soap mixed with soda for general cleaning.

Coconut soap is the most foaming possible (it even foams in salt water).

As for dishwasher, I haven't got one, so no experience here. However, I read a coupe of reviews of soap nuts powder and soda mix used as dishwasher detergent. Followed by vinegar in the rinse cycle.

[dulwichgirl2]

Not sure if this is relevant but I was so astonished by it I had to repeat it - a friend told me at the weekend that she cooked salmon in the dishwasher, it was lovely and she will do it again. Am I just behind the times?

[civilservant]

I suppose the water would be hot enough to cook the salmon if it were securely wrapped up en papillote.

But did she do her dishes at the same time? Now that would be green!

[hazelnunhead]

I have found the eco cloths really amazing, especially the ones for cleaning windows. You use only water, and they come up streak free.

http://www.ecogreenstore.co.uk/ecloths-m-1.html

That combined with a steam mop, and other eco type cloths means i have massively cut down on cleaning products

[magkath]

I agree that they are great, I have a couple myself however...... they are not entirely eco.

They are made of poliester, which is petrochemical derived and does not biodegrade.

Unfortunately, I have not found any recylcing option for them (maybe e-cloth will look into that some time in the future).

Until then e-cloths are just a delay in adding to the landfill.

[esme]

civilservant Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I suppose the water would be hot enough to cook

> the salmon if it were securely wrapped up en

> papillote.

>

> But did she do her dishes at the same time? Now

> that would be green!

haha that is hilarious - is that actually eco friendly I wonder? The amount of water compared to a steamer or steaming/roasting in the oven is surely more in a dishwasher. definitely a topic for the dinner party table tho :)

[gillandjoe]

my solution: I clean rarely!