In the days of yore when I used chemical bathroom cleaners, typical soaps and shampoo’s from the grocery store, I constantly battled with ring around the bathtub, slimy tile walls and a discusting shower curtain. While I felt it was a never ending battle, I also struggled with how ill I felt after I cleaned because of noxious fumes from typical cleaning products, and how itchy I always felt by using pertroleum derived skin care. I seriously itched a good portion of my life
Being able to clean green of course altered the chemical portion of that completely. I marvelled that 3 non-toxic, biodegradable products changed that horrific experience so simply – A germicide, an all purpose cleaning product and a scouring paste.
The most remarkable detail of using this powerful green trio is that I could spray, scour, sanitize and mix all of these things together, without fear of a chemical melt down. We all know that combining bleach and ammonia and other regular cleaning products is very very dangerous.
Mixing bleach and ammonia releases a gas so deadly it was once used as a chemical warfare agent. It can overwhelm a victim in less than a minute.
Yikes!!
After I was introduced to green cleaning products I was then introduced to a non-soap bar, for everyday bathing. A positively delicious oatmeal, vitamin e, wheat germ oil product that was such a shift from the squeaky clean Ivory soap I grew up with, or the Irish spring soap my husband seemed to enjoy ( god I hated the smell of that stuff) I could hardly believe the difference this product made in my life. My new non-soap bar was ph balanced, non-stripping to the skin – it actually protected the skins acid mantle vs destroying it. I had horrific dry skin from using every day skin care products that were harsh, not ph balanced and derived from tallow ( animal fat ) and lye ( the same thing that oven cleaners are made up of ). I have introduced hundreds of people to this non-soap bar and they love it as much as I.
Soap products make soap scum – no other way to say it, soap leaves a horrific trail.
Use soap products you will have soap scum.
Use non-soap products – bar, body wash, moisturizers, shampoo’s and conditioners derived from plants and guess what? No soap scum. Not to mention no more dry skin.
No soap scum and you virtually have a self cleaning bathtub. I have not had a bathtub ring since 1993!
Come over anytime and look in my bathtub. It’s beeee-aaa-uuu-tiful.
With regard to the discusting plastic liners for your shower? Forget those. I stopped using them ions ago. I buy an all fabric cotton shower curtain – actually I buy 2 and wash one with the towels! No more plastic touching my body, not more outgassing and no more mold. 
vintage claw tub and mirror flickr image credit
Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Author
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition Weight Loss, and Green Clean
How do you celebrate Earth Day?
If you’re not cleaning green – what’s stopping you?
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5 Comments
Hi Karen!I love this entry! I was wondering about the cloth shower curtain as I, too, hate the disgusting plastic liners. Does any water leak through the liner to the floor that you’ve noticed? How often do you wash it? (I find it kind of a pain to remove the shower curtain every time I have to wash it, so I’m just curious.)Great info on your blog!
Why Thank you – Heather!
I have not had any leakage with water through the curtain, I keep it inside the tub though, vs hanging out. Some don’t care for the decor statement that makes ( or doesn’t !)
I probably wash it once a month – maybe more in the summer, it gets sortof stiff at the bottom – when it does then I know it’s time to wash it.
I agree it’s kindof a pain to take on and off – we have a tension rod so I just release the tension, slide the curtain off and deal with the hooks off rod.
I also have 2 curtains so that I can hang one while one is in the wash
Appreciate the blog visit/comment – promise to come again soon
I was just thinking about The Self Cleaning Bathtub and you’ve really helped out. Thanks!
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