Let me first explain that I have two small children with kidney conditions and some immune system challenges as a result, and I like to keep at least the toilet and sink area reliably germ free. I'm not trying to make my bathroom or anywhere in my house a sterile operating room. And in fact the rest of my house is a cluttery mess, so I'm definitely not some neat freak. And my kids don't use an antibacterial soap.

But I would like to find something, even a home brew, that would reliably destroy the most common things such as influenza, strep, ecoli, salmonella, etc... any of these things could have a huge impact in my kids especially since their susceptibility comes through their urinary tract, i.e. kidneys, i.e. in the washroom. And the medication they take daily seems to suppress their immune system, making them all the more susceptible.

Can you recommend some greener, eco friendly, natural, biodegradable (whatever you want to call it) recommendations for ways to kill those nasty germs so I can stop using softscrub and lysol?

--Toilets, he's still using softscrub with bleach. OMG do I hate that stuff, but I don't know what else cleans and disinfects as well.
--Clorox or the pinesol wipes (then rinsed) for the ceramic tile floors and other flat surfaces like around the toilet seat, etc.

--We also have a slab marble countertop in the bathroom and haven't found anything that really "disinfects" stone... so we use a little palmolive liquid dishsoap on a sponge then wipe it shiny with Method's new stone cleaner and microfiber cloth. But I'd rather just have one step instead of two on the counters, and ideally something that will actually kill or destroy germs and not just wipe up the dirt.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!
-kmama

Vinegar will clean and disinfect just don't leave the liquid on the marble. Open the windows and let fresh air in. The things you are worrying about are almost all killed naturally in a resonable period of time by air and sunlight if possible. Do some checking on the time the organisims you are worried about will remain alive when just dried and exposed to air. Sunlight is a major plus.

A good side effect of sunlight is that your childern will absorb calcium better if given a time in the sunlight for their bodies to change the sunlight to Vitamin D.

Depending on their ages letting them run arround without underwear but with pads on where they sit most may be of benefit. Talk to your doctor about this.

It might be that not using the stool but a invalid stool such as older people use may be an alternative to the regular stool until they are better. Bucket can be dipped in bleach or vinegar and water then air dried after each use.

Not knowing the ages and sex of the children hampers the use of some of these suggestions.

Anyway, back to the bathroom issue, I didn't realize that vinegar by itself would "disinfect". I will look into that.

Still looking for a recommendation or concentration of vinegar to use in the toilets, if there is one.

-k

Back to original question. If you look at most of the Green cleaners the main ingrediant is vinegar. Some use non-cholrine bleach. If you can on BBC tv channel there is a show called? How clean is your house" The two ladies use lots of green cleaners especially vinegar, baking or washing soda, and fresh lemons for cleaning. Washing soda is found in the laundry section and is a little corser than baking soda but both will work. Washing soda is best if you need to scrub things.

To find green cleaners look at the bottles on the shelf write down the ingrediants to look up what they actually are on the computer and see if there is a natural equivalent in your cabinet. Just do not mix a clorine cleaner such as most bleaches with another cleaner without having the windows and good air circulation as the mixtures can let off chlorine gas which will damage your lungs forever. Happy hunting/

I do have a problem with her children's doctors for not making clear what or what not the children's environment should be, perhaps she has not asked the right questions or maybe doctor does not understand what was asked. Some doctors just tell parents to keep the environment clean and with the craze for "green cleaning products" and the confusion of what they actually are I can see why she is confused.

I do not see her responses as excessive bitterness but angst about loosing her children because she did not keep them in a clean and hopefully natural enviroment.

AOK I did forget about hydrogen peroxide. It does work but I have problems with the safety issues when using it at any strength other than that sold for cleaning wounds. You can purchase higher strengths but it does interact with many other cleaning type products. But then every thing interacts with something.

2 Tablespoons vodka
12 drops tea tree oil
6 drops eucalyptus essential oil
6 drops lemon essential oil
4-6 ounces water

Mix in spray bottle. Use after cleaning

20 drops in a spray bottle filled with distilled or purified water (not the spring water stuff) and spray to disinfect.

Never ever use vinegar on marble..marble is a soft stone and the acid in the vinegar will eat away at it.

If you want an all in one cleaner and strong disinfectant (I only use 5 drops in a 32 oz bottle but if you want to be extra cautious then do the 20 drops) then just follow this recipe

1 32 oz spray bottle
Distilled water or purified filled almost to the top
1 Tbsp of Natural Liquid Detergent...not soap.

Where I am the best product is Nature Clean but if you are in the U.S. you won't find it there...the next best is Seventh Generation (it will be the stuff you handwash dishes with)..do not purchase anything that has a soap in it (like any Castile based products)

Add your tea tree essential oil

Shake the bottle and start to use.

This will clean and disinfect at the same time and it will put a shine on the marble and everything else in the bathroom when you buff with a dry cloth.

This is a tried and true recipe and has been used in my business for over 4 years. We also add Lavender EO to give a nice relaxing scent.

A little exerpt from the net about Tea Tree

Australian tea tree oil is four to five times stronger than the usual household disinfectants. It is considered the most powerful natural antiseptic known to Man. But it is 100% natural, biodegradable and environment-friendly.

There are other essential oils that also kill bacteria but Australian tea tree oil is unique �" it also kills fungi, including molds and mildew. It has a broad-spectrum antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activity. It kills all three categories of infectious organisms:
• Bacteria (antiseptic/bactericide)
• Viruses (viricide)
• Fungi, molds & mildew (fungicide)

Australian tea tree oil is considered the strongest natural antiseptic - 4 to 5 stronger than usual household disinfectants. It kills gram negative and gram positive bacteria, even stubborn germs like Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherischia coli. Unlike some synthetic antiseptics, it works without damaging healthy cells.

Australian tea tree oil is volatile and its vapors kill germs and molds in the indoor air. It is used as a disinfectant to purify indoor air in homes, offices, cruise ships, and hotels. When used in a hospital room, it does not interfere with other treatment for the patient.

The oil has been successfully used for the “sick building syndrome.” When placed inside the air-conditioning system, it protects office workers against the risks of legionella, immunological diseases, fatigue, headaches, colds, watery eyes, chronic coughs, and runny noses, resulting from breathing contaminated air. Similarly, it protects passengers on ships or airliners against sudden epidemics. During the flue season, it can be used to prevent the spread of germs in homes and offices.

In addition, the tea tree oil is a natural deodorizer. Its vapors do not mask but break down and eliminate musty or organic malodors
The tea tree oil is penetrating �" the oil and its vapors penetrate into porous materials, where they provide a lasting protection. The oil penetrates through the skin and even through fingernails. The vapors saturate the air, spread by diffusion and chase biological pathogens into low-ventilated corners and even into sheetrock, ceilings, upholstery, and carpeting.

Australian tea tree oil is a complex of over 50 naturally occurring compounds, which all work together to produce its healing abilities. The main chemical components are Terpinen-4-ol, Cymene, Pinene, Terpinene, and Cineole.
Terpinen-4-ol is present at the highest levels (minimum 30%) and is responsible for most of the antimicrobial activity. High-quality tea tree oil should have a minimum Terpinen-4-ol content of 35�"40% and a maximum cineole content of 5%.

Australian Tea Tree oil 100% natural and environmentally sound. It is produced from a naturally regenerating source �" tea trees. It has been widely used as a natural antiseptic for over 70 years in Australia and is currently in use worldwide.

Hope this helps