Young children like to be helpful, and I don’t want to discourage their desire to imitate my house cleaning (even though I often have to re-clean what they have done). We use all natural cleaning products in our home not only because we care about the environment, indoor air quality, and have a greywater system, but in order that our kids can safely help us clean.
Basic H2 Organic cleaning concentrate was the first official Earth Day product in 1990 and has hundreds of uses. From windows to stovetops, the concentrate allows you to mix the appropriate amount of water for your use. This little 16 oz. bottle of concentrate can mix up an unbelievable 48 gallons of safe, powerful cleaner.
Basic H2 is quite sudsy, so I suspect it contains SLS; however, I am not sure this as much of a concern for a cleaning product as it is for a beauty product. As long as your child’s skin doesn’t come into contact with it, it would not be irritating. Shaklee, the makers of Basic H2, will not release full disclosure of ingredients because “We do not list the specific ingredients for all of the cleaners as some of the formulae are proprietary.” This is common with household cleaners, but they state their products are from sustainable sources such as corn and coconut (SLS is coconut-derived).
Concentrated cleaners are definitely the way to go. Less packaging is involved in concentrated cleaners, and consumers save money by not paying for water used to dilute the products. Concentrated cleaners, such as Basic H2, also give the consumer the flexibility to mix the product according to their needs.
Related posts on green cleaning:
- The Laundry Room: Make it Green
Jennifer –
Just read your post on Basic H2. we’ve used it for more than 30 years and love it. About the sudsing agent…I can tell you that long before Shaklee had personal care products (and even still today) many many people used Basic H as soap in the shower and bath.
Even in it’s concentrated form…it’s more mild than johnson’s baby shampoo. It’s PH balanced and people have been using it to wash their face for years…I remember reading articles about Tatum O’neil (bad news bears!) and other movie stars using it.
We even used it in the tub with our little girl because it was much safer for her and didn’t bother her. In addition…there was never any soap scum.
All the products are great.
Just thought I’d add my two cents…
It has the same PH as your skin so it is safe to touch your skin. People wash their bodies with this. I shave with it. My dog bathes in it. Perfect for camping! Somthing that’s been around for since 1960 and has been used by NASA, Will Stegar, Dolphin projects and by thousands of others…I trust this product and the company. My kids love that they can help me clean with this.
Seems like you always have to choose. Either you
have cleaners that clean off everything, including
the earth’s topsoil. Or you have nice, sweet,
eco-friendly cleaners (using the term loosely) that
don’t do diddly. Now you don’t have to make a
choice. Get Clean shows dirt no mercy.
For more information of Shaklee products please visit our web site.
I grew up with Basic h now a days its called Basich2