I'm sold

guest post by my mom

You know I'm currently spring cleaning. I am pretty sure I've also mentioned that I am trying to start replacing my conventional cleaners with more environmentally-friendly ones. This is two-fold in that I've been wanting to switch so that the cleaners used are safer around my daughter and pets, but also because it goes hand in hand with de-cluttering. Using products that serve multiple purposes means that there is less clutter in our cabinets and house. It's a win-win in my book.

While reading Organized Simplicity, I was excited to try using vinegar and baking soda for my cleaning. I had been using baking soda in my bathrooms, but hadn't used up all my all-purpose cleaner until just recently. So, when I finally used up the last bits of Lysol, I took the plunge. Unfortunately, I really didn't like the smell of vinegar and I found that using baking soda in other areas of cleaning left an icky, white residue. Not really what I was going for.

On several other blogs, I had seen folks mention Basic H2. It's an organic cleaner that literally has hundreds of uses. Literally. Crystal over at MoneySavingMom uses it, and I've been pleased in the past with her recommendations, so I decided to try it.

And I LOVE it.

These are the products that were in my cleaning cabinet prior to using Basic H2:

And this is what's in there now:

Notice most of what is left is actually laundry items, not cleaners. Basic H2 comes as a concentrate. I bought the starter kit and so it came with 3 spray bottles. You dilute the concentrate slightly differently depending on the use (i.e. 1/4 t. Basic H2 + 16oz water for all-purpose cleaner, but only 1-2 drops of Basic H2 + 16oz water for the window cleaner dilution), which is where the spray bottles come in. I also added a few drops of my favorite essential oil to each bottle since Basic H2 doesn't have a smell. I like it to smell "clean" after I'm done doing the work :)

I think what I am most impressed with is just how many uses there is for this stuff and how little you need to clean. One bottle of concentrate makes the equivalent of over 5,000 bottles of Windex! It cuts grease wonderfully on my stove, and cleaned up some dirt spots on the upholstery on our couch. It can be used to dust wood furniture, clean windows and mirrors, do floors, and clean toilets. As best I can tell, it is THE ultimate all-purpose cleaner and best of all, it's non-toxic!

Have you tried Basic H2? Found any good uses for it?