Be clean and green on a budget lengthy

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Be Clean and Green on a BudgetBy Annie B. Bond, author of Clean & Green A common refrain I hear is that "Green cleaning is too expensive!" It actually isn't: Here is what I found by comparing, ounce-for-ounce, prices for twelve types of mainstream cleaning products, their green counterparts, and the make-your-own versions using kitchen cupboard ingredients. THE CHEAPEST GREEN SOLUTION? Use both concentrated green cleaners and homemade cleaners. Note: CONCENTRATED PRODUCTS - What this means. Concentration is part of the green cleaners' environmental strategy: a concentrated cleaner requires less packaging to deliver the same results. All you might need of a green cleaner is one tablespoon, whereas the mainstream counterpart would use 1/4 to ½ cup. COMPARING THE COSTS Standard Cleaners vs. Store-bought Green Cleaners -Note: Prices are from products in upstate NY, July, 2002. -So-called "green" products are highlighted with **. -Prices for homemade formulas are based on these costs for the four basic ingredients: vinegar: 1 quart@ .44, Baking soda: 1 pound@ .57, Washing soda: 1 pound @.63; Vegetable-oil-based soap: 1` quart @ 4.00 -Find formulas for homemade cleaning products in Care2's Healthy Home section at http://www.care2.com/channels/lifestyle/home/ -Note also that the tradeoff for a green product versus a standard product may be health, and a few cents can be worth if it you avoid synthetic perfumes and other problematic chemicals. WINDOWS Windex 26 oz @$3.30 ---- Windex $4.06/qt Glass Plus 32 oz @$2.59 ---- Glass Plus $2.59/qt **Bi-o-kleen 32 oz @ $4.20 ---- Bi-o-kleen $4.20/qt **Earth Rite

22 oz @ $4.10 ---- Earth Rite $5.96/qt **EarthFriendly 22 oz @$4.00 ---- EarthFriendly $5.81/qt Average Prices Including Homemade Standard: 3.32/qt Green: $5.25 Homemade: $.08 SCOURING Comet 14 oz @ $.70 ---- Comet $.80/lb **Washing Soda 56 oz @ $2.19 ---- Washing Soda $.63/lb**Baking Soda 1 pound @ $.57 ---- Baking Soda: $.57 Average Prices Including HomemadeStandard: $.80/lbGreen: $.60Homemade: $.57 SOFT SCRUBS Soft Scrub: 24 oz. @ $3.39 ---- Soft Scrub $2.26/qt**Ecover Cream: 32 oz @ $4.80 ---- Ecover Cream $2.40/**7th Generation Cream 20 0z @ $4.00 ---- 7th Gen. Cream $3.20/ Average Prices Including HomemadeStandard: $2.26/qtGreen: $2.80Homemade: $2.04 TUB & TILE Lysol - 29 oz. @ $2.89 ---- Lysol $3.19/qtTilex 32 oz @ $3.99 ---- Tilex $3.99/qt**7th Generation 32 oz @ $5.00 ---- 7th Generation Cream

$5.00/qt Average Prices Including HomemadeStandard: $3.59/qtGreen: $5.00Homemade: $1.75 LAUNDRY LIQUIDWisk 100 oz: $7.79 ---- Wisk $2.49/qt Cheer 100 oz - $7.59 ---- Cheer $2.43/qt ALL 100 oz - $5.89 ---- ALL $1.88/qt **7th Gen: 100 oz - $12.90 ---- 7th Gen. $4.13/qt **Ecos: 50 oz - $8.80 ---- Ecos $5.63/qt **Earth Rite 50 oz.-$8.40 ---- Earth Rite $5.38/qt Average Prices Including HomemadeStandard: $2.26/qtGreen: $5.04 (Note that the green laundry liquids are concentrated, so for a true price divide this number in half.) Homemade: NA LAUNDRY POWDERTide 175 oz @$16.99 ---- Tide $1.55/lbALL - 4 lbs 14 oz @ $8.29 ---- ALL $1.70/lb**7th: 112 oz. @$10.20 ---- 7th $1.46/lb Average Prices Including HomemadeStandard: $1.62/lb Green: $1.46Homemade: NA LIQUID DISH Dawn: 32 oz @2.84 ---- Dawn $2.84/qt Joy 32

oz@... ---- Joy $2.93/qt **Ecover :32 oz @ $3.30 ---- Ecover $3.30/qt **7th: 28 oz @ $4.00 ---- 7th Generation $4.57/qt**Citra-Dish: 28 oz @ $4.20 ----- Citra-Dish $4.80/qt **Bi-o-kleen: 32 oz. @ $5.80 ---- Bi-o-kleen $5.80/qt Average Prices Including HomemadeStandard: $2.88/qtGreen: $4.61Homemade: NA AUTOMATIC DISH Cascade 45 oz @ 2.69 ---- Cascade $.95/lb **7th: 50 oz @ $4.85 ---- 7th Generation$1.55/lb** Ecover: 48 oz: @ $5.90 ---- Ecover $1.97/lb Average Prices Including HomemadeStandard: $.95/lbGreen: $1.27Homemade: NA ALL PURPOSE Fantastik: 32 oz @ $2.89 ---- Fantastik $2.89/qtFormula 409 - 32 oz @ $2.99 ---- Formula 409 $2.99/qt**Ecover: 16 oz @ $2.75 ---- Ecover $5.50/qt**7th Gen. 32 oz @ $4.80 ---- 7th Gen. $4.80/qt**Heavenly Horsetail 24 oz. @ $3.00 ---- Heavenly Horsetail $4.00/qt**'s 32 oz. @3.29 ---- 's $3.29/qt

Average Prices Including HomemadeStandard: $2.94/qtGreen: $4.39Homemade: $.09 FLOORSLestoil 28 oz. @ $2.99 ---- Lestoil $3.42/qtPine Sol 28 oz @ $2.29 ---- Pine Sol $2.62/qt**Ecover 32 oz @ $4.30 ---- Ecover $4.30/qt Average Prices Including HomemadeStandard: $3.02/qtGreen: $4.30Homemade: $.05 FURNITURE POLISHPledge 16 oz @ $3.99 ---- Pledge $7.98/qt (SPRAY) Scots 12 oz @ $4.29 ---- Scots $11.44/qt**Earth Rite 16 oz $5.00 ---- Earth Rite $10.00/qt Average Prices Including HomemadeStandard: $11.44/qt (not the spray) Green: 10.00/qtHomemade: $.13 OVEN Easy Off 16 oz - $3.99 ---- Easy Off $31.92/lb**Baking soda ---- Baking Soda $.57/lb Average Prices Including HomemadeStandard: $31.92/lbGreen: NAHomemade:

$.57/lb Suzi What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. health/ http://suziesgoats.wholefoodfarmacy.com/ http://360./suziesgoats

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