Healthy Cleaning, The Seventh Generation Way

I don't like to clean house.  That is of no surprise to most of you.  One of the things that bothers me most about cleaning - well, other than the fact that it doesn't stay done for longer than a minute - would be the chemicals and the resultant odors. 

That's why I was happy - well, as happy as one can be to clean - to be asked to review the Seventh Generation cleaning products.  From the press release:

Now that spring has arrived, so has cleaning fever and National Cleaning Week (March 22- 28), but the very products used to clean and protect your home from germs could be harmful to your family and the environment.  More than 50% of human poison exposure victims are children younger than six years (American Association of Poison Control Centers) and with 63 hazardous chemical products in the average American household (Consumer Product Safety Commission), it’s no wonder that kids are coming into contact with harmful chemicals on a daily basis at home. 

 

According to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by Seventh Generation, 70% of parents with kids under six years old store their household cleaning products/solutions under the sink, but 47% cannot name one ingredient in the cleaners that they are using and storing within reach of their children! 

We received the dishwasher tablets, dish liquid, all purpose cleaner, tissues and paper towels, as well as a wonderful book on cleaning the natural way.  All of the products were a huge hit with my family - except for the paper stuff.  The paper towels are brown - nothing wrong with that, except that they resemble work towels - it's totally a mental thing.  And one I could get over.  The tissues, though, were rough, and I'm freakishly addicted to my Vicks Puffs. 

Want to win a gift basket of cleaning supplies to makeover your under the sink area in a non chemical manner?  Leave me a comment, telling me your most difficult area of cleaning - is it the toilet, the microwave, or staying on top of the dishes?

Comments

[Hayes]

Glad to hear you liked the cleaners! I need an alternative to my current items. My biggest hassle area is laundry. I always think I am done, and then someone has to go and get dirty!!

[karen]

Mine is definitely the microwave, you wouldn't believe the junk that can accumulate just after a few days, tea drinkers in my house, plus popcorn.
I don't really like to clean either, but I do like the feeling of a "just cleaned" house, of course that lasts about 2 mins.
LOL!

[emily]

I hate cleaning the floor, it just never stays clean, or maybe my vacuum is just really bad

[Lindsey]

Definitely the microwave. Not only is there caked on ick, but it's above our stove, which makes it incredibly awkward to scrub.

[Michele]

my biggest cleaning headache (aside from my kids rooms) is my white or cream kitchen colored linoleum floor. Argh. It's such a pain. One of those if I ever win the lottery I am going to replace that floor deals.

[Katherine]

How shall I put this delicately. Boys + Bathroom = NASTY Why can't boys aim? And who said they could stand up doing it anyway!! Plain and simple - you just can't get that smell out easily from a boys bathroom, no matter how hard you try. Sometimes I think it must be on the ceiling - because no matter how hard you scrub, you can still smell it. (are there TARGETS up there?!)

[Megan]

It's a toss-up between the bathroom, particularly the sink, and the carpeted floor just outside the bathroom where my cats track litter all.day.long.

[Kimberly]

Vacuuming. Hate it. And I also have hardwood. So we have to vacuum, then mop. Because I have a 2.5 yo boy, that's why.

[kelly smith]

mine is the bathroom. Picture it: me, my husband, my mother, 2 teenage boys, 1 teenage girl and 1 pre teen and One thats right ONE bathroom....you cant even imagine what my bathrom looks like on any day or hour of the week
kelly

[Jamie]

Bar none the laundry pile up followed by dirty dishes. I feel like I am constantly washing, loading, putting away. ACK!

[Liz in Seattle]

Gotta be the stovetop. I love my natural gas stove...way less expensive/more energy efficient/more precise. But doggone if gick doesn't accumulate faster. And because the stove is white, and the gick is not, pre-party kitchen scrubdowns are definitely tedious. And there are way more fumes than I like.

[Paige]

I really don't like to clean the toilet. There. I've said it. I also don't really like doing laundry. Ha!

[Camille]

Staying on top of the floors seems to be my trouble area...especially with four dogs! But it helps that my floors are tile and wood. :)

[Carmen]

This contest is closed, and the random.org generator has spoke - the winner is #11, Liz in Seattle.