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Cleaning Up:  Need some lessons!  |
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Beemoosie
True Blue Farmgirl
2077 Posts
Bonnie
New York
USA
2077 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 27 2006 : 11:13:25 AM
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Hi there! I posed this question at the end of another topic, but I figured I may as well start fresh! I know some about organic food; but I am ignorant on organic housecleaners. I totally get the point why and would like to start making changes.
First...don't laught at me...but how do you borax, and what for? It seems like the simplest product to find.
What are some other brands that will clean the counters, floor, toliet, ect?
I would appreciate all your help?
...she is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.
Prov 31:10 |
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ali2583
True Blue Farmgirl
404 Posts
Alison
Winnipeg
Manitoba
Canada
404 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2006 : 3:16:22 PM
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Hi Bonnie,
I think Borax is for whitening, but I will honestly confess that I don't know much about organic housecleaners. That makes 2 of us! Except I know that you can use vinegar to clean windows...
"God's gift to you is life. What you choose to do with that life is your gift to God" |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2006 : 3:38:43 PM
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I just LOVE Borax. I use a little bit in the laundry - right, Alison, for whitening, but I also use a Tbsp. dissolved in a quart of water for general kitchen cleaning and a bit in the dishwater really makes those dishes shine! I'm a convert! It always seems to help to dissolve it in HOT water before using it - in lukewarm it just doesn't seem to dissolve for me...
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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Woodswoman
True Blue Farmgirl
512 Posts
Jennifer
Altamont
NY
USA
512 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2006 : 5:19:21 PM
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Hello!
I don't know anything about Borax (so I'll be checking back to see what others have to say), but one tip I learned that I love is using vinegar instead of fabric softeners. It gets things so soft, doesn't smell like vinegar afterwards, and doesn't get the softener dispenser all "goopy".
Jennifer |
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blueroses
True Blue Farmgirl
1323 Posts
Debbie
in the Pandhandle of
Idaho
USA
1323 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2006 : 6:48:25 PM
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I use vinegar mixed with some baking soda to make a paste to clean the sinks and tub. You should see how it shines the chrome! I also use borax, washing soda, fels naptha soap & essential oils to make my own laundry detergent. I got the recipe on this forum. You can probably do a search and find it. It works really well.
"You cannot find peace...by avoiding life."
Virginia Woolfe |
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Bluewrenn
True Blue Farmgirl
1122 Posts
Erin
Texas
USA
1122 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2006 : 3:50:14 PM
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My grandmother always used clean water and newsprint or newspapers to clean the windows. (Use the black and white pages, not the colored ones.) It didn't require any soap at all, but if necessary vinegar works.
My Homesteading Journal http://toomyvara.livejournal.com
My craft journal http://bluewrenn.livejournal.com
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westernhorse51
True Blue Farmgirl
1681 Posts
michele
farmingdale
n.j.
USA
1681 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2006 : 7:14:03 PM
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if you have vinegar & baking soda, you have all you need. I also use Borax for laundry & the sinks but vinegar & baking soda does it all. There's a few good web-sites about it but try this one, I think it's great. www.selfhealingexpressions.com/vinegar_cleaning_products.shtml
she selects wool and flax and works with eager hands Prov.31:13 |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2006 : 9:28:03 PM
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Borax is a sodium based naturally occuring compound. It basically makes water wetter. It thins the water tension capabilities and so it lets water slip inbetween the threads of fabric better. Most detergents have this capability but borax heightens this too. Borax is great as a cleaning booster. I like to use it in my toilets and any time I need some great scouring power.
Also you can use vinegar, water and a tad bit of dish detergent for a great window cleaner. I like to put in the little bit of dish detergent because it helps clear away the waxes that cleaners like Windex leave behind. As long as you use a small amount (about a quarter of a teaspoon per pint of water or less) you won't get residue on your glass.
I like to use baking soda and water or baking soda, soap and water to do most of my cleaning on surfaces that can be rinsed.
For floors I use vinegar and water and for really dirty floors I put some soap in too.
Hope that helps. The borax box will have lots of cleaning tips on it for you to try :) |
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Beemoosie
True Blue Farmgirl
2077 Posts
Bonnie
New York
USA
2077 Posts |
Posted - Oct 29 2006 : 04:39:57 AM
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I did buy a box of Borax this weekend and it gives a lot of information. Very inexpensive, too.
Between the Borax, vinegar and baking soda, I think I'm on my way!!!
Oh, I guess I gotta clean now!!!!
Bon
...she is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.
Prov 31:10 |
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westernhorse51
True Blue Farmgirl
1681 Posts
michele
farmingdale
n.j.
USA
1681 Posts |
Posted - Oct 29 2006 : 05:11:21 AM
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Bonnie, I see you like Prov. 31 also. Isn't it great?
she selects wool and flax and works with eager hands Prov.31:13 |
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Mag
True Blue Farmgirl
144 Posts
Margaret
Mount Vernon
OH
USA
144 Posts |
Posted - Oct 29 2006 : 06:52:02 AM
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I use Borax a lot and have found some really good uses for that and other natual products like vinegar and baking soda either on line or in this forum. These ladies know what they are talking about and that is why it is great to have a resource like this, everyone sharing information and encouragement, not to mention all the great stories and heartfelt expressions of friendship.
Have a fantastic Sunday! |
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JenniferJuniper
True Blue Farmgirl
359 Posts
Jennifer
New Hampshire
USA
359 Posts |
Posted - Oct 29 2006 : 07:37:45 AM
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To scrub sinks, I dip 1/2 a lemon into Borax and scrub away.
If you have a garbage disposal, drop the used-up lemon in it along with some baking soda and turn on the faucet to clean and freshen the disposer while it grinds up.
I'm a firm believer in rags & soak the grubby rags in a bucket of Borax & water for a few hours before laundering, it brightens the rags and is much gentler than bleach. This also works for brightening white canvas Keds.
Since I live in a humid area and Borax tends to clump in humidity, I funnel it from the box into an old-fashioned 1/2 gallon glass milk bottle with a lid. Plus, it just looks cuter.
After you've been cleaning organically for awhile, you'll come to love how "clean" really smells - which is nothing like a chemically bottled pine forest :-) |
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Beemoosie
True Blue Farmgirl
2077 Posts
Bonnie
New York
USA
2077 Posts |
Posted - Oct 29 2006 : 08:36:44 AM
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Yes ladies...I felt so good buying my first big box of Borax yesterday!(for under 4bucks!, maybe under 3, I forget!)
This is a great place to be and learn! I love and appreciate all your help and ideas, it's just fun getting to hear from like-minded women.
Michele...yes! I love Proverbs and the whole BIG BOOK it comes from!!! Nothing like the Bible to teach you to be a wife and mother, right!?
...she is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.
Prov 31:10 |
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Lavender Cottage
True Blue Farmgirl
273 Posts
Ellen
USA
273 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2006 : 10:45:05 AM
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Bonnie-lots of great tips here-I didn't see this one mentioned and not sure if it's on the box, but I also use borax to make a dry carpet freshening sprinkle and then vacuum it up. I have it in a jar with a sprinkle top. It is about a cup of borax with a few drops of essential oil-currently peppermint. Oh-and I freshen my toilets with the same mixture-sprinkle it in and let it sit, brush and flush.
Ellen in MI |
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salt.marsh.selkie
Farmgirl at Heart
9 Posts
Marie
Woburn
MA
USA
9 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2006 : 2:50:52 PM
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Hi ladies,
I've found a great bunch of resources for information and recipes to make organic and all-natural cleaning products. Since most of the stuff in the stores is full of surficants, bleaches, immuno-supressabts and other stuff that pollutes the water supply, our air, and does crazy things to our bodies, I went hunting for good, sound advice.
Annie Berthold-Bond is the queen of green cleaners in my book. She can be found (with lot's of great advice and recipes for cleaners as well as home beauty and health recommendations) at ,www.care2.com/healthyliving> She also wrote these great books. I recommend them all...Start with "Clean and Green'. It's an inexpensive paperback and it is awesome!
"Clean and Green" is a MUST HAVE!
"Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living"
"The Green Kitchen Handbook: Practical Advice, References and Sources"
"Home Enlightenment"
All available on Amazon, but, hopefully you can find them at the library, or second hand or at an independent bookstore!
Happy cleaning, and breathing and less polluting!
-Marie |
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Beemoosie
True Blue Farmgirl
2077 Posts
Bonnie
New York
USA
2077 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2006 : 04:49:40 AM
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Ok, I know I am a little obsessed with this Borax stuff; but if any of you are interested and need to learn a little more as I did, you can download a booklet. You will need ADOBE on your computer to do this. If you can't down load it you can call the 800# on the Borax box. http://www.dialcorp.com/index.cfm?page_id=56
...she is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.
Prov 31:10
www.beequilting.blogspot.com |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2006 : 9:05:24 PM
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Cool link, Bonnie! I just cleaned my refrigerator with Borax and water last week and it actually got the "hand dirt" (ick) off the white plastic handle that even a bleach cleanser didn't touch... great stuff, indeed!
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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Cleaning Up: Need some lessons! |
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Need some lessons!
