Make your own eco-friendly cleaning products

General Purpose Cleaner: Mix 4 tsp. of baking soda into warm water. Baking soda is an abrasive cleaner that is excellent at dissolving dirt, mildew, grease and even wax. Pour into a spray bottle for future use.

All Purpose Cleaner: Equal parts white vinegar and water can be used for any day-to-day cleaning; even on glass surfaces. The only surface not safe to use vinegar on is marble.

Heavy-Duty All Purpose Cleaner: Mix vinegar and salt and stir or shake until salt is dissolved. Don't worry, the strong vinegar smell goes away once the surface has had a chance to dry.

Drain Cleaner: Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and a handful of baking soda together. Pour mixture down drain; wait 20 minutes and then pour 1 quart of hot water down drain.

Fabric Softener: Add 1/2 cup of vinegar during the rinse cycle. Works as well as commercial fabric softener as vinegar is a natural deodorizer.

Hardwood Scuff Remover: Use a rubber eraser - preferably one made from natural rubber if you can find it.

Crayon Remover: To remove crayon marks from walls, try rubbing toothpaste on the marked area then rub clean with a damp cloth or sponge.

Wood Polisher/Shoe Polish: Combine 1 cup olive oil with 1/2 cup of lemon juice and rub in a buffing motion on furniture or shoes.

Air Fresheners: Try simmering water & cinnamon or another strong spice on your stove to create a fresh fragrance throughout the home. Placing coffee grounds in a dish around the home creates the same effect. A box of baking soda will neutralize odors anywhere you choose in your home. There are many options to freshen a space without the use of toxic chemicals.

Natural Bleach: Lemon juice acts as a natural bleaching agent. Spray or rub lemon juice onto white linens and clothes and leave out in the sun to set in.

Sticker Remover: Everyone has been in this situation. You put stickers up on a wall, and a few years later when you no longer want them to be there, they are near impossible to remove. A great solution is to sponge vinegar over the stickers several times, wait 15 minutes and the stickers should be easily rubbed off.

Wallpaper Remover: Combine equal parts vinegar and hot water into a bucket or spray bottle. Apply generously and sponge over the area. Once the solution has penetrated through the wallpaper it should remove fairly easily.

Mold Preventer: To prevent mold from ever forming, mix 2 cups of water & 3 drops of pure organic tea tree essential oil. Spray your walls once a week with this mixture and wipe clean.

Removing Water Rings On Wood: Thought your wood furniture was permanently damaged due to a water ring? Water rings usually only penetrate the very top surface of finished wood furniture and can be removed if this is the case. Try applying toothpaste or mayonnaise onto a damp cloth and rub it on the ring. Once the ring is removed, buff the whole wood surface.

Mothball Alternative: Mothballs are highly toxic when ingested, capable of causing illnesses or death, which is a concern for anybody with children. A large amount of mothballs can cause serious respiratory problems. They also test positive for carcinogens and are known to be harmful to the liver and kidneys. However, you can begin to breathe easier, there are some great non-toxic alternatives. Try placing cedar chips in a cheesecloth and put anywhere you would normally keep mothballs. Cedar oil dripped into an absorbent cloth will have the same effect. Dried lemon peels will also keep moths away while keeping you and your family healthy.

As you can see, there are green alternatives to just about every cleaning solution. Please feel free to comment on the guestbook if you have any more ideas, questions, or corrections.

Thanks for reading; Go Green!