Less Toxic Cleaning Products

Finding cleaning products that don’t cause me to have an allergic reaction took some time. A great resource that I purchased to help me live with less toxicity was, “Less Toxic Alternatives” by Carolyn Gorman  with Marie Hyde.

For me I have found that most free and clear products from Seventh Generation are ok.  I also have found that Super Clean by AFM works as a heavy-duty cleaner and diluted to make a pre-wash spray.  I can tolerate borax and plain baking soda (not the arm and hammer laundry soap).  I use Bon Ami for scrubbing and chlorine free bleach agents made from peroxide.  AFM makes a product called Safety Clean for toilets.

The downside is that my whites don’t get as clean as they used to with all the chemically loaded products and bleach that I used to tolerate.  It is something that I am willing to live with in exchange for less chemicals.

Recently I purchased a system by Lotus that ozonates the water for cleaning.  The water has very good cleaning and sanitizing properties.  I use it for several of my cleaning needs.  I use it for cleaning my floors, kitchen counters and showers.

Another very important purchase for me was a scrubber for my tile floors.  I had tried just using my steamer with pad but it didn’t get the dirt out of the grout or the pits in the tile.  I purchased a scrubber that did a little better on the surface but still did not clean the grout, edges of the tile or get  the dirt out of the pits and crevices in the tile itself.  Out of desperation I decided to purchase a commercial product by Koblenz.  This works great and it turned out to be less expensive that the noncommercial scrubber I had.

I would love to hear from those that read this post how they manage to safely clean their homes.  Please let me know what you have found to be safe.  I am sure others will also benefit from your ideas and suggestions.

How Do You Get Fragrances and Chemicals Out of New Clothes?

Those of us who have MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) are all to familiar with the daunting task of getting fragrances and chemicals out of clothes that have been purchased in  the store or in online shops.  I have found that online purchases are usually easier to deal with as they haven’t been exposed to as many fragrances and other chemicals found  in most department stores.

Depending on where the piece of clothing was purchased and the fabric it is made of plays a big role in how many times I have to wash the item.  For new purchases, I place the clothing in the washing machine with baking soda, powdered milk and 7th Generation Laundry Soap.  I allow the machine to agitate a little and then let the clothing soak for an hour or two.   Once the soaking has stopped, I finish the washing cycle and take a whiff.  Generally it can take three to four washings to be able to tolerate the item. If this doesn’t work I may add a little AFM Super Clean to a wash cycle.  Some of my information has come from a book by Carolyn Gorman with Marie Hyde.  The book is titled, Less-Toxic Alternatives.

I know others who have literally had to boil their clothes to get some of the formaldehyde and other chemicals out.

I am curious what have you tried to remove chemicals and fragrances from new clothing?