Our problem is my husband and I both lived alone for many years before getting married and we each have our favorites. We also have preferences for soap, toothpaste and some laundry products.

Right now we have:
Toilet cleaner - no preference
Fantastic - his
Shelia Shine - mine
Clorox wipes - mine
Method Shower spray - his, but I don't think he uses it
Windex - his
Method something cleaner (safe for stone) -mine
Pledge - his
Lemon Oil - mine
barkeepers friend - ours
Pine sol - the last housekeeper's

It's crazy...And we've actually given some up. Ugh, now I have something else for my "to do" list....

1929 - Sounds like the movie "Yours Mine and Ours" :)

I'd be open to some "homemade" ones as well! Anything to get rid of some of these bottles!

I think I have all of the above except Sheila Shine and barkeepers friend. I think I'll get them.

I also have febreeze
carpet cleaner / spot remover
mop and glow
Scrubbin' bubbles

and probably a few others. But certainly, this list can be cut down. I would like to get a simplified list of products for under the sink - daily / weekly use and have everything else in the garage.

Liquid Gold
Windex
Tilex
Dawn Dishwashing Liquid (for poison ivy & dishes)
Cascade
Comet
Some kind of toilet bowl cleaner
10 million gallons of bleach
All laundry detergent
Amway LOC for restaurant work stains
Resolve/Spray and Wash
Mr. Clean erasers.

Shampoo.
Dove.

I have a lot, I guess. I notice I don't have duplicates.
I've recently added a gallon of white vinegar to get the lime off my gorgeous chrome MBR fixtures. Vinegar does a lot of good things like mirrors, too.

Good question.

I use a good liquid soap called Miracle Soap, baking soda, washing soda, white vinegar and Thieves essential oil cleaner. Rarely, rarely some bleach. That's it for cleaning products. All non-toxic (except the bleach). All work great. It is entirely possible to avoid that nasty cleaner aisle in the grocery all together. It's all marketing that sells that stuff, not necessity.
I get a headache when I venture down that aisle to grab a scrubby or something like that.

I try to avoid chemicals and use mainly vinegar for cleaning with a few other natural products. I use:

alcohol/water/lavendar for counters and stainless
vinegar/water for damp mopping floors
vinegar or baking soda for toilets
vinegar for sinks
dry swiffer 360 dust things
tea tree oil in water for showers
vinegar in place of fabric softener in laundry

I do use carpet cleaners on occassion, but dilute them as I find the odors far too strong. Would love to be rid of all carpet in the house!

I used to have SO much of this stuff!! I threw it all away when we moved, and now all i have is

Dishsoap
Barkeeper's Friend
Dishwasher tabs

Method cleaner
Toilet cleaner

I use alcohol and water for everything else. I tried it on the soap scum in the acrylic tub, but went to the Method because I was SICK of standing on my head for an hour.

Nancy

I gotta tell you I cringe when I read lavender!

As a 30 year yoga teacher, I've smelled a lotta stuff. Hazard of the job. In the last decade, with aroma therapy becoming a rage, lavender is used frequently for relaxation.

Ok, fine. But the lavender yoga mat cleaners they sell have RUINED it for me. Imagine how stinky, sweaty bodies and feet combine with the ... scent ... of lavender.

Makes me wanna yak.

Sandra. Clever of you to use tea tree oil for the shower! As an anti-fungal, that's brilliant.

Thanks all! So many great natural ideas! I do like Method products as well.

1929/Dilly - I've never heard of Sheila Shine. What is that used for/on?

Dretutz - Both you and Sandra have suggested alcohol/water/lavendar for counters and stainless. I'll have to try that!

Sandra - Re: the tea tree oil in water. What is the ratio water:oil? Do you have it in a spray bottle? (i.e. How do you apply it? Spray or wipe it on?) Also question about Vinegar in washer as softener. Does it really eliminate the static? And no funny smell? Do you put it in the fabric softener dispenser?

CEF - That doesn't sound like a good combination at all! :(

Thanks!!!

Shelia Shine is for stainless. It's more of a polish/protector, than a cleaner for something like a range. It leaves a nice finish.

Mrs Meyers Basil cleaner (I mix it in different strengths depending on what it will be used for)
Vinegar and water
Barkeepers Friend
stainless steel cleaner (sample bottle that came with the range...I'll have to buy some. Though the guy who installed my range told me to us WD40...)
Weiman's glass cooktop cleaner (works a treat on the granite inset in my DR--and on my Caeserstone)
Dawn for Dishes
Cascade dishtabs

Lysol bathroom cleaner

That's pretty much it!

I use very few cleaners. I can't breathe around many of them.

I do use:

vinegar
some bleach
shout on laundry and arm & hammer detergent
dawn
simple green
pledge

dow bathroom cleaner - I use this on lots of things (not wood)

and I'll have to start using a dw cleaner eventually

For over a year now, I have been ordering cleaning products from mrsjonessoapbox.com. and I love them. First learned about them through Country Living and then found them on etsy. I can't say enough good things about them! They clean great, smell good and are very safe for the environment. I went from using about 10 products to four. Highly recommend them.

For over a year now, I have been ordering cleaning products from mrsjonessoapbox.com. and I love them. First learned about them through Country Living and then found them on etsy. I can't say enough good things about them! They clean great, smell good and are very safe for the environment. I went from using about 10 products to four. Highly recommend them.

Yes, way too many cleaning supplies....

add to the list "touch of purple" which is a natural product, great for cleaning mirrors, jewelry, eyeglasses, and computer screens...

Actually I have even a lot more than you've listed. I've been trying green Tbowl cleaners, but have to admit, I don't like the job they do and I'm going to switch back, at least for some of the time.

Vinegar
Hydrogen peroxide
Anti-bacterial dish soap
Fragrance-free wash soap
Occasional bleach.
Occasional rubbing alcohol.

I am a sucker for a good cleaning advertisement and when I need something clean I but all three or thirty products that say they can do the job. THese go into various spots in the house, often not even used. Literally I probably have over a hundred different cleaning products scattered about here that either I bought or they came with the house.

Now here's the funny part....I have a housekeeper. I never use the products and she brings her own LMAO I'm also not obsessively clean...nor do I hoard, I just like to have something available should the desire overtake me to clean something.

OK I"m a freak....for me there is no cure LOL

I also love paint and paint brushes....Now those I actually use, but really, I probably have twenty gallons waiting to be used....do I really need to buy that far in advance???? :p

Arm and Hammer liquid laundry soap
Dawn Power Clean dish soap works great
Comet
Simple Green for everything else in various dilutions cleans everything!
Vinegar for windows and mirrors
Microfiber or cotton/flour sack type instead of paper towels

I went through the get-rid-of-the-1000-bottles-of-cleaning-products a few years ago. I used everything I had,bought the Simple Green, and have not looked back. I spend waaaayyyyy less money now to be sure.

Right now, I'm working on removing chemicals from personal hygiene products and think I'm settled with Alaffia Black Soap (which is actually a tan color) instead of Dr. Bronners because there's no bathtub ring. Shea Moisture Shampoo and Long Hair Lovers Conditioner though my hair was protesting the lack of silicones, a few drops of Argan or Camellia oil seem to do the trick of getting rid of frizz.

It's hard being healthy and environmentally aware!

@BlackChamois - The tea tree oil is no set ratio. I have a spray bottle, fill it with warm water, add drops. I don't know, maybe 20? I spray the tea tree, let it sit for a bit and then hop in the shower, clean wipe everything down with a damp cloth that I spray with a bit more tea tree mixture, then I rinse everything and continue on with my shower. I love the smell of tea tree oil, not sure why.

With the vinegar, yes for the most part it eliminates static. And yes, I use it in the fabric softener dispenser. In the driest parts of the year, I do add a small amount of fabric softener to the vinegar. I find that say with towels that I used to have the biggest static problem with, ensuring they are properly rinsed and don't have too much detergent to begin with is a biggie in deleting static.

My next thing to try with vinegar is in place of rinse aid in the dishwasher.

I won't even begin to list how many cleaning products are in my house. It's. Absolutely. Terrifying.

That being said, I'm working on getting rid of much of it and using more natural/earth friendly methods.

One thing that I am having a tough time giving up is my toilet bowl cleaner with bleach. I just haven't found anything that makes me feel like the toilet is as clean as when I use some bleach based product.

Just mixed up a batch of baking soda, essential oils (eucalyptus and peppermint), a little bit of Dawn dishwashing liquid, and enough water to make a paste. This was used to scrub the tub which gets absolutely horrible because it's an old porcelain tub (but the finish was messed up from the previous owners)...it got it as clean as the harsher cleansers I've used with about the same amount of effort. Bonus is that it smelled lovely, way better than most cleaning products you can buy in the store.

Looking forward to hearing more about some of the alternate cleaning products that people use.

Seventh Generation Multi-purpose
Seventh Generation Mold & Mildew
Baking Soda/Vinegar
Essential oils tea tree, eucalyptus etc for disinfecting the shower/bath/faucets/hardware
"Twist" sponge cloths reusable"non paper" towels--THESE ARE GREAT !!! I was never a big paper towel user as I couldn't see spending the money on them and have no storage for them
Bleach for white tea towels

I was disturbed to find out that the Method products I've always used
do not rate very well on the Environmental Working Group's health and safety rating scale.
Check out the Environmental Working Group's useful online guide.
You can search your product.

Here is a link that might be useful: Guide to healthy cleaning

I'd never thought of rubbing alcohol as a household cleaner. My thanks to its listers. I gave it a try on the immovable schmutz on my dogs' plastic collars and voila, schmutz gone.

So what do you use rubbing alcohol for when cleaing?

I use a solution of water and rubbing alcohol
for cleaning the honed marble floor and counters in my bathroom.
I also use it for cleaning the stainless steel appliances in the kitchen.
I use catmom's recipe (a Gardenweb favorite).

francoise47
weiman's & barkeeper's friend on the negative list, I was just about to buy them. Seventh Generation multi cleaner/auto DW gel on the negative list also :( :( :(

Alcohol/water for windows, mirrors, bathroom sinks, counter tops (solid surface in the kitchen and quartz in the bathroom), and nearly everything else except painted walls.

It's the oxalic acid that puts BKF on the naughty list. I use the liquid kind, which is less problematic. If you want a fine abrasive WITHOUT OA then I'd use Bon Ami. The powder formula is great, and very safe.