What You Need

Vinegar: Cuts grease, deodorizes and cleans any surface

Baking  Soda: Deodorizes and cleans surfaces to leave them shining; used for scouring

Borax: Launders, softens water, is a bleach alternative, disinfects.

Lemon Oil: Removes stains, deodorizes, shines.

Alcohol: Disinfects, cleans glass and granite.

Hydrogen Peroxide: Cuts mold, bleaches.

Tea: Cleans hardwood floors and woodwork.

The Recipes

General Purpose Cleanser: Mix 1 teaspoon borax with 1 quart warm water; add lemon juice or vinegar

Carpet Freshener: Sprinkle carpet with baking soda and let sit 15 minutes; vacuum.

Wood Floor Cleaner: Place two tea bags in a bucket with boiling water.

Grubby Corners: Mix hydrogen peroxide with baking soda, let sit for 1 hour, spray out.

Stainless Steel: Wipe with undiluted vinegar or lemon oil.

Glass: Mix vinegar or alcohol with water, spray on and wipe off.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Some people think cleansing your house of harmful chemicals  in order to save the environment is very difficult and intimidating.  It is actually an easy, inexpensive way to green clean your house.

If clearing out your cabinets right now and buying all new environmentally friendly products works for your budget, do it.  There is no greater impact you can do in a short amount of time. If you are not able to clear the products out but would still like to start to reduce, reuse, and recycle, then you will find the tips useful in order to make easy green cleaning choices.

In the beginning of your commitment, when making that choice, you might not know when to start. There are many different topics to discuss. You might have started some habits and not others. It does not matter. By making the choice now, it to be aware of your habits. Acknowledgement is 50% of change, as the phrase goes. That is great! You should feel proud that your choices will make the world a little cleaner. You have to start somewhere.

Popularity: 70% [?]

Did you know you could be polluting the inside of your home without even realizing it? Many of the cleaning products that we typically use can actually be quite harmful, and are dangerous especially for young children. It’s a common misconception that we need to have that “bleach in the back of your throat” smell in order to be sure that the surface is clean enough. This couldn’t be further from the truth. You can choose environmentally friendly products that clean your house just as well without the abundance of harmful chemicals.

So, what are green cleaning products?

It’s likely that you’ve seen ads on television, on the Internet, or in the grocery store that are promoting organic or often nicknamed “green” products. Simply put, these products are approved by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and their guidelines that say that they are safe for the environment. If they are safe for the planet’s soil, then you can bet that they are a lot safer in our home compared to the chemicals that the others are made up of.

The biggest  difference is that without those chemicals present, they won’t be getting  into the soil, into our drinking water, and affecting the health of both humans and animals.

Switching to green cleaning products

The first thing you’re going to do when making the transition to green cleaning products is to read the labels. The majority of big brands have come out with their own lines of products that are easier on both humans and the planet’s environment.

What you can also do to save even more money is create your own cleaning solutions, like people did before all the chemicals were available in a bottle. The great thing is, you probably have most of the ingredients you need in your home already.

You will need a spray bottle and water as a base solution. So, for instance, you can use vinegar mixed with water to clean floors, tile, and windows.

Did you know that a little vinegar and baking soda can be used in combination to unclog drains? You don’t need to buy that stuff that is dangerous to touch in order to get the job done.

There are several ways of cleaning without buying chemicals. However, if you have small children around, be sure to keep any cleaning products you have safe out of their reach, regardless of how green friendly the cleaning products are.

Popularity: 52% [?]