Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Dilute bleach should be fine for cleaning most things, and doesn't have too much of a smell. You should be able to google what ratio is appropriate for disinfecting. I don't use it because I'm afraid of bleaching my clothes and towels, but I suppose it would make sense to disinfect the kitchen and bathroom once a week or so in scrubby clothes. I'm also not really sure that it would actually clean anything that is visibly dirty -- soap scum, mud, etc. Should be really good for mold and mildew though.

You shouldn't use bleach on cat urine because the reaction with ammonia can generate dangerous chlorine gas, but other than that it should be fine. Some claim its not very eco-friendly, but I don't know enough about bleach manufacturing to evaluate that claim. I do suspect that it isn't any less eco-friendly than store-bought cleaners.

Ah, yeah with birds that would make total sense. They're really sensitive!

I use dilute chlorine bleach solutions in the bathroom and kitchen just for it's disinfectant purposes. There's a generic all purpose cleaner I use (maybe cvs? One of the ones that doesn't test) that I like in the kitchen. it cuts grease well so it may have some surfactants. Like beanitarian said, I use it for mold, which builds up around our leaky windows in the winter and on our shower curtain. For soap scum I've had some luck with hot vinegar spray.

I don't know about the manufacturing process either. I know it's reactive enough that it breaks down quickly enough to not hurt waterways etc (unless you're dumping loads of it into a stream!!)

Bleach works but I can't deal with the smell. Blech.

How do you feel about tea tree oil? The smell is strong but it's not chemically. It also has some antimicrobial properties (don't know if it will kill bacteria in the bathroom/kitchen but it prevents infections in my piercings). You just need a fee drops to whatever cleaning spray you use. Also you could try high proof alcohol...we used pure ethanol in my lab to clean and sterilize; you won't find that on the market but isopropanol in a spray bottle might work ok in the bathroom.

I keep meaning to do the vinegar/peroxide thing. I even figured out the chemistry but I keep forgetting to actually use it.

i bought all-purpose 7th generation spray at my grocery store. i think i have lemongrass citrus scent. i'm definitely not in love with the scent, it reminds me of pepperoni or cafeteria school pizzas, but it's not awful and i'm getting used to it and the smell doesn't seem to linger so that's a good thing. i'm quite pleased with how well it cleans up the counters, stove, etc......

I've been switching most of my cleaners out for 7th generation stuff slowly, or whatever plant based cleaners are in the store. The wipes work good and they don't give me crazy allergic reactions. I'm super sensitive to petrochemicals and bleach.
The 7th generation hand soap has no animal products and is not animal tested.
I also buy the liquid dish soap, I'm not 100% sure about it being animal free, I'm just kind of assuming plant based means that it is.

just wanted to add that i've been really really pleased with my 7th generation all-purpose spray, it works so well! better than what i was using before!

I finally peeled back the label on my dish soap and the 7th generation is vegan!

I love Mrs. Meyers stuff. I'm really scent sensitive but that stuff doesn't bother me...I also use vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda.
And some kind of dish soap from the health food shop, there's a lavender variety and an orange one and we go between the two. One of the big brands.
And we use the Ecos laundry detergent from Costco.