Green Living: Cleaning the Eco-Friendly Way with Homemade Products

In a quest to be more eco-friendly, companies are developing new "green" cleaning products, but if you'd like a more budget-friendly option, consider cleaning with items you already have on hand.

Try these simple green-living solutions for a sparkling home:

Mirrors, Windows, and Glass-Top Stoves. Mix 1/2 cup of vinegar with 4 cups of water. Pour the solution into a spray bottle (one that you've washed and recycled, of course!) Spray surface that needs cleaning, wipe with a dust-free cloth.

Microwave. Pour ¼ cup of lemon juice into a glass bowl. Place bowl in the center of the microwave. Run microwave for a 90-second cycle. Leave bowl in microwave for one minute. Open microwave, remove bowl, and off inside of microwave with a towel. For stubborn stains, use a little of the lemon juice and a scrub brush to loosen and remove.

Bonus- Recycle the lemon juice by using it in one of the following ways:

• Add ½ cup of juice to the rinse cycle of your laundry as a bleach substitute
• Use the juice to de-grease your stove, use a brush or cloth to rub off the grease
• Fill a spray bottle with ½ lemon juice, ½ water. Use for as effective and natural air freshener.

Keyboards, Answering Machines, CD Players. Use a paint brush to dust around the buttons and keys. If you need to remove stains, dip the paintbrush in rubbing alcohol and whisk the stains/dirt away.

Showers, Bathtubs, Tile, and Sinks. The easiest eco-friendly way to keep showers, sinks, bathtubs, and tile clean is to wipe them with a damp towel after every use. This immediately prevents any residue buildup. Designate a towel for each area and keep it nearby for quick cleanup. Reuse the towel as long as possible, then drop it in the wash and replace with a new one.

Toilets. Baking soda is a great, everyday cleaner to use for toilets. Scrub with your regular toilet brush. For tougher stains, make a paste from baking soda and liquid castile soap-apply to stain and scrub with a toilet brush.

Garbage Cans, Recycling Bins. To get the dirt or grime out of your garbage cans or recycling bins, mix one cup of baking soda with 1 cup of water, dissolving baking soda completely (you can recycle a little bit of the lemon juice you used for cleaning the microwave by adding it to this mix, too, for an extra-fresh scent.) Pour the mixture into the bottom of your garbage can or recycling bin. Let sit for fifteen minutes. Scrub bottom and sides of can with the mixture to remove stains and grime. Rinse the can out with water. Dry with a cloth or sit out in the sun to dry.