(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.

Also remember, messes are always easiest to clean up right away – unless perhaps you are soaking a pan to remove burned-on food. That hot liquid splatter that wipes off so easily right after it lands on the counter will dry to a hard crust, if left long enough, and not all surfaces are made to tolerate heavy scrubbing.

When cooking something especially messy, as spaghetti sauce tends to be, it’s best to be prepared. Otherwise, that sauce can really go flying, ending up in tight-fit or hard to reach corners. One ends up searching for all of the splatter before it dries, all while trying to get dinner served at the same time!

So, keep in mind that almost anything that you can imagine doing in the kitchen has an associated product these days, whether it’s available through a specialty chef boutique or your local grocer.

One great tool for avoiding splatter with a mess magnet like fried food is the aptly named “splatter screen,” also called a “splatter guard”. One common version of this is placed over the pan; it has a handle so that it can be easily lifted, then put back in place. Word on the street is that it works like a champ, keeping the oil off you and your surroundings.

Another version of this device is an actual three-sided, physical barrier that surrounds the rear and both sides of your pot, containing the mess to a small surface area – and of course, to the splatter guard itself.

Tired of seeing food splatter all over the inside of your microwave? It shows up better than one might think through that glass window in the door! There’s a food splatter screen available to solve exactly this problem. It even folds up for easy storage.

Sometimes I’ll set out newspaper or paper towels, when I know I’ll be doing something especially messy. At least they’ll soak up part of the mess – even if it’s oily.

Splattered oil is a special problem when cleaning, because it can be difficult to remove. Even when washing oily pans, you can feel the way it clings before you douse it in soap.

And if you absolutely can’t avoid oil splatter – and if the surface you’re cleaning allows it – one great trick is to make a paste from cornstarch and water, or to apply cornstarch to a wet cloth. Try this first on a hidden part of the surface, one where you don’t mind a little visible damage, just in case!

If the surface permits, rub at the oil spots with the cloth; or, if using a paste, the paste can be painted over the oil splatter and as the paste dries, it draws out the oil, hopefully leaving the surface like new!