9 Homemade Non-Toxic Household Cleaners

Here are nine homemade cleaning potions — easy formulas for a healthier, safer home.

Scrubbing Tile Cleaner

Put some baking soda in a grated cheese container (the kind you find at pizza parlors) and sprinkle it on bathroom sinks, tubs and showers before scrubbing. For tough stains, make a paste of baking soda and a little water. Smear it on the spot, let it sit for half an hour and sponge off.

Laundry Bleach

Instead of bleach, try adding ½ cup of borax or one cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide to whites or one cup of white vinegar to colors (to prevent fading).

Fabric Softener

Try one cup of baking soda for clothes. For towels, add ½ cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle. Fabric softeners can make towels less absorbent but vinegar deodorizes and softens them without compromising absorbency.

Scouring Pad

Scrub stainless steel pots and pans with baking soda. It won’t scratch and will give everything a shine. Nasty gunk at the bottom of a pot? Make a paste of baking soda and water, cover the gunk and let it sit for 30 minutes. Pretty up your stainless steel sink with the stuff while you wait.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Pour 16 ounces of vinegar into the bowl at night; scrub away grime in the morning.

Drain Cleaner

Pour ½ cup of baking soda into the drain, then slowly add ½ cup of vinegar. Let sit for 30 minutes, then flush with hot water.

Window, Mirror, and Glass Cleaner

Equal parts water and vinegar make windows and other glass gleam. In fact, if you rub a little on your specs, the whole world will get brighter.

Spray Kitchen Cleaner

Fill a metal spray bottle with 3% hydrogen peroxide, then use to disinfect countertops, appliances and even wooden cutting boards. It’ll give your entire kitchen a clean, fresh smell. For even more anti-germ power, fill a second metal bottle with vinegar (either white or apple cider) and apply after the peroxide. A word to the wise: Don’t mix both liquids in the same bottle and don’t use vinegar on granite or marble.

Oven Cleaner

Fill a heatproof deep pan with water, put it on the oven rack and warm until the steam softens baked-on grease. After the oven cools, use a paste of equal parts salt, baking soda and vinegar as a scrub.

Beth Greer

Beth Greer, aka the Super Natural Mom®, is an award-winning journalist, environmental health advocate, green holistic health educator, and healthy home expert. Her bestselling book, “Super Natural Home: Improve Your Health, Home and Planet…One Room at a Time” (Rodale), a Books for a Better Life Award Finalist, is endorsed by Deepak Chopra, Ralph Nader, Dr. Joseph Mercola, etc. Her work has touched the lives of tens of thousands through her writing, consulting programs and live events. Beth provides proven methods to radically transform your health and vitality and is a testament to her work -- she eliminated a tumor in her chest without drugs or surgery by making small shifts in her diet, and the products she uses in her home.

Beth is former President of The Learning Annex, an acclaimed adult education company. She has appeared on ABC, NBC, CNN, NPR and on local and national radio shows across the country. Beth is an inspiring speaker who presents at industry expos, corporations, spas, health centers and schools on the importance of eliminating toxins from our everyday products.

Beth is a trusted consumer advocate in the Natural Product and Sustainability Market and offers personalized in-home detox assessments