How To: Make Your Own Non-Toxic Bathtub Cleaner

You missed step 3.5: Clean the tub.

Storing the mixure for a year will keep it safe, but then you'd be throwing it all out at once which will have a greater impact than using it gradually over that smae one year period.

;-)

Where do you get the antibacterial essential oils?

For people who find commercial bathroom cleaners too "toxic" for their liking, I would strongly urge them to stop drinking it.

As for the dubious concoction in the article, I wouldn't be so sure that it's as "non-toxic" as is claimed:

"Lavender oil has recently been implicated in abnormal development of breasts (gynecomastia) in young boys. A July 1, 2006 article in Science News, cites the detective work of Denver endrocrinologist Clifford Bloch after several boys presented with enlarged breasts. Subsequently, Derek Henley and Kenneth Korach of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C., identified hormonally active compounds in lavender and tea tree oils–compounds which both mimic female hormones and counter male hormones. Boys and girls are particularly sensitive to estrogenic and androgenic compounds because their sex hormone levels are normally low prior to puberty. Discovery of the gynecomastia link in boys has led some researchers to suspect lavender and tea tree oils also may be contributing to the increased incidence of early breast development in girls. Lavender and tea tree oils are present in various bodycare products including shampoo and skin care oils. "Rapid reversal of gynecomastia" followed discontinued use of these products by Bloch's young patients."

...

"Tea tree oil is used almost exclusively externally. A patch test is advisable before using items containing tea tree oil because in high concentrations tea tree oil can cause irritation and some individuals may experience hypersensitivity since it can be allergenic.

"Tea tree oil is toxic if taken in higher doses. [5] Data on oral tea tree oil toxicity in humans are sparse aside from several anecdotal reports of toxic effects following oral ingestion [6][7][8]. Symptoms may include dizziness, nausea and disorientation. The use of tea tree oil in oral products like toothpaste is considered safe as long as the tea tree oil is not ingested and it is not accessible to small children.

"According to a July 4, 2006 article [1] in the Washington Post, "A preliminary finding presented at the Endocrine Society's conference last month . . . suggests that shampoos, soaps and body lotions containing . . . tea tree oils -- commonly added for their aromas and marketing cachet -- may cause hormonal imbalances, shrinking of the testes, and breast growth in young boys."

Source: wikipedia.org

Oh, and for baking soda, the listed MSDS LD50 (lethal dose, 50%) for rats is 4g/kg.

Just thought you should know.

So, does a product like Dr. Bronner's LAVENDER Pure-Castile Soap kill two birds with one stone, especially for those of us who either can't find essential oils or who can't afford them?

Milton:
The information you present is interesting, though I have to wonder how accurately it reflects all the data concerning the safety of these oils. Lavender oil is one of the few essential oils generally considered safe for undilluted skin contact; that said, the recipe calls for a major dillution of the oils used.
As far as the baking soda comment goes, the LD50 is a largely meaningless test that exists mostly for sick people in white coats to have an excuse to torture small animals by slowly poisoning them to death. The resulting numbers rarely reflect the chemicals' actual effects on human health.
I would examine your sources, especially using a user-editable encyclopedia for a scientific reference. Perhaps you could directly cite a real scientific journal? Consider that one of your wikipedia quotes is quoting the Washington Post, which was not a scientific journal the last time I checked, and therefore a dubious at best source for non-politically-tainted reporting of scientific studies.

Milton:
The information you present is interesting, though I have to wonder how accurately it reflects all the data concerning the safety of these oils. Lavender oil is one of the few essential oils generally considered safe for undilluted skin contact; that said, the recipe calls for a major dillution of the oils used.
As far as the baking soda comment goes, the LD50 is a largely meaningless test that exists mostly for sick people in white coats to have an excuse to torture small animals by slowly poisoning them to death. The resulting numbers rarely reflect the chemicals' actual effects on human health.
I would examine your sources, especially using a user-editable encyclopedia for a scientific reference. Perhaps you could directly cite a real scientific journal? Consider that one of your wikipedia quotes is quoting the Washington Post, which was not a scientific journal the last time I checked, and therefore a dubious at best source for non-politically-tainted reporting of scientific studies.

Also,Tea Tee Oil is deadly to cats. If you let your cat drink out of the tub, I wouldn't do this.

Why not just get a box of baking soda and a scrub brush and clean the tub that way? You don't really need all that extra stuff, just elbow grease and the hot water to clean it. Baking soda also works great in the washing machine to get your clothes cleaner! :)

Hi! Is this safe/recommended for cleaning the plumbing of an air tub? I have a Jason brand air tub, and they appear to sell their "Bath Cleaner System" for $60 a case and I can't seem to find what's in it, nor can I buy just one bottle. I prefer to save money and use more natural products. Any thoughts? Thank you for your time.

["Milton:
The information you present is interesting, though I have to wonder how accurately it reflects all the data concerning the safety of these oils. Lavender oil is one of the few essential oils generally considered safe for undilluted skin contact; that said, the recipe calls for a major dillution of the oils used.
As far as the baking soda comment goes, the LD50 is a largely meaningless test that exists mostly for sick people in white coats to have an excuse to torture small animals by slowly poisoning them to death. The resulting numbers rarely reflect the chemicals' actual effects on human health.
I would examine your sources, especially using a user-editable encyclopedia for a scientific reference. Perhaps you could directly cite a real scientific journal? Consider that one of your wikipedia quotes is quoting the Washington Post, which was not a scientific journal the last time I checked, and therefore a dubious at best source for non-politically-tainted reporting of scientific studies.
October 20, 2006 8:26 PM | click here to report abuse flag a problem "]

What do you know, two years later and someone offers a reply: Here is the journal article in question regarding the endochrine disrupting qualities of lavender and tea tree, http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/356/5/479#F1 This scientific article appeared in the New England journal of medicine. Also anyone who has read our stolen future would know that simply something which gives no visible reaction when applied to skin hardly clears it of the invasive subtleties involved in endochrine disruption.