How Clean Is Your House?

To get your house clean the green way, you can try using our list of eco-friendly cleaners that are not only safe for the environment, but are also inexpensive (a majority of them are already in your kitchen cupboard). To add fragrance to these cleaners, try adding a few drops of essential oils to the mix. Make sure to add an emulsifier (such as cornstarch or vinegar) to ensure the oil blends in well with the other ingredients.

Floors
Use white vinegar to clean your floors, since white vinegar is an all-purpose cleaner, deodorizer and disinfectant.
To clean, disinfect and deodorize surfaces, you can pour one part water to one part vinegar in a spray bottle and use throughout your home. To clean your floors, try the following recipe:

Windows
Use one part water to one part lemon in a spray bottle. Wipe the mixture off well to avoid streaking.

Wood Furniture
In a spray bottle, combine three parts olive oil to one part white vinegar, or one part lemon juice to two parts olive oil. Use on any wood surface, or use to clean fingerprints on stainless-steel surfaces.

Stains
Mix salt with baking soda or lemon juice to clean tea and coffee stains in cups, or for removing red wine stains from tablecloths.

Air-Freshener
To scent your home naturally, try boiling fruit peels and spices in water for a few hours to get a naturally fresh-smelling air without the additive chemicals. One easy air-freshener to try is to place some orange or lemon peel, a few cinnamon sticks and some cloves in a piece of cheesecloth and simmer over the stove for a few hours, or until desired scent.

Remember: For all of your cleaning needs, use microfibre cloths (which are designed to pick up dirt without any chemical cleaners), old towels (cut into squares), old dish rags, newspaper, or washable cloths.