Clean Without Harsh Chemicals

Eight Essential Products For Basic Household Cleaning
These eight items make up the basic ingredients for nearly every do-it-yourself cleaning recipe.

Baking soda: provides grit for scrubbing and reacts with water, vinegar or lemon by fizzing, which speeds up cleaning times
Borax: disinfects, bleaches and deodorizes; very handy in laundry mixes
Distilled white vinegar: disinfects, breaks up dirt, rinses away soap residue, doesn't streak on windows. Used in the rinse water, instead of your fabric softener, you may alleviate if not eliminate, allergic reaction with many laundry soaps. You will also find your laundry fluffier. Don't be afraid that your laundry and house will smell like pickles! Vinegar has an odor only when wet. The odor disappears as it dries. Just remember, don't over do it when using vinegar, A little goes a long way! Choose white vinegar only over apple cider or red vinegars, as these might stain surfaces.
Hydrogen Peroxide: disinfects and bleaches
Lemons: cut grease; bottled lemon juice also works well, although you might need to use bit more to get the same results
Olive oil: picks up dirt and polishes wood; cheaper grades work well
Vegetable based (liquid castile) soap: non-petroleum all-purpose cleaners
Washing soda: stain remover, general cleaner, helps unblock pipes; should be handled with gloves due to its caustic nature. Washing soda is usually found in the laundry aisle of grocery and drug stores.

Don't forget to pick up an empty spray bottle at the hardware store, and keep those old rags and used toothbrushes for wiping up and scrubbing.

A Personal Tip - Our experts have found that the best scrubber to use is the "Magic Erasers" Sold in many dollar stores in packages of two. You will be amazed at what these things can clean and scrub away on their own with plain water. One client has very rusty water, leaving a ring in the tub with every bath. She simply keeps an "Eraser" by the tub and literally erases the ring in the tub after each use. The kids love it, thinking of it as a game.

All-Purpose Cleaner
1/2 cup borax
1 gallon hot water

Mix in pail (or use smaller amounts in a spray bottle: 1/8 cup borax to 1 quart of hot water) dissolving the borax completely; wipe clean with rag.

Wood
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 gallon warm water

Linoleum
1 cup white vinegar
2 gallons warm water

Mix in mop bucket, rinse rag often.

Furniture Polish
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil

Mix and apply with a clean rag to dust and polish. Reduce the olive oil if wood looks too oily. A little bit on the rag goes a long ways.

Copper and Brass
2 Tbsps salt
White vinegar

Add vinegar to salt until you've created a paste. Adding flour will reduce abrasiveness. Apply with a rag and rub clean.

Stainless Steel
Baking soda
White vinegar

Apply baking soda with a damp cloth, using the vinegar to eliminate spots.

Toilet Bowl
Baking soda
White vinegar