MiVT: Home-cleaning products get back to basics

WILDER, Vt. - With a one-year-old running around, Elizabeth Smith has her work cut out for her keeping things clean.

When Emerson was born, Smith knew she had to make a change from her normal cleaning supplies that were filled with chemicals. "I used to think the stronger the smell, the cleaner it's getting and the more disinfectant it is," Smith said.

But those products seemed too harsh with Emerson around, so Smith made a change and started making her own in her Wilder home. From an all-purpose cleaner, to dish soap and carpet deodorizer, Smith makes everything you need to clean your home top to bottom.

Once she realized her natural concoctions could be just as powerful, she decided to start Little e Organics. Products range from $7 to $12 -- she sells around 12 products every week at the Hartland Farmer's Market.

Little e Organics has taken over in the Smith household. Her products even replaced her husband's model car collection on the living room shelves. Smith calls Emerson her rainbow baby -- that's because she had a big brother. But Carson died shortly after he was born. "He had a rare genetic disorder so he passed away when he was five days-old," she said.

Emerson doesn't have the disorder. Smith knows conventional cleaning products had nothing to do with Carson's death, but she says not having them in her home put her more at ease. "I'm sure it was in the back of my mind to be a little extra cautious with her," she said.

Now with this rainbow baby running around and sticking everything in her mouth, it's one less thing for Smith to worry about. "It does have a little bit of a vinegar scent but it goes away -- it doesn't linger like those other cleaners," she said.

The basis for most of Little e Organics is lemon infused vinegar. Then Smith adds in things like essential oils to boost the cleaning power. "Tea tree oil has a lot of antibacterial cleaning powers -- and lavender oil does," she said.

Smith says not only are Little e Organics safe and effective, but for all her competition in the green-cleaning products aisle, she has one argument. "I've gone and looked at the labels and I can't pronounce half the things in them," she said.

Products with a powerful message that are made in Vermont.

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MiVT: Home-cleaning products get back to basics