Commercial or brand name floor cleaners or carpet cleaners usually contain harsh chemicals that may, or may not, be identified on the label. A better, less expensive alternative is to make your own cleaners - that you way, you know what goes into them is safer for children, pets, and you!

Homemade Floor Cleaners

Easy Wood Floor Cleaner (good for other floors too!)

1/4 cup vinegar
2 gallons hot water
10 drops orange essential oil (optional)
5 drops lemon essential oil (optional)

Mix together in a bucket and mop. No need to rinse.

For dirtier floors, increase the amount of vinegar to 1 cup per bucket and add 2 tbsp natural liquid soap, then rinse to remove any soap residue.

Floor Disinfectant Cleaner

Put half a cup of borax in the bottom of your cleaning bucket then add two gallons of hot water. Apply to the floor with a mop. No need to rinse.

Linoleum Cleaner

Place 1 tablespoon of liquid soap and a quarter cup of washing soda in your cleaning bucket. Add 1/4 cup of vinegar and two gallons of hot water. Use to clean linoleum (non-wax) floors.

Homemade Carpet Cleaners

Vacuuming
The vacuum is your first line of defense against dirty carpets. Vacuum regularly, and go over the carpet in several directions as you work.

Not all vacuums are equal; check Consumer Reports for test results. Ideally, you want a vacuum that traps even the smallest particles rather than redistributing dust via the exhaust.

Natural Rug Cleaner

Rub cornmeal into a rug and vacuum out all the dirt, hair and grime with it.

Natural Carpet Deodorizer

Sprinkle baking soda all over the carpet and let sit for 15 minutes before vacuuming to absorb and elminate most carpet odors.

Natural Carpet Stain Remover

1/4 cup vinegar
1 cup water
1 tsp natural liquid dish soap

Thoroughly mix and put into spray bottle. Shake, spray, and blot.

Pet-Safe Carpet Freshener

2 cups baking soda
15 drops lavender essential oil

Combine thoroughly with a whisk. Sprinkle onto carpet and leave for a few hours. Vacuum thoroughly.

Pet Messes on Carpets

Blot the area throroughly. Wet a cloth with club soda and continue blotting untill dry. If smell is a problem, simply spray with a vinegar/water mixture.

If you liked this article, you might also like to see our recipes for Homemade Surface Cleaners or Homemade Kitchen and Bathroom Cleaners.

Try a few of these natural homemade cleaners and you may re-think inviting Mr. Clean into your home.

Note: Borax is usually sold in boxes, near the laundry detergents or fabric softeners in the grocery store.

For more homemade cleaners, please see our article and recipes to make Homemade Surface Cleaners.

Non-Toxic Kitchen and Bathroom Floor Cleaner
1/2 cup vinegar
2 gallons water
2 tbsp natural liquid soap
1/4 cup baking soda
15 drops lavender essential oil
Combine the ingredients in a mop bucket, and mix. Mop your floor, then give a once over mopping of clean water.

Natural Grease-Fighting Cleaner
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
1 gallon hot water
1 tsp natural liquid soap
5 drops orange or lemon essential oil (alternatively use lemon juice)
Mix ingredients in a bucket and clean any greasy surface.

Gentle Sink and Tub Cleaner
1/3 cup borax
1/3 cup baking soda
10 drops lavender essential oil
1 tsp natural liquid soap (optional)
Combine in bowl. Use as you would scouring powder. Rinse thoroughly. Great for porcelain and enamel.

Appliance Polish
Try rubbing club soda onto your appliances and sinks; it cleans and polishes at the same time!

Natural Mold and Mildew cleaner
1 cup borax
2 cups water
1/2 tsp tea tree oil
Combine the ingredients. Apply to affected areas, and let sit for at least two hours. Rinse. Note: It is much easier to prevent mold and mildew than to clean it. Fungi like dark and moist areas, so let in the light and fresh air! Make sure you have good ventilation, and keep things clean so nothing icky has a chance to grow.

Toilet Cleaner
1 cup borax
1/4 cup lemon juice
Mix together. Pour into toilet and let sit (overnight is best). If toilet rings are a problem, take out some toilet water and scrub rings with a borax/lemon paste. Alternatively, scrub gently with steel wool or pumice.

Grout Cleaner
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup baking soda
Combine together. The mixture should be a thick paste. Scrub the grout with a toothbrush and rinse.

Non Toxic Oven Cleaner
Spray the oven with water and sprinkle with baking soda. Leave it overnight, and scrub with steel wool in the morning.

Drain Cleaner
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup sea salt
1/2 cup baking soda
Pour all ingredients down the drain . Wait half an hour, than follow with a kettle of boiling water (taking care not to scald yourself with the steam). This works best if done often to prevent accumulation. Always remember to see if a plunger will do the trick first, and never pour grease down the sink. Strainers are great for preventing clogged drains in the first place.

Homemade Dishwasher Cleaner
1 tbsp borax
3 tbsp baking soda
2 drops of a citrus essential oil
Combine ingredients and use in dishwasher. Remember to rinse dishes first! Tip: Vinegar makes crystal and fine china sparkle!

Combatting Dried or Baked on Food on Pots and Pans
If you have a pot or pan that you know is going to use up your elbow grease, put some water and dish soap in it and simmer for about 15 minutes before washing. Alternatively, sprinkle the culprit with water and baking soda and tackle it in the morning.

Automatic Coffeemaker
Put one cup of vinegar through the coffee maker just like you were making coffee. Follow with at least two full pots of water. This should break down the build up of coffee and mineral stains, and make your coffee taste better.

Natural Kettle Cleaner
Equal parts water and vinegar
3 tbsp salt
Put ingredients into kettle and simmer for 20 min. Leave overnight, and rinse well in the morining.

Easy Blender Cleaner
Fill the blender half-way with hot water and add a touch of vinegar. Puree away.

Refreshing Fridge Cleaner
1/2 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed if you have it)
2 cups water
1 tbsp baking soda

Cutting Board Deodorizer
Rub the surface of your cutting or bread board with lemon to remove unwanted odours. Or, you can try a baking soda paste.

Also see: Homemade Floor and Carpet Cleaners, and Homemade Surface Cleaners for more like this.

Spring cleaning goes beyond normal everyday cleaning. It’s a major project of home revitalization: to make everything new by removing dust and dirt, to make sure everything is in good repair, and to put things in order, so that you will have everything in your household in working condition for the coming year.

Here are some tasks that are traditionally included in a major spring cleaning:

- Put away winter clothes and take out spring and summer clothing.

- Sweep and vacuum floors, walls, and corners.

- Wash floors and carpets.

- Clean window panes, sills, and frames. Replace thick winter curtains that keep heat in with light summer curtains that allow breezes through. Remove storm windows, hang up screens.

- Brush or vacuum stuffed furniture and remove spots.

- Wash every surface in every room that has accumulated dust or grime.

I like to finish a spring cleaning by bringing in loads of spring flowers and placing them in vases in every room.

USE NONTOXIC & NATURAL CLEANERS

With so much cleaning going on, I always make sure to use cleaning products that are simple, safe, and eco-friendly.

When choosing a cleaning product for a specific job, I use the least-toxic, most-effective product, in the smallest effective amount.

Cleaning products are the only household products regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission under the 1960 Federal Hazardous Substances Labeling Act, which requires products that contain hazardous chemicals to carry warning labels. In general, it is best to avoid using products that say “Danger,” “Poison,” or “Warning,” on the label.

Many safer products carry the “Caution” label, even though they are acceptable to use. Fortunately, the least toxic products voluntarily disclose their complete ingredients on the label, so you can determine for yourself the safety of the product. There are even cleaning products now made with organically-grown ingredients.

Nontoxic cleaning actually requires very few specialized ingredients. I do all of my cleaning with a squirt bottle of fifty-fifty distilled white vinegar and water, liquid soap, and baking soda. For laundry I use a natural soap powder and chlorine-free oxygen bleach. Other substances I have on hand for occasional cleaning needs are salt, lemon juice, borax, and chlorine-free Bon Ami scouring powder.

See Homemade Surface Cleaners for a variety of homemade surface cleaner recipes using natural, non-toxic ingredients.

SIMPLIFY YOUR CLEANING

While scrubbing away at your spring cleaning, there are two things you can resolve to do in the coming year that will make cleaning easier. These will also reduce the amount of cleaning products you use, saving resources and money. But the most important thing to me is that they save time and reduce the amount of cleaning needed.

First, I incorporate preventive maintenance. I put a cookie sheet on the rack under a casserole that is likely to spill over, for example, which pre-empts the need to scour baked on food from the oven. If the casserole spills, the cookie sheet can be effortlessly soaked clean in a few inches of water in the kitchen sink.

I also keep in mind the adage “A stitch in time saves nine,” which means if you take that first stitch to fix the tear before it gets bigger, you’ll save having to make nine stitches later. In cleaning, this translates to wiping up the spill when it happens, cleaning surfaces before they are caked with dust and grease, just cleaning as you go while there’s not much to clean. It’s only when we don’t clean that we may need harsh chemicals to tackle what would have been an easy job earlier.

About the Author: Hailed as “The Queen of Green” by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a consumer advocate for health and the environment since 1982. Visit her website for 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural and earthwise products, and to sign up for her free email newsletters.

Learn how to make your own environmentally-friendly spray cleaners. These homemade cleaners are cheap to make yourself and always ready to use.

Natural All-Purpose Spray Cleaner
2 tbsp vinegar
2 cups water
1 tsp borax
10-15 drops tea tree oil
Combine the ingredients and put the mixture into a clean spray bottle. Shake well. Use as you would any all purpose spray cleaner. Ideal for countertops. Tea tree oil helps prevent mold and mildew.

Simple Surface Cleaner
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
Mix vinegar and water together and keep in spray bottle. This is a useful, everyday mixture to wipe down kitchen surfaces without the need for rinsing.

Non Toxic Heavy Duty Cleaner
1/4 cup vinegar
1 cup water
1 tsp borax
10 drops orange essential oil
5 drops lemon essential oil
Mix the water and the borax. Combine the rest of the ingredients to the mixture, and put into a clean spray bottle. Shake. Wipe surface clean and rinse. Ideal for grimy surfaces.

Homemade Glass Cleaner
1/3 cup vinegar
2/3 cup water
Combine the vinegar and water in a clean spray bottle. Use just like Windex. (If you can’t stand the smell of vinegar, club soda works well too.) Tip: Dry windows with newspapers.

Anti-Streak Window Cleaner
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup isopropyl alcohol
Mix in a clean spray bottle, shake, apply and rinse. This mixture is great for windows that have accumulated build-up. If the glass is really greasy, you can add a drop or two of natural liquid soap. This cleaner should due the trick after one or two applications, and I recommend you return to a vinegar cleaner as soon as possible (due to the rubbing alcohol).

Natural Stain Remover
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp natural dish soap
1 tbsp vegetable glycerin
Mix together, shake and store in a clean spray bottle. Rub well into the stain (the sooner the better!) and wash clothes as usual.

Painted Cabinets Cleaner
1/4 cup baking soda
1 cup ammonia
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 gallon warm water.
Mix ingredients and pour into a spray bottle. Spray onto painted surface and rub in with a sponge. Rinse with a clean sponge dampened with water. Wipe dry completely.

For more homemade cleaner recipes, see: Homemade Floor and Carpet Cleaners or How to Make Kitchen and Bathroom Cleaners.

If you’re concerned about the chemicals in dryer sheets and dryer balls, here’s a alternative to make yourself; DIY dryer balls that you can make from natural wool yarn. Just toss the dryer balls into the dryer with your laundry and let them bounce around to soften clothes and absorb static cling.

Size:
You can make the dryer balls to any convenient size, but the ones you can buy are about nine inches around. Since the natural wool balls shrink a little prior to felting, you can make them about ten or so inches in circumference to get a finished size similar to the commercial dryer balls.

Supplies:

• Wool Yarn - here’s a great opportunity to recycle your leftover wool or yarn scraps. For the best results, use a yarn that is 100% wool or otherwise is a good felting yarn. Do not use superwash wool. Machine washable yarns aren’t any good for this project! Local stores will carry lots of good, cheap, felting wool yarns.

  The amount of yarn needed depends on the weight and gauge of the yarn used; obviously, chunky yarn will wind faster and you’ll need less. For a dryer ball made of worsted weight wool yarn, you’ll need about 3 ounces.

• Old Pantyhose or a Sock
• Cotton or Acrylic Yarn or String: You can use scraps here, too. This will be used to tie the hose or sock. You don’t want this to felt, so don’t use the wool yarn here.
• Scissors
• Crochet Hook
• Measuring Tape

Step 1: Winding the Core

Begin making the core of the ball by winding a bit of yarn around your fingers.

Once you have a bit done, take it off your fingers, let it close and wrap the yarn around it. This is the beginning of your ball.

Continue wrapping the yarn around and forming a little ball. There is no right or wrong way to do this step, as this will be completely covered up later on.

This picture at right shows a small beginning ball, a ball ready for the first felting and a ball that is ready for the last felting. This should give you an idea of approximate sizes.

Once you have a small ball, break(or cut) the yarn and tuck the end under using the crochet hook. This will keep it from coming loose during felting.

Step 2: Felting the Core

Put your small wool balls into a length of pantyhose or knee-high sock. Tie the hose closed between each ball with a piece of string or non-wool yarn, using a secure knot. This will keep the balls separated during felting.

Toss the wool ball pantyhose caterpillar into your washer with a load of laundry. Hot water will help the felting process. If you have used a hand-dyed yarn, or wool that is not colorfast, be aware that the dye may run.

Once the dryer balls have been washed and dried, cut the strings between the hose and remove them. They should be slightly felted. If you want them felted more, run them through another load.

Step 3: Winding the Dryer Ball

Begin winding more wool yarn onto the ball and continue winding until the ball is the size you want. Tuck the end under using the crochet hook.

Step 4: Final Felting

Once you have your dryer balls the size you would like, put them into the pantyhose again, tie them, and repeat the felting process. The balls don’t have to be completely felted before you can start using them; just slightly felted will do, so they won’t come apart. They will continue to felt and get harder as you use them.

Your natural wool dryer balls are now finished. It is possible they will develop little pill balls with continued use; if so, just remove them with a sweater shaver.

Adapted from Make your Own Wool Dryer Balls by goodmama, inc., licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.