By Caitlin Castelaz
There’s no better time than spring to do a thorough cleaning of your home. It’s finally warm enough to wash your windows without them freezing shut, and now that the snow has melted, it’s time to give your siding a good scrub. But, before you stock your cabinets with expensive heavy-duty cleansers, read our guide to cleaning naturally with items you most likely already have on hand. These cleaning products are gentler on children, pets, and the environment, and they will leave your home sparkling and beautiful.
Window Washing
Save yourself the time and expense of trying every “streak-free” window cleaner on the market. Instead, mix one-part vinegar to two parts water in a spray bottle. Wipe off using black-and-white newspaper or a lint-free towel.
Streak-Free Stainless Steel
Natural cleaners are best for stainless steel because abrasive bleaches and cleansers can cause damage. Treat tough stains with baking soda–and–water paste. Keep your surfaces streak-free by polishing them with olive oil.
Polishing Metal
You can make the metal shine by treating it with a paste of salt and lemon juice. Apply to copper, brass, or steel with an old toothbrush, and you’ll remove tarnish or rust in no time. It also works on food-stained plastic dishes!
A Salt Scrub for the Oven
Treat fresh grease stains in the oven by sprinkling them with a handful of salt. When the oven cools, wipe it clean with a cloth.
Furniture Polish
Give an antique dresser a makeover with a couple of cooking staples—two parts olive oil and one part lemon will make it gleam.
Concrete Cleaner
Outdoor concrete can often be cleaned with nothing but old-fashioned water and a pressure washer. If stubborn stains leave you wanting something stronger, try hydrogen peroxide.
Washing Vinyl Siding
Vinyl siding is pretty low maintenance, but snow, rain, and wind can soil its surface. To keep your siding free of grime and dirt, wash with a solution of 70 percent water and 30 percent vinegar, then rinse clean.
Freshen the Drain
Run lemon rinds through the garbage disposal to freshen your whole sink. Lemons can also have a bleaching effect on stained sinks.
Sparkling Grout
Cleaning grout isn’t a cakewalk, but using baking soda is a trusted way to keep grout stain-free. Make a paste of baking soda and water, and spread it on the area. Spray vinegar on the paste to create a foaming action, then scrub and rinse.
Bathtub Grime
Remove hard water stains from the bathtub by wiping the area with a vinegar-soaked paper towel. Allow it to stand for up to two hours before scrubbing it with a baking soda paste and spraying it with a vinegar-and-water solution.
Water Rings
If your guests forget to use a coaster, you can buff out a water ring with a mix of salt and olive oil. Rub the solution gently onto the table and wipe clean.
Unclog a Drain
If you keep just one thing in your natural cleanser arsenal, vinegar’s not a bad choice. To fix a clogged drain, try pouring one-half cup of baking soda, followed by one cup of vinegar. The chemical reaction will cause a cleansing foam. Once that stops, rinse with hot water. Wait five minutes and flush the drain with cold water.
Freshen Wood Furniture
Foodies love coconut oil for its health benefits, but it’s handy around the house as well. Use a microfiber cloth to polish wood furniture with coconut oil, rubbing with the grain and letting it soak in before moving anything back onto the surface.
All-Purpose Cleaner
Lemon and vinegar are two of the best natural cleansers, so why not combine the two? Make your own all-purpose cleaner by soaking citrus peels in white vinegar for two weeks. Once you strain out the peels, this cleanser can tackle almost any surface.
Shiny Vinyl Floors
The acidity of apple cider vinegar will clean your vinyl floors without leaving a soapy or waxy buildup like some cleaning products. Jojoba oil can buff out stubborn scuffs to keep your floors looking new.
Microwave Cleaning
Blast away baked-on food in the microwave by boiling two cups of water and the juice and peels of two lemons in a microwave-safe bowl. Let it stand for 10 minutes to allow the steam to cut through the grease. Finish with soap and water.
