Green Cleaning Tips: Save some Green and Clean

Save some green and clean

When it's time to stage a home, cleaning is a no-brainer. But you don't have to break the bank or harm your health to get the job done. While commercial cleaning products can help you get your home spic-n-span, they can be costly.

A recent trend, and a helpful trend for people who are trying not to stress their budgets, is green cleaning. It involves using cleaning products that are not toxic and can be made by using ingredients that people have in their cupboard. Here are just a few ingredients that will do the trick:

• White Vinegar - White vinegar gets rid of mold, bacteria and mildew. It also gets rid of soap scum, dirt and hard water deposits. It may smell while cleaning, but the scent will go away when it dries.
• Lemon Juice - Who knew lemon juice could clean glass, get rid of grease build up and get stains out of clothing and porcelain? Be careful though, it can bleach colored items.
• Baking Soda - You can use this to clean almost everything. It can take away bad smells, soften hard water and work as a mild abrasive, to clean counters.
• Borax - Like many of these other household items, it can also rid the house of smells, keep mold and mildew from growing and serve as a disinfectant. Blended with vinegar it works even better.
• Hydrogen Peroxide - Use the 3 percent solution sold in stores and mix with vinegar to disinfect your home.
• Oils - Pine and citrus oil can help clean and disinfect your home. Other oils that can help clean include spearmint, lavender and peppermint.

Now that you know what ingredients can be used as green cleaning products, here are some tips to clean problem areas:

• Windows - There are several products that will help clean windows. Mixing about 1/2 cup of cornstarch with two quarts of warm water will do the trick. You could also fill a spray bottle with warm water, vinegar, and lemon juice or even vinegar and warm water. Wipe up solution with newspapers. It doesn't leave behind streaks or lint.
• Watermarks - Apply toothpaste (white only) to the mark and wait until it dries. Buff out with a soft cloth and you're done.
• Scratches -If you've got a surface scratch, grab a pecan and rub it into the scratch. Next apply a little oil - olive oil will do the trick. All that's left to do is rub the surface with a clean towel.
• Unfinished wood - Dab a cloth with olive or walnut oil and apply it to the wood. Wait about an hour and wipe off whatever is left.
• Finished wood - To polish finished wood put vegetable oil soap onto a towel and polish the wood. Then grab a jar and add two parts of vinegar and olive oil to one part lemon juice and redo surfaces.

Article Source: http://www.homestagingchannel.com/green-cleaning-tips-save-some-green-and-clean-i-261.php

Last Updated Monday, July 6, 2009 - 03:03 PM EDT.