Natural Cleaning Products for a Sparkling, Non-Toxic Home

Do you worry about the toxic chemicals that you use to clean your home? Natural cleaning products can be used as effectively as the more expensive store-bought ones, and can be made with materials you likely already have in your home.

Baking soda is a common baking ingredient in most kitchens, but it is also a powerhouse when it comes to cleaning abilities. It combines gentle abrasive cleaning with its well-known odor absorption, making it safe for most surfaces in your home. You can use it alone on a damp sponge to scrub tough stains on most surfaces. Do you have silver that needs to be polished? Make a paste of baking soda and water in a 3 to 1 mixture and rub the paste onto your silver. Rinse it clean with warm water and then dry it with a soft cloth. It'll sparkle like new!

Clogged drains can be cleaned with baking soda, too, saving those toxic chemicals from being washed into our water supply. Simply pour a cup of baking soda down the drain and let it sit, overnight if necessary. In the morning, wash it down with some hot water. You can do this once a week as a preventative. As an added bonus, it'll leave your drain smelling fresher.

Are your tubs and sinks showing soap scum residue? Use baking soda and dishwashing detergent to make a foamy paste and use it the same way you'd use any soft scrub cleanser.

White vinegar is another natural cleaning product that has almost endless uses and is harmless and inexpensive. It's helpful to have 2 spray bottles for you vinegar cleaner. Fill one with straight vinegar, and fill the other with a mixture of half vinegar and half water. With these at your disposal, there aren't many cleaning problems that you can't tackle. The only caveat is that you shouldn't use vinegar (or any acid) on marble or grout, as it can damage these surfaces if used often.

Windows come sparkling clean with vinegar. Use your half and half spray combination and then wipe them dry with newspapers. Make sure to do this on a cloudy day to avoid streaks.

A favorite trick, especially if you have hard water, is to remove your showerheads and then soak them in a bowl of vinegar. The acetic acid (which is chemically what vinegar is) dissolves the build-up from the hard water and your shower will spray like new.

Your laundry can benefit from vinegar as well. Add a half cup of straight vinegar to your rinse cycle for noticeably brighter brights. To keep your washing machine functioning in tip-top shape, it's a good idea to run a cup of vinegar through an empty washer. This gets rid of soap residue and will help your clothes get cleaner. If you're using cloth diapers, you know how hard it can be to get rid of the odor. Wash them with a cup of vinegar to break down the uric acid, which is what gives urine that acrid odor.

Using natural cleaning products in your home is easy and beneficial in so many ways. You're limiting your family's exposure to toxic chemicals, helping the planet be less polluted, and saving money all at the same time.