Clean up, naturally!

 

Although I love the "bleachy" smell of a clean house, I am realizing that the "natural way" is becoming the popular way clean up around the house.  Especially for people with small children, allergies, and sensitivity to strong odors.  So... I've done a little investigating and discovered that you basically only need three household items, which you probably already have hanging around the house, and you can create some simple AND cheap ways to clean up and kill bacteria.

White Vinegar
Vinegar is one of the most effective and natural way to clean.  Its high acidity makes is perfect for cutting through kitchen grease. The acid in vinegar also kills bacteria and mold.  Although you may not be able to realize it because of vinegars strong odor, it is a natural deodorizer.  Wipe down surfaces with 100% vinegar and a clean white cloth.  After it dries, the surfaces will be odor free.  This even works on walls and will not harm or stain the surfaces (always test a small area, just incase).  Mix 1/2 water to 1/2 vinegar in a Dollar Tree spray bottle to clean windows, bathroom fixtures, wood, laminate floors, and counter tops.  Check out this sweet website site for 1001 uses for vinegar (literally)!
http://www.vinegartips.com/

Baking Soda
Baking soda is also a natural deodorizer.  Sprinkle a little baking soda on the carpet instead of that expensive carpet refresher.  It's also mildly abrasive, which makes it perfect for scrubbing pots and pans without scratching. Or you can use it to clean tile, grout, or fiberglass fixtures in your bathroom.
For tough stains on countertops or in the bathroom, make a paste of baking soda and water and let sit on the stain for 20 minutes or so. Then scrub the stain away.  You can clean your drains by pouring in half a cup of backing soda. Add just enough water to wash it down. Let this solution sit overnight. The next morning, flush with hot water for a clean and odor-free drain.

Lemons
The smell of lemons are the smell of clean (in my opinion)!! Lemons are acidic and have some antibacterial and antiseptic properties for cleaning.  Lemon rinds can be ground in the garbage disposal to freshen the drain (my favorite lemon trick). Hot water with a little lemon poured down a drain will also freshen the drain.  I just learned that you can clean copper-bottomed pots and pans with lemon juice by cutting a lemon in half,  dipping it in some salt, and clean spots from your copper  One more thing, adding lemon juice to vinegar when cleaning can help neutralize the vinegar smell!

If you decide to start making you our cleaning products, make sure you have plenty of plastic spray bottles.  Never reuse plastic bottles that have held other cleaning chemicals, and always label your bottles accordingly.