Source: Green Living – The E Magazine Handbook for Living Lightly on the Earth
There are many non-toxic cleaning products available today, but using basic kitchen staples you can make your own – at a fraction of the cost!
All Purpose Cleaner
Mix 3 tablespoons dish soap in one quart of warm water, or use baking soda and a small amount of water.
Kitchen Countertop Sanitizer and Vegetable and Fruit Spray
Spritz countertops, cutting boards, vegetables or fruit with vinegar (apple cider or white), then spritz with 3 tablespoons ordinary hydrogen peroxide. Rinse produce with water. Tests found that the two mists killed virtually all salmonella, shigella, or E coli bacteria making it more effective than chlorine bleach.
Kitchen/Bathroom Surfaces
Use baking soda on a damp ponse to clean and deodorize. Toss sponge into clothes washer or dishwasher to kill germs. Baking soda also removes stubborn countertop stains.
Glass Cleaner
Mix 2 tablespoons white vinegar with 1 quart water. Increasing the vinegar will deepen the cleaning action. Put into labeled spray bottle. For stubborn spots and streaks, use undiluted vinegar.
Floor Cleaner
Wash slate, ceramic tile, wood and no-wax floors with 1/2 cup white vinegar mixed with 1/2 gallon of warm water.
Rug and Upholstery Cleaner
Clean spill immediately with soda water and baking soda paste. Vacuum.
Laundry
Eliminate soap residue by adding 1 cup of white vinegar to the final rinse. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of baking soda to the rinse cycle to make clothes feel soft and smell fresh. Do not use chlorine bleach and vinegar together – you will produce harmful vapors.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Sprinkle baking soda in bowl, then drizzle with vinegar and scour with toilet brush.
Drain Cleaner/Opener
Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar and cover drain opening. Let stand a few minutes, then pour bowling water down the drain to unclog and deodorize drains.
Tub and Tile Cleaner
Use white vinegar full strength on mold and mildew stains. Add 1/4 cup or more of vinegar to 1 gallon of warm water to clean most dirt. To remove film buildup on tubs, wipe full strength vinegar on with a sponge, then use baking soda or borax like as scouring powder. Rub with a damp sponge and rinse with water.
