What are the best products you make/buy/use for all cleaning aspects?

Dr. Bronner’s soap.

A dash of white vinegar in some water is a very easy way to clean. With a cloth, you can use that mixture to clean up dust, wash any surface, etc.

Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds.
I think it’s very environmentally responsible.
~$10 for 32 oz. bottle. (no refills available yet in SF bulk-type stores).
It’s concentrated, cleans very well & rinses quickly (vs. needing a lot of water).
The company does good community service as well.
“Not animal tested” says the bottle.
Biodegradable too.
Smells great cuz it has Fir Needle and Spruce oils. I love that.
It is an all-purpose cleaner.

It’s the best cleaner I can remember using.

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Oh! Regular cleaning soda (sodium carbonate or something?), I think is kin’a good too.
Super cheap like 39cents/lb. or sthg! and can be found at Rainbow Grocery in SF bulk section.

Also all-purpose, but, it does not rinse clean as easily as the Sal Suds.
Soapy film hangs on, despite rinsing. :(

I like the vinegar deal, cuz you can potentially make it yourself, and I don’t think it requires a lot of energy/chemical processing. I’ve only used it for counter tops and wooden hot tubs

I use Windex for everything. I have a bottle of it in my dorm room. Used it to clean up spills, clean my desk, clean my computer, the mirror, the windows, everything. It’s less strong than ammonia, but it contains ammonia and so it has similar cleaning power. It’s pretty good stuff. It also kills ants.

I use those Mr. Clean Magic erasers for a lot of stuff. They are the best cleaning product ever invented. I also use some Lysol 4 in 1 spray cleaner all over too. It has a lemon scent and it smells really clean.

Murphy’s Oil Soap is a fabulous cleaner for almost anything – it’s especially good for wood floors and furniture, but it also cuts through dirt on most other surfaces and makes them really easy to clean. The only thing it’s really not good for is glass – for that I use a spray bottle of white vinegar and wipe it with a piece of newspaper, which leaves it totally streak-free – even better than windex. For bathrooms, I like the scrubbing bubbles foam spray – no harsh cleaning scent like a lot of other bathroom cleaners have.

@knitfroggy – Be careful with the Mr. Clean erasers – they’re actually very fine grit sandpaper, so if you use them in the same place too many times (like on a spot of floor that’s always getting scuffed), they can end up wearing through the surface and taking off the top layer of paint or sealer. I love them too, though – they’re really great for scuffs on walls and other things that a regular cleaner would never get off.

@sdeutsch I didn’t know that so thanks for the info. I use them on my refrigerator door a lot because its impossuble to get grime off of it with just a rag. And they come in real handy if something gets on the wall!

Ecover
7th Generation
Method
They are all safe for the environment and non-toxic

@DominicX “I use Windex for everything” Have you ever seen the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”? When I read your answer that movie flashed in my mind :)

I like to use tap water with some bleach to clean the floors.

I use Method brand’s “Daily Shower Natural No Scrub Spray Cleaner: Ylang Ylang” after showering to clean & avoid soap scum, mildew, etc. It is “free of chemical residue and nasty toxins” and costs me less than having separate products to clean the tub & shower.

You shouldn’t use windex on things that have metal, like a glass table with a metal rim/base, because the amonia harms the metal. @DominicX you should see My Big Fat Greek Wedding @BraveWarrior is right, they think Windex fixes everything, it is hilarious.

I recently started using Green Works Glass and Surface by Clorox for all of my kitchen surfaces, mirrors, and glass and I love it.

I saw Kirstie Alley on Oprah and she said really cheap vodka is amazing for cleaning. http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20091029-tows-celebrity-first-job/4

At work there are a few people that are allergic to Lysol type sprays.So some people are carrying small spray bottles of rubbing alchol to spray on phones, cash registers, etc. Its supposed to work just as well as Lysol. I’m sick of rubbing germx and purell on my hands! They are cracked and bleeding but what’s a germaphobe to do in a retail store!

@knitfroggy just practice not touching your face (if you must use the back of your hand or your sleeve, not the inside of your palm or fingers that touch door knobs and money). You get sick because the germs get from your hands to your nose, eyes, or mouth, you don’t catch cold and flu by absorbing the germs through your hands. You can use purell and one minute later touch something touched by someone who is coming down with the flu, the real trick is don’t get the virus into your body. I am a little of a germaphobe, but I don’t carry purell. I rarely get sick. I worked in retail for 20 years.

I have been making a great effort to not rub my eyes and nose. If I have to I try to use my sleeve or the inside of my shirt (the germaphobe in me has decided that my sleeve is probably pretty germy) I also wash my hands with soap and water a lot. Good handwashing is an excellent practice even outside of flu season!

Handwashing is good, but the reality of retail is you are constantly touching things that have been touched by others. You wash your hands and a minute later new germs. In my germaphobia I only worry about being near or touching people who are actively sick and not touching my face. Hand washing and purell can get OCD. I don’t need any more neurotic behaviors than I already have LOL.

@knitfroggy After your hands dry after putting on the antibaterial gel, you need to put some really good hand lotion on. Avon’s Silicone Glove hand lotion is very good because it doesn’t wash off quickly. My sister had to use it when my nephew got his hands all cracked from too much hand-washing. Not only do the cracks hurt & look nasty, the germs/viruses will run right it!!! Just don’t use any kind of “medicated” lotion when your hand is red/raw/cracked or it will burn.