Going Green Cleaning...

[MrSquished]

What kind of stuff are you using that is more environmentally friendly? Was just doing my usual Friday afternoon condo cleaning - great way to enter the weekend, and then Monday starts off with a thoroughly cleaned place. A few vacuums over the week and some spot surface cleaning is maintenance.

Starting about five years ago I basically converted most of my cleaning supplies to eco-friendly stuff. My sister is very crunchy in this way so I often take her suggestions while doing a minimal amount of my own research, saving me time. She is thorough about this stuff. I'm down to eco-friendly spray clean for surfaces/kitchen/bathroom - save windex for glass, but will switch to vinegar based for that soon. For my general surface spray you can see a bottle with the label scraped off, and the bottle of Biokleen All Purpose Cleaner. That bottle is concentrated - has been refilling that one spray bottle for a couple years or so. Saves me from throwing out plastic spray bottles. Considering I refill it once every 4-6 weeks, that's a lot of spray bottles saved over years. The biokleen still has some chemicals, but it's mostly natural and far far less toxic than your garden variety cleaning sprays.

The microfiber cloths are recycled plastic so now I barely use any paper towels when I wipe any of my surfaces or clean my bathroom/kitchen.

My dish sponges are all plant based - plastic free - the thick wiry scrubby part is coconut parts, and they work well. Clothes washing liquid is perfume and dye free. But I could go greener there. For full chemical warfare I still use Cascade dishwasher pods, but will try to change when this Costco box is empty, in about a year lol Also for toilet bowl cleaner, I use the bleachy stuff. The crunchy toilet bowl cleaner I tried I did not like, but I should try more products.

Could always be cool to find out of new products and brands and tricks that people use to have a smaller environmental footprint for things we do around the house all the time.

 

[nakedfrog]

Honestly, for basic "dirt", spraying with water then using elbow grease with a microfiber cloth can get a lot of cleaning done.

 

[lxskllr]

Baking soda and/or vinegar. Between the two, I can clean just about anything.

 

[MrSquished]

Honestly, for basic "dirt", spraying with water then using elbow grease with a microfiber cloth can get a lot of cleaning done.

Yeah I'm not there for bathrooms and kitchens and even coffee tables. Sometimes stuff is sticky. It's much better with a cleaning spray that's biodegradable and a low environmental impact.

Baking soda and/or vinegar. Between the two, I can clean just about anything.

Definitely a bunch of eco friendly cleaning supplies can be vinegar based. I have some. Also citrus is commonly an ingredient. The Bon Ami can you see in my photo is essentially baking soda, however it contains some exfoliants in it to make it much easier to clean with far less elbow grease. Use that for stove, sink, bathtub. But yes it's baking soda mostly, that's the main ingredient. Just easier to scrub with due to the exfoliants. You can also use vinegar with Bon Ami, unlike Comet and Ajax where you can't. Even more cleaning power. Chemical free.

 

[nakedfrog]

Yeah I'm not there for bathrooms and kitchens and even coffee tables. Sometimes stuff is sticky. It's much better with a cleaning spray that's biodegradable and a low environmental impact.

Oh, yeah, not so much for bathroom stuff 😅

 

[BoomerD]

Meh…if simple run of the mill cleaners don’t do the job, then I don’t care if the cleaner contains nuclear waste…as long as it does the job.

 

[Oyeve]

I use Dr. Bronners peppermint castile soap for everything. 1 part soap to ten parts water in a spray bottle. Gets right through grease and dirt. Kills flies and other insects almost instantly and you can even brush your teeth with it. It's great stuff.

 

[MrSquished]

Meh…if simple run of the mill cleaners don’t do the job, then I don’t care if the cleaner contains nuclear waste…as long as it does the job.

That's the thing, these work. Like I said I'm still trying to find a toilet bowl cleaner and dishwasher pods I'm good with. I need to start trying more products, I've only tried the biokleen toilet bowl cleaner and one type of more natural dishwasher pod. Next time you run out of a cleaning spray or Ajax or what not, try one of these products. Why not right?

We've been polluting this earth like crazy. If millions and millions used less plastic (concentrated cleaning spray, get a glass dispenser bottle in your bathroom and kitchen, and refill your hand soaps from a big container, and your dish soaps also), and millions and millions of us used more chemical free products, it adds up to a ton of less pollution. These are the small things we can do on the day to day with little effort really. But the younger folks deserve a better planet. Let Elon the fucknut go to Mars, but the rest of us should make this planet better. In the ways we can. I'm no lifelong hippie or crunchy crusader, but once you stop and think, it makes sense. This is just what I did 4-5 years ago. Better late than never. Especially since I vote based on environmental issues.

I use Dr. Bronners peppermint castile soap for everything. 1 part soap to ten parts water in a spray bottle. Gets right through grease and dirt. Kills flies and other insects almost instantly and you can even brush your teeth with it. It's great stuff.

That is good stuff. I use their peppermint castile body wash in the shower. But all their products are quite good.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

While not as extreme as @BoomerD, I'm in his camp.

If I can get away with using something basic like Water/Vinegar/IPA to get something clean, I absolutely will.

If the task calls for bleach, well then its bleach.

If paint absolutely has to come off of something, then its acetone, etc etc etc.

I'll make the "green" choice where it makes sense and when its economical but I'm not going to bend over backward when individuals are really a very minor (but often visible) part of a much larger industrial scale problem.

Look at all that "green" stuff in the OG picture that comes in plastic garbage that will pollute the earth for the next 100,000 years...

My wife got a glass laundry detergent bottle from a "green" detergent company but guess what? ALL THE REFILL PACKS COME IN TINY 24 OZ PLASTIC POUCHES! I'm better off buying the bulk 3 gallons of kirkland brand detergent that comes in a fucking drum. Stuff lasts me an entire year and uses the same amount of plastic and the "green" stuff that lasts a month.

 

[nakedfrog]

While not as extreme as @BoomerD, I'm in his camp.

If I can get away with using something basic like Water/Vinegar/IPA to get something clean, I absolutely will.

If the task calls for bleach, well then its bleach.

If paint absolutely has to come off of something, then its acetone, etc etc etc.

I'll make the "green" choice where it makes sense and when its economical but I'm not going to bend over backward when individuals are really a very minor (but often visible) part of a much larger industrial scale problem.

Look at all that "green" stuff in the OG picture that comes in plastic garbage that will pollute the earth for the next 100,000 years...

My wife got a glass laundry detergent bottle from a "green" detergent company but guess what? ALL THE REFILL PACKS COME IN TINY 24 OZ PLASTIC POUCHES! I'm better off buying the bulk 3 gallons of kirkland brand detergent that comes in a fucking drum. Stuff lasts me an entire year and uses the same amount of plastic and the "green" stuff that lasts a month.

It would be nice for containerless stores to become more of a thing. Hey, how about instead of me putting this detergent bottle in the recycling bin, I just bring it back to the store and fill it with more detergent, you know?

 

[MrSquished]

While not as extreme as @BoomerD, I'm in his camp.

If I can get away with using something basic like Water/Vinegar/IPA to get something clean, I absolutely will.

If the task calls for bleach, well then its bleach.

If paint absolutely has to come off of something, then its acetone, etc etc etc.

I'll make the "green" choice where it makes sense and when its economical but I'm not going to bend over backward when individuals are really a very minor (but often visible) part of a much larger industrial scale problem.

Look at all that "green" stuff in the OG picture that comes in plastic garbage that will pollute the earth for the next 100,000 years...

My wife got a glass laundry detergent bottle from a "green" detergent company but guess what? ALL THE REFILL PACKS COME IN TINY 24 OZ PLASTIC POUCHES! I'm better off buying the bulk 3 gallons of kirkland brand detergent that comes in a fucking drum. Stuff lasts me an entire year and uses the same amount of plastic and the "green" stuff that lasts a month.

As mentioned, one big bottle is concentrated cleaning spray - it's like a syrup. I've had the same plastic spray bottle for years, I use a capful of the concentrated stuff and mix it with water in the spray bottle to make my basic surface cleaning sprays. The concentrate bottle has also lasted years. For hand soap and dish soap, I use glass bottles and use big bottles of dish soap and hand soap to refill those. I do buy the big bulk Kirkland clothes detergent that is dye and perfume free. Lasts like a year for me.

The stainless steel cleaner doesn't come in a concentrate unfortunately. The dish sponge as mentioned is all natural, haven't used a plastic sponge in years.

It would be nice for containerless stores to become more of a thing. Hey, how about instead of me putting this detergent bottle in the recycling bin, I just bring it back to the store and fill it with more detergent, you know?

They have those, but that type of business only really works in small wealthier progressive towns so far. I would love it if Whole Foods or any grocery store did it. I would jump on that. That's why I use the concentrated stuff where it makes sense, and glass bottles also.

 

[nakedfrog]

They have those, but that type of business only really works in small wealthier progressive towns so far. I would love it if Whole Foods or any grocery store did it. I would jump on that. That's why I use the concentrated stuff where it makes sense, and glass bottles also.

I'm aware they exist, hence my statement about wishing they were more of a thing

 

[GodisanAtheist]

It would be nice for containerless stores to become more of a thing. Hey, how about instead of me putting this detergent bottle in the recycling bin, I just bring it back to the store and fill it with more detergent, you know?

- We get milk from a dairy called "Strauss" and it is a great concept. All the milk comes in glass bottles (and its really fucking good milk too) and when you buy it from the store you pay a $3 per bottle deposit.

When the milk is gone you rinse out the bottle and bring it back to the store and they'll credit you the $3 back and the creamery will pick up the empty bottles when delivering fresh milk. They wash the bottles and then refill them.

All said and done its $5.00 for a half gallon of whole milk, which is pretty middle of the pack for milk round these parts.

Basically a milkman program.

 

[nakedfrog]

- We get milk from a dairy called "Strauss" and it is a great concept. All the milk comes in glass bottles (and its really fucking good milk too) and when you buy it from the store you pay a $3 per bottle deposit.

When the milk is gone you rinse out the bottle and bring it back to the store and they'll credit you the $3 back and the creamery will pick up the empty bottles when delivering fresh milk. They wash the bottles and then refill them.

All said and done its $5.00 for a half gallon of whole milk, which is pretty middle of the pack for milk round these parts.

Basically a milkman program.

Used to do that too, but I'm off cow milk now, it's all about dem coconut or almond titties.

 

[MrSquished]

- We get milk from a dairy called "Strauss" and it is a great concept. All the milk comes in glass bottles (and its really fucking good milk too) and when you buy it from the store you pay a $3 per bottle deposit.

When the milk is gone you rinse out the bottle and bring it back to the store and they'll credit you the $3 back and the creamery will pick up the empty bottles when delivering fresh milk. They wash the bottles and then refill them.

All said and done its $5.00 for a half gallon of whole milk, which is pretty middle of the pack for milk round these parts.

Basically a milkman program.

That's cool, probably works better in smaller towns.

I switched to Oat milk a while back for most things - and the brand I use, Oatly full fat, comes in cardboard container at least. I know some oat milks come in plastic bottles, I avoided those. Oatly is a great blend of price and quality and taste as well. Will never quit cheese or creamy sauces ever though!

It's all very personal, do what you can where you can. I quit the dairy milk mostly for the environment. Ditto with cutting back on meat. I am not nearly a vegetarian but I eat half the meat I used to, especially red meat. That I cut back a ton.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

That's cool, probably works better in smaller towns.

I switched to Oat milk a while back for most things - and the brand I use, Oatly full fat, comes in cardboard container at least. I know some oat milks come in plastic bottles, I avoided those. Oatly is a great blend of price and quality and taste as well. Will never quit cheese or creamy sauces ever though!

It's all very personal, do what you can where you can. I quit the dairy milk mostly for the environment. Ditto with cutting back on meat. I am not nearly a vegetarian but I eat half the meat I used to, especially red meat. That I cut back a ton.

- The Creamery itself is located up in Point Reyes National Seashore (those were the happiest cows I have ever god damn seen, no wonder that milk is so good) but the delivery service seems to be present throughout the Bay Area, although predominantly at non-chain local grocers.

I could see most greater metro areas having a similar program be successful so long as they were even remotely near a dairy farm.

Now if only such a program extended to more than just milk, it would really be something.

 

[BoomerD]

- We get milk from a dairy called "Strauss" and it is a great concept. All the milk comes in glass bottles (and its really fucking good milk too) and when you buy it from the store you pay a $3 per bottle deposit.

When the milk is gone you rinse out the bottle and bring it back to the store and they'll credit you the $3 back and the creamery will pick up the empty bottles when delivering fresh milk. They wash the bottles and then refill them.

All said and done its $5.00 for a half gallon of whole milk, which is pretty middle of the pack for milk round these parts.

Basically a milkman program.

Fuck that. I think I paid $3.29 for a gallon of milk (in a plastic jug) yesterday. Those (allegedly) get recycled into plastic grocery bags...allegedly.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Fuck that. I think I paid $3.29 for a gallon of milk (in a plastic jug) yesterday. Those (allegedly) get recycled into plastic grocery bags...allegedly.

-I suspect you are not in a high COL area?

 

[WilliamM2]

-I suspect you are not in a high COL area?

Why? I'm in a very high cost of living area. Milk is still only $2.59 to $3 a gallon, depending on which store I shop at.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Why? I'm in a very high cost of living area. Milk is still only $2.59 to $3 a gallon, depending on which store I shop at.

-Maybe I just shop at bougie places then

 

[lxskllr]

Aldi was $2.38 last week. Not sure what typical stores charge, but I'd guess $3.50.

 

[BoomerD]

-I suspect you are not in a high COL area?

Not really. It was a Safeway "off brand. Darigold runs close to $5/gallon.

 

[manly]

-Maybe I just shop at bougie places then

You just described most of the Bay Area.

Wasn't the milk man knocking up housewives the norm 60 years ago? j/k
There was some pilot program to try and replicate reusable containers for popular consumer goods; haven't heard anything about it in a couple years. It didn't sound super practical.

LOL it was actually 5 years ago; it must have failed despite the pandemic keeping bodies at home.

How to solve the worldâs plastics problem: Bring back the milk man

Loop, a shopping service from Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Nestlé and others seeks to reduce plastic pollution by delivering your household items in reusable packaging just like milk men of the past.

www.cnn.com

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Not really. It was a Safeway "off brand. Darigold runs close to $5/gallon.

-Well here in smell your own fartsville a half gallon of the good shit will set you back about $5.

 

[BoomerD]

-Well here in smell your own fartsville a half gallon of the good shit will set you back about $5.

Comes from "speshul" cows?