Lemon juice or vinegar will remove stains, mildew and grease streaks. Spray or pour the lemon juice or vinegar on the porcelain or tile area, let stand a few minutes and scrub off with a stiff brush. If you would like to disinfect your kitchen or bathroom and do not wish to use bleach, there is an alternative. You can make your own disinfect by combining two cups of water, three tablespoons of liquid soap with twenty or thirty drops of tea tree oil. It’s easy, it works and it will save you money on expensive brand name disinfectants.

Kitchen counters, where food is prepared, stored and enjoyed requires careful cleaning. Spills, splatters and crumbs can build up and collect in places that are not easily noticed. This could encourage harmful bacteria to grow. A great, simple cleaner for your food preparation area is baking soda and water. Sprinkle the soda on your counters and wipe up with a wet cloth or sponge. For stubborn stains, you can make a paste of baking soda and water to soak the stain away. This same paste can be used on stainless steel sinks, food containers, cutting boards and appliances.

Advertising is bombarded with antibacterial this and antibacterial that. Studies have shown that these antibacterial products and hand cleaners do not work any better than plain old soap and water. Antibacterial products can actually increase the risk of spreading bacteria.

There are so many green, money saving products you already have in your home. Here is a tip for cleaning windows without using the window cleaning products you purchase at the store. Try mixing two tablespoons of white vinegar with a gallon of water. Lemon juice or club soda can be substituted for vinegar. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle for easy use. Spray the mixture onto windows and wipe dry with a newspaper. If you don’t like getting newsprint on your hands, you can use packing paper. It is newspaper without the ink and can be purchased inexpensively at storage facilities or moving companies.

Vinegar and baking soda can be used to clean almost anything. Mix either item with a little warm water to make an all-purpose cleaner. With the green scene becoming more and more popular, companies are coming up with products you can purchase instead of making your own at home. Many of these products are non-toxic, biodegradable, and made from renewable resources that do not use petroleum. Whether you mix your own or purchase green products, you will still be using cleaning products without chemicals or toxins.

(When at the store, note that just because a cleaning product says that it’s environmentally friendly doesn’t make it so, and eventually, everything’s biodegradable, so that label doesn’t really mean much of anything!)

First of all, think reuse, reuse, reuse. Rags are a great substitute for paper towels, and you can use a reusable mop, such as a rag mop, instead of one with a disposable base. Try using a natural sponge instead of a disposable one.

Then, for ingredients… here are some household basics that will help you keep your home clean without destroying the environment (or poisoning your family):

• Distilled white vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Baking soda
• Plain white soap (without scents, colors, or other additives… purchase or make your own)
• Isopropyl alcohol
• Cornstarch

One thing to remember while cleaning just about anything is that hot water  tends to speed the cleaning process. Regular soap is a great cleanser. It needn’t just be for the body.

Clean glass using a vinegar solution or straight lemon juice. These are also both great for cutting through grease.

For light abrasive cleaning whether on the counters, in an appliance, or in the oven, add a little bit of water and some baking soda and scrub away.

In the bathroom, tea-tree oil works great on mildew, and so does vinegar. To clean the toilet, vinegar is great for around the rim detox. For inside the toilet, let lemon juice and baking soda sit, followed by a good scrub.

You can take care of a clogged toilet or a clogged drain with nothing more than vinegar and baking soda. Adding a little hot water speeds this up even more.

To clear out a nasty odor from the disposal, grind up ice cubes (to clean it) and pour some lemon juice in it (for the scent).

When it comes to stains, first of all, don’t let them sit. Not for a minute, not for a day. You’ll find, as grandmother always said, club soda is great for carpet stains, (and non-toxic!).

If that doesn’t work, let cornstarch soak it up for a bit, then follow that with a water-vinegar solution scrub.

For an anti-bacterial disinfectant, add a few drops of either tea-tree oil or lavender to water. Both are excellent antiseptic agents.

For deodorizing, baking soda works great, whether in the fridge, the pantry, or the carpet. Once you’ve taken care of odor, get rid of those chemical air fresheners. Use candles or potpourri instead, or even incense, if you’d like a nice scent.

To polish furniture or wooden floors, add olive oil to either lemon juice or vinegar and rub away for a nice shine.

One of the most widely-used household products for keeping your house clean and sparkling is ordinary household baking soda. Baking soda is a very versatile ingredient that not only helps you clean, but can also eliminate odors, as well. Baking soda is known to neutralize both bases and acids, which helps it neutralize odors instead of covering them up like many other household cleaners. You can use baking soda as a way to clean sinks and counter tops because it can be used as an abrasive. Baking soda can even be used on expensive china to keep it clean without harsh chemicals or the risk of breaking in a dishwasher..

Another amazing household ingredient is regular bleach. Bleach is known as a disinfectant and is very useful in tiled areas such as your bathroom and kitchen. Bleach can kill many bacteria and can be used to kill and clean away mildew and mold wherever it may build up. It’s important to remember that you should never mix bleach with ammonia or ammonia-based cleaning products as that could be incredibly hazardous.

Vinegar is one of the most commonly used household do it yourself cleaners as it is very effective and very inexpensive. You can use vinegar to clean your windows and glass, countertops, tile, and even your coffeemaker. Vinegar is great at killing mildew and removing stains, and works great at removing hard water deposits from your bathrooms and kitchens.

WD-40 is one of those household products that many people don’t think of when coming to cleaning their home. WD-40 is excellent at getting rid of waxy residues such as crayon marks, so if you have children WD-40 can be extremely useful. It also helps remove grease and adhesive leftovers. You can use WD-40 to lubricate many household fixtures, as well, to keep them from squeaking and rusting.

And finally, one of the most overlooked household products for cleaning is regular borax. Borax, most commonly known as a laundry booster, is not only to help your laundry detergent work more efficiently. You can use borax to help deodorize your trash compactor, food disposal, or garbage can. Borax is also very good for cleaning your walls and floors, too. Use a small amount of borax and water to scrub your kitchen walls and get rid of built up oil and grime. Your garbage can will also benefit from a soak in borax and warm water and a good rinse. Keeping your disposal and garbage areas clean will keep your house from bacteria and unwanted odors.

Save Energy with Laundry:

1. When washing your clothes you should lower the temperature settings. Instead of using hot water use warm or cold water (greasy stains are an exception). In order for you to use cooler water you should experiment with laundry detergents to see which one works best with cooler water. A cooler wash temperature will be fine when presoaking heavily soiled clothes. Set the washing machine on cold water rinse the temperature of the rinse water does not affect cleaning.
2. The thermostat on your water heater has to be turned down. For your home needs a setting of 120F is sufficient. You will save energy with either warm or hot wash cycles by turning down your thermostat.
3. Put as many items possible in the washing machine to its capacity. Many people under load instead of overloading their washing machines. Always check your machines load capacity and then take out a few loads to measure it up. Judge the volume of clothes in a load with your eye. It takes less energy to wash one large load than two on a low or medium setting.
4. Use the suds- saving feature if it is available on your washing machine when washing lightly soiled clothes. By doing this you save water for the next load to be washed.
5. Separate your clothes when drying and dry similar clothes together. For example, lightweight clothing dries faster than fiber clothes or bath towels.
6. Another helpful tip to save energy is to not over dry clothes. Also reduce the need for ironing and another energy waster by taking clothes out while they are still slightly damp. It would be even better if your machine had a auto-dry button, if you do use it instead of the timer and you will be saving more energy.
7. Do not make the mistake of adding wet items to a load that is already dry.
8. Take advantage of the heat still in the dyer from the first load, dry two or more loads in a row.
9. A clogged filter will restrict flow and reduce the performance of your dryer. It is best that you clean the dryer filter.
10. Drying small loads is a waste of energy. Dry full loads, but be cautious not to overfill your dryer. Even when drying full loads air should still be able to circulate freely around the drying clothes.
11. Make sure that the dryer exhaust vent outside is clean and that the outside hood opens and closes freely.

Keep Your Washing Machine Clean

1. Begin by cleaning the exterior of your washing machine. A cleaning cloth with an all purpose cleaner or soap dish soap is the best cleaning method. Then smoothly with the cleaning cloth wipe the exterior of the washing machine all around.
2. In the process of washing your clothes there is always a time where you spill detergent inside the machine. To clean those detergent spills use the same cloth you cleaned the outside of the machine clean the inside. Make sure you retrieve solid residue left from what was washed and after wiping down with a cloth rinse with water from the machine. Your washing machine will smell and look clean in the inside.
3. No one wants a smelly machine to prevent this from happening when a load is removed leave the lid open on the washing machine in order to allow it dry out. If you close the lid and there is water inside unpleasant smells develop. If your washing machine already has smells try washing an empty load with vinegar soda and a mixture of baking soda.
4. Water softeners added to your laundry detergent may be a solution for lime scale buildup.

Stop worrying about wasting energy with laundry, these tips will help you save energy and have a clean laundry room. Remember that washing machines and dyers should be cleaned as well if you want your clothes to out clean and smell fresh.