by Jaime Welch

Created on: August 07, 2009

Not that long ago, most people made their own cleaners. But with the rise of mass consumerism, popular culture demanded that the cabinet under our kitchen sinks be packed with bottles, jars, spray cans, and boxes of manufactured cleaners, each with a shiny label with a brand name in big letters specializing an area of expertise.

My mother, an all-natural woman, or granola girl, used natural ingredients to clean her house when most people didn't. Now, in a more eco-conscious culture, popular trends are welcome a more natural approach. You could go to a whole food market and spend even more for a cleaner with a different shiny label that includes the word green, or you can spend less on three natural non-toxic ingredients that you can use to clean almost anywhere in and around your home.

White Vinegar

Fermented from corn alcohol, distilled white vinegar has no additives or preservatives, and a 32-ounce bottle costs about 2 dollars. Because of its high alkalinity, vinegar is an effective disinfectant and deodorizer. A 50-50 solution of vinegar makes an excellent all-purpose cleaner for kitchen or bathroom. Vinegar is better than soap because it doesn't leave a residue that attracts dirt, and better than bleach because when diluted with water it's much easier on grout. For use on grout, dilute more heavily, cup of vinegar per gallon of water.

Baking Soda

Sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, also is a versatile cleaning agent. About a dollar a pound, baking soda can be substituted for toxic scouring agents, like Comet or soft scrubs. Just mix baking soda and water to form a paste and use to remove tough stains like mildew, scum, and grease. Baking soda is also a deodorizer than can be sprinkled on carpet before vacuuming to remove smells from indoor pets.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is more expensive than vinegar and baking soda, but a little will go a long way when making polishing hardwood. Mix tsp of olive oil with 1/4 cup white vinegar. After a puppy of mine died from licking toxic furniture polish off my fingers as a child, my family learned the sad way about the benefits of natural cleaners.

Other Cleaning Uses for Vinegar and Baking Soda

1. Windows. 4:1 water to vinegar ratio works great as a window cleaner. Professional window cleaners often use just dish soap and water, but with vinegar you don't have to worry about soap scum residue.

2. Fabric Softener. Add cup vinegar or baking soda to the rinse cycle of your washer

3. Kitty Litter Deodorizer. Sprinkle baking soda under kitty litter to mask smell.

4. Washing Fruits and Vegetables. To remove pesticides from produce, mix 1 cup of vinegar, 1 cup of water, and 2 tsp of baking soda. Spray and leave for a couple hours, then rinse.

5. Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Leave a cup of vinegar in your toilet bowl overnight to sanitize and remove rings and stains.

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