Homemade Nontoxic Cleaners for Your Home

Keeping your home clean is a constant challenge, and all those chemical-laden cleansers can be irritating and even dangerous. If you would like to clean your home the natural way, the answer may be as close as your pantry or fridge.

Many common household products can double as excellent cleansers, freeing you from the burden and expense of buying toxic products. Here are six homemade cleaning solutions to keep your home looking and smelling great:

• Vinegar may be the most versatile natural cleanser there is, and you can use it in many different ways. Vinegar makes a wonderful glass cleaner, but you can also use it to clean counters, stoves, and other surfaces around the home.

• Lemons are great for cleaning. Use half a lemon to scrub out your pots and pans, or rub a piece of lemon inside your microwave to clean it.

• Baking soda is a great all-purpose cleaner and deodorizer, so pour a box down your garbage disposal, sprinkle some in the sink, and keep an open box inside your fridge.

• Hydrogen peroxide is an effective cleaner and disinfectant, so keep a bottle on hand for those quick cleanups. You can use hydrogen peroxide to clean and disinfect any surface, including cutting boards and kitchen counters.

• Club soda can spot clean the upholstery in your vehicle and on your living room furniture. Just wet a clean cloth with club soda, apply it to the stain, and blot it dry. You may need several applications to get the fabric clean, but it beats using harsh chemicals.

• Microfiber is known for its softness, but it is also a powerful cleaning tool. You can use microfiber cloths to clean your windows to a streak-free shine without the use of chemicals or other harmful ingredients.

Don't rely on chemical cleaners; with these few simple ingredients you can make your home sparkle!