Have you considered going green?? It will be painless easy on your wallet!  Even better – you are making the environment a better place to live for you AND your family. When I say ENVIRONMENT, I’m talking about your immediate surroundings.

Just take a look under your sink.  It doesn’t get much more toxic dumping ground than down there.  I bet there are a few bottles of very harsh chemicals that you have no idea how long they’ve been under there.  Don’t let the idea of going green overwhelm you either.  Start simply and with one thing at a time.  You will drive yourself to the brink of insanity if you try to tackle everything at once.

These three completely non-toxic fellows are the perfect answer for all of your household cleaning woes… and then some!!  Any guesses at what they are?

Baking Soda

Most of us are familiar with baking soda for absorbing odors in your fridge, freezer or cupboards but is also great for so much more.  Here are just a few of its uses.

Garbage odors: Sprinkle a bit of baking soda at the bottom of the pail, and then sprinkle again after you put a new bag in.

Toothpaste: Add some to your toothpaste. It’s an effective non-abrasive natural cleanser and whitener. Even on its own it’s great for your teeth- just mix one tablespoon with a bit of water

Scouring Agent: When food gets stuck to the pan, you don’t need to reach for an SOS pad. Just sprinkle baking soda with a bit of water, creating a paste. Spread the paste all over your problem area and let soak for 5 minutes. Then scrub with a damp sponge and rinse

Lemon

Doesn’t get more non-toxic than our buddy the lemon. I had no idea just how helpful a lemon could be!

Air Freshener: It can be as simple as filling a bowl or vase full of lemons to make a room smell fresh. It can completely eliminate odors.  Garbage disposals can become very smelly as well. Throw in a quarter of a lemon and put it down the garbage disposal and ran for a minute and it completely freshened up the kitchen.

Sore throat soother: It’s not just an old granny’s wives tale about hot water and lemon being good for your throat. You could always add a shot of whiskey or bourbon. But, honey, lemon slices and ginger would just do the trick 

Laundry Brightener: Brighten your clothing by soaking your clothes in water and lemon juice. You need about a half-cup of lemon juice per gallon of water.  Here’s what you do:  Once your washing machine fills with water add in the lemon juice and leave to presoak for thirty minutes.  Then resume wash cycle as normal. Your clothes will come out brighter and fresher. Results are even better when you line dry in the sun. Since I have a front loader washing machine,  I add the lemon in the laundry cup of the washer and use the pre-wash setting.

Natural Highlighter: On the topic of lemon and sun, lemon is the ultimate natural highlighter! Squeeze in some lemon juice in your hair the next time you’re going outside. My mom didn’t allow me to die my hair when I was in high school so I use this trick to give me highlights. It brightened my hair without all of the chemicals.

Vinegar

In addition to having numerous cooking uses, 100% pure distilled white vinegar can also be used as an effective non-toxic, all-natural cleaning solution throughout your home. It has an incredibly wide range of uses, such as removing odors from rooms, cleaning fixtures in your bathrooms and kitchen, removing stains and spills from carpets, cleaning windows, and much more.

Heavy Weight Smells: Simply put out a couple bowls of vinegar in the room and it will completely get rid of the stink.  Most air fresheners just mask the smell.  Vinegar will kick that yuck to the curb.

Does Windows like a champ:  Streak-free windows for pennies.

I think you are going to be surprised at all their magical and incredibly effective cleaning powers.  No weakling cleaning here!!  Check out our video below:

• 2 cups of water
• 2 Tablespoons of vinegar
• 10-15 drops of essential oil

Are you ready to get green?  Here are a few of my favorite things to help you get started: