If you have kids that won't clean the bathroom, let them make a "volcano" (vinegar + baking soda causes a foaming reaction) in the toilet for cleaning and suddenly they LOVE cleaning the bathroom! =D

All Purpose-
In a 16 oz spray bottle mix:
2 Tsp Dr Bronner's Castile Soap (whatever flavor you prefer)
30 drops Tea Tree Oil
Fill bottle with Distilled Water
Spray direct on counters (other hard surfaces at your discretion) and wipe with rag. I've also used it to clean leather car seats and dashboards by spraying on rag and wiping down surface. Also great for sticky child prints on walls and doors.

Kitchen Cleanser (dry abrasive)-
Plastic Flip top container (empty spice container)
Baking Soda
Essential Oil (Lemon, Orange, preference)
Fill container halfway with baking soda, add 15-20 drops essential oil, fill the rest of the way with baking soda, shake well. Use like Ajax/Comet.

Kitchen Cleanser 2 (above kicked up with some soap)-
Baking Soda
Dr Bronner's Castile Soap (Plain or "Flavored")
Essential Oil (If soap not scented)
Fill an empty container (yogurt, cottage cheese, etc) about 1/2 way (or more) with baking soda, mix in soap until it's a slightly runny paste.

Floor Cleaner-(also windows, counters, chrome)
16 oz spray bottle
White Distilled Vinegar
Filtered Water
Organic Essential Oil (your fav flav)
Fill bottle with equal amounts Vinegar and Water, add 15-20 drops essential oil, shake before use. Squirt on floor and wipe up with rag or mop. Use on linoleum, tile or finished wood. Works great on bathroom fixtures, don't have a glass shower door, but I imagine it would work pretty well!

I've also included a link to the "Green Tips" page for the place I volunteer at. More great tips and links there! Have a good one!

I use my homemade sprays for general cleaning, including disinfecting sinks. Spray on and let it work for about ten minutes before scrubbing and rinsing.

For grungy looking grout around a tiled bathroom sink, I pour on hydrogen peroxide and let it set for about fifteen minutes, then scrub and towel dry without rinsing. The tiles gleam.

Like another poster, I use white vinegar and water in my carpet cleaning machine. I also use white vinegar in the washing machine as a deodorizer (pet bedding) and a softener. Vinegar is good for grease on stoves, fingerprints on refrigerators, mirrors and windows. For mirrors and windows I use a rag for washing and crumpled newspaper for polishing dry (an old wives' trick).

I recently tried the white "magic" erase sponges. They do a marvelous job of removing tea stains, wall marks, etc. However, I have no idea what these sponges are made of. Does anybody know how they fit into a green scheme?

Lorna

Check out my site for more recipes. thanks.

Didn't have time to read all the replies, and I'm sure some of these are on here already, but no harm repeating good news.

- Baking soda is great for cleaning ceramic stove tops with no scratching. For stubborn burnt on stuff, sprinkle with baking soda and spray on vinegar and let sit.

- Equal parts alcohol, plain ammonia, and water make a great window and countertop cleaner.

- Lemon Juice will take out almost any countertop stain, and if it won't, Hydrogen Peroxide will. You may have to leave it sit overnight, or treat more than once.

- Baking soda is GREAT for scrubbing soap scum off of bathroom walls and fixtures. I usually rinse it off with diluted water and white vinegar to get off the residue.

I'm still working on the laundry soap problem, still using liquid for that, and I do use bleach from time to time, more to sterilize than anythign else, but not nearly as much as I did, and I use less of each when I do use them.

for the softner i use the
2 gal vinegar
1 oz essential oil,
but now walmart is out of it. they quit selling it **boo hoo** so now i use 1 cup of the regular fabric softner still smells awesome!! it will last forever!!! LOL
the washing soda you can get in dillions, iga, i "think" aldi's, dollar general, some walmarts, don't be afraid to ask a manager!!! make sure its washing soda! :'))

My biggest obstacle was the mindset that the product chemical smells equals "clean". I went from non-eco products to using vinegar. People say the vinegar smell goes away when it dries. Seriously, I could smell it all the time...even a couple days later. I experimented with different dilutions. Bottom line, I smell the vinegar and didn't/don't like it. I think of easter eggs and salads...no clean.

Currently, I'm using Shaklee Basic H (I think they've re-named it H2 in recent years...or something like that). I have a quart bottle of Basic H I bought years ago, but only used it for specific cleaning jobs. I started using that according to the directions on the bottle and I'm sold. The smell is a light clean soapy smell when using, then goes away when it's wiped up.

I kind of laugh at myself because I was so set on fragrance & chemical smells. I realized my strange mindset when it was happening & really thought it would take me longer to come to terms with no more smells of chemicals & fragrances. Now, if my house has no product smell....that means clean to me. Complete turnaround for me.

I switched to organic laundry detergent about a year ago, when the local store started carrying it (it was too heavy and therefore had too-expensive shipping charges to order on-line, as I did with some other organic products).

Anyway, my son spent the night over his aunt's last week. He spilled something on his shirt, so she washed it for him and he wore it home the next day. I could barely go near him because of the strong detergent smell. Even after I washed it, I could still smell her detergent.

I guess we do get used to not having those "fake" smells around the house!

:)
Dee

Sometimes I use Allen's Naturally and just use less, but I've heard that it's suds too much and that it can damage the machine.

I'd really like to try something homemade though.

You said: "Anyway, my son spent the night over his aunt's last week. He spilled something on his shirt, so she washed it for him and he wore it home the next day. I could barely go near him because of the strong detergent smell. Even after I washed it, I could still smell her detergent."

I'm that way with fabric softeners. I switched from commercial brands to Seventh Generation a while back & noticed the smell phenomena like you describe. Now, I don't use any softeners, and I can smell the softeners on strangers I walk by in the store.
Gayle

Orange oil is my favorite remedy for getting rid of termites in the house as well as repelling fleas and ticks from my dog. It also keeps him smelling citrusy fresh =)

The site below also has some good tips about how to unclog your drains without using drain-o and other toxic chemicals that can potentially harm you or the environment!

crystalsutherland@hotmail.com
or
http://www.livetotalwellness.com/CSutherland
if your curious