Do it Yourself Household Cleaners

Most people are unaware that many of the products in their home may actually be considered hazardous material. These products include things like drain cleaner, pesticides, weed killers, and furniture polish. Hazardous products can be poisonous, corrosive, flammable, or even explosive. According to Judith Getis in her environmental handbook, "You Can Make a Difference," over 80% of the chemicals currently used in commercial products have no toxicity information available. This means that consumers are in the dark when it comes to using only safe household cleaners and other products.

But, don't fear - there are safe alternatives.

Aside from learning to purchase items with minimal toxicity levels and responsibly disposing of hazardous waste, you can also make safe cleaners at home while saving a pretty penny too. All you need are a few basic ingredients like baking soda, salt, and vinegar and you are on your way to a safer home!

1. All Purpose Cleaner: You can use this cleaner for walls, tiles, appliances and more. Just mix ½ cup of baking soda, 1 cup of vinegar, and 2 cups of warm water.

2. Drain Cleaner: First, try pouring boiling water down the drain once a week to keep it from getting clogged. For a clogged drain, pour the following into the drain: ½ cup of baking soda, ½ cup vinegar, 1/8 cup of salt. Let this settle. Pour in boiling water. If necessary, repeat the process in 30 minutes.

3. Toilet Cleaner: You can pour ½ cup of borax into the bowl. Let it stand for 1 hour. Then scrub the bowl with a toilet brush. Or you can pour some baking soda onto the brush and scrub it with that. Denture tablets are another easy way to clean out the toilet bowl.

4. Carpet Cleaner: You can simply sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda onto the carpet, brush it into the bottom, and then vacuum. Or you can sprinkle on a mixture of 2 cups of baking soda, ½ cup of cornstarch, and 4 crumbled bay leaves. Let this sit for 1 hour, then vacuum.

5. Window Cleaner: Just mix ½ cup of Vinegar with 1 quart of warm water. Put it in a spray bottle, and voila!

6. Copper and Brass Cleaner: Did you know that ketchup removes tarnish from copper?

7. Jewelry Cleaner: Mix 3 tablespoons of baking soda with 1 tablespoon of salt and boiling water in an aluminum foil lined bowl. Let jewelry soak in this until tarnish vanishes. Diamonds can be cleaned by soaking them in a dish of vodka for a few minutes.

8. Furniture Polish: Just add 1/8 cups pf lemon juice to ¼ cup of mineral oil, and you've got furniture polish!

9. Mildew Remover: Dissolve ½ cup of vinegar and ½ cup of borax in a bucket of warm water.

10. Stuffed Animal Cleaner: Sprinkle cornstarch onto the stuffed animal, wait 5 minutes, then brush off. This will clean dirty toys and deodorize them.