Going Green

Natural Spring Cleaning

1. For a no-wax furniture polish, mix 1 cup olive oil and ½ cup lemon juice in a sprayer bottle. Shake well and apply to cleaning cloth. Spread evenly, then polish with dry cloth.
2. White vinegar makes a terrific cleaner for kitchens and baths. Its mildly acidic properties dissolve dirt, soap scum and even hard-water deposits. Simply mix 1 cup white vinegar and 1 cup water in a sprayer bottle and – VOILA! – you have a safe, non-toxic all purpose cleaner.
3. Instead of commercial scouring powders, try simple baking soda. It's a mild abrasive and a natural deodorizer. A little baking soda on a damp sponge is great for tackling bathtub rings and kitchen sinks. Baking soda also makes a great carpet deodorizer. Just sprinkle on carpet, wait 30 minutes and vacuum.
4. Eliminate the need for harsh oven cleaning chemicals with this simple trick: Line the bottom of your oven with a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil to catch spills. Change the liner as the spills collect.
5. But...if you already have spills in your oven, use this simple and natural way to scour them away. First, sprinkle the spills with salt. Then make a thin paste with a little baking soda and water and scrub the spill. A sponge or old toothbrush will do the job just fine.
6. Here's one urban myth that's really true: For small stains on carpets, club soda works wonders. Be aware though, its magic works best when stains are fresh.
7. To get rid of lingering kitchen smells, sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg and a drop of orange essential oil in an old metal baking pan. Place the pan in a warm oven and then turn the oven off. The mixture will go to work as the oven cools and your kitchen will be filled with the fragrant scent.
8. Fight metal rust with a mixture of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Apply to rusty surfaces and rub well.
9. To freshen toilets, sprinkle baking soda and lemon juice into the bowl. Let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub the bowl with toilet brush.
10. For sluggish drains, pour in a cup white vinegar plus one cup baking soda. It will start to bubble within a few minutes. Then flush with a pot of hot water.