Safe Luxury

What are good pet-safe or all natural home cleaning remedies?

For kitchen and bathroom.. and does anyone use baking soda in the cat box?

Public Comments

1. I use steam cleaners to clean the floors and counter tops because they don't use chemicals....just make sure the cat stays away from the steam while you are cleaning because it could burn the cat. Also vinegar and water solutions work well for grimy counter tops. I don't think it is safe to ingest, but there are no harmful odors and it is biodegradable...I use Borax to clean the toilet...it works great. You sprinkle it on wait about an hour (or more if you have time) then scrub the toilet. You can also use Borax to clean almost any hard surface. For the microwave I use a half an orange, half a lemon and a half cup of vinegar. I microwave it for five minutes, then I take a rag and wipe off the grimy inside and dispose of the lemon/ orange/ vinegar mixture. It works better than anything else I have ever tried. I don't use baking soda for the litter box, because frankly when you need the baking soda it's really time to just clean out the litter box.
2. I am a big advocate of using baking soda in the base of the litter box unless you purchase Arm&Hammer Essential which has baking soda already mixed. For general cleaning such as countertops I use Natural Works;this is a product that's inexpensive and available at most stores. However for unexpected accidents;try Nature's Miracle.This is great. I also use to get the sweat from my athletic clothes.
3. We use scrubbing bubbles, Vim, Mr. Clean and other stuff but they all save one point keeping the cat away. Shut a door, lock the cat in another room, or just let the cat out if they are an outside one while your cleaning. Baking soda? in the litter box? never used it but it is suppose to diminish the smell right? you can buy the litter that has baking soda in it but I am not sure the cats will like the smell of it.
4. Sarah, bless you for asking. Please go to methodhome.com. method has the best cleaning products and are entirely safe to use around pets. I buy my method cleaning products at Target. Yes, I also use baking soda in the litterbox. I use the pelleted sawdust (Feline Pine or similar store brand) litter and it works great. Baking soda is also great as a sink and tub cleaner (gets rid of stains and soap scum).
5. There are some really random cleaning remedies that are out there. Here are a couple that I would never have guessed of... - Gum in carpet? Heat the gum up with a hair dryer and then rub in some Bengay. Apparently it has a chemical called "methyl salicylate" that will remove it. - Baby Food Spill: There are some pretty strong dyes in baby food and the magic home remedy? Shaving Cream. There are a bunch more at the source I have posted here. Really random and strange cleaning tips that actually have a tendency to work.