Non-Toxic Cleaning Products
The 2008 Best of Denver Westword Awards were announced this week. My friend Tonya Reichley, won The Best Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products. Tonja is an herbalist and makes all-natural, non-toxic cleaners at her Denver Boutique, MoonDance Botanicals.
We celebrated her all-natural products with an all-natural lunch at the new Parsley Restaurant on 303 W. 11th Ave, in Denver. We had organic salads, sandwiches, Terra Chips, Theo Fair Trade Chocolate, and Honest Tea. Yum! What a great lunch. I’m adding Parsley Restaurant to my list of Healthy Discoveries. I think it’ll be my new favorite lunch spot.
MoonDance has already been a long time Healthy Discovery; I find ways to mention it frequently, ahem… this blog post for instance. Tonja is graciously allowing me to post some of her non-toxic cleaning recipes. Consider trying one of these next time you’re cleaning. They are safe, environmentally friendly alternatives to the commercial cleaners available in supermarkets.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
1/2 cup baking soda
couple teaspoons of lavender or tea tree oil (optional)
chase with a hot cup of water
Your toilet bowl will fuzz like you just dropped alka-seltzer in a glass of water; scrub and flush.
Floors
4 parts water
1 part white distilled vinegar.
All Purpose Cleaner (sinks, counter tops, tiles)
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup white distilled vinegar
1 heaping teaspoon borax
60 drops of essential oil (your choice; lemon, lavender, orange, etc)
Mix all ingredients into a spray bottle. Shake well before using.
If you don’t want to make your own cleaners call Tonja at, 303-263-7275 she will mail her all-natural, organic, non-toxic award winning cleaners to you. If you live in Denver just drop by her shop, 307 W. 11th Ave., her gourmet bath and beauty boutique is adorable. She is also teaching a Natural House Cleaning class on April 12, 3:00-4:30, $20 per person. You will make your own all- purpose aromatherapeutic cleanser and a softly-abrasive scrub. I took the class last year and learned so many things about non-toxic cleaning that I didn’t know before.
Finally, if you are looking to purchase non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaners in your area, Tonja cautions people to beware of some brands that market themselves as “natural” because they are not natural. These are the four commercial companies she does recommend:
Thanks for the info!