Green Clean

I am in the process of doing a complete overhaul on my cleaning supplies cabinet. I have been doing research and have learned a lot about ways to make natural cleaning products that are not only non-toxic (which I appreciate having a baby in the house), but are also cheaper! It doesn't get any better than that.

I have replaced my Formula 409 bottle with a solution of vinegar and water. I now use this spray bottle to clean my kitchen and bathroom countertops. Did you know that vinegar was a natural disenfectant? Yeah, I never knew that either. Sure, the smell of vinegar is kind of pungent at first, but to me that is a small price to pay for knowing that my child won't die if he accidentally swallows some of it. Not to mention that you can buy a whole big tub of vinegar for like $3 at Costco, which, when diluted with water, can last you at least a year or two. Besides, the smell disippates after a short while.

You can also clean the floors with a simple solution of water, vinegar, and a little bit of soap.

I replaced my Soft Scrub bathroom cleaner with baking soda and water. All you have to do is sprinkle a little bit of baking soda in your bathtub, get it wet to form a paste, and you have a healthy, non-toxic cleaning solution. I've heard this also works for cleaning ovens. You can also buy baking soda in bulk sizes, which makes it way cheap as well.

As far as laundry detergent goes, I just came across a link that tells you how to make your own detergent that has less harmful chemicals and costs a fraction of the amount of store-bought detergents. Here is the url for those of you who might be interested...
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/03/15/how-to-make-your-own-laundry-detergent-and-save-big-money/

Yes, I know I am like a total granola, but I love saving money and I think it's important to be healthy and protect the environment too. Seems like a win-win-win way to live. Besides, what's wrong with being a tree-hugger anyways? Why should it be uncool to care about the Earth?