Earth Friendly Products

Using alternatives to toxic chemicals in your homes leads to less pollution, less exposure to harmful gases or liquids, better safety for children and pets in the home, and a healthier environment for all. It's easy to do, and cheaper too! Here are a few tips to get you started:

Baking Soda - a gentle non-abrasive cleaner, odor neutralizer, and laundry freshener

Washing Soda - slightly more caustic associate of baking soda, it cuts grease, cleans petroleum oil, removes lipstick and wax and neutralizes odors (don't use on fiberglass-it can scratch it or aluminum-can cause discoloration)

White vinegar and lemon juice - dissolve gummy buildup, eat away tarnish and remove dirt from surfaces

Diatomaceous earth - fossilized remains of a hard-shelled algae, when sprinkled around plants it will kill insects that crawl across it. It works when dry, not wet. Its absorbent quality makes it effective for oil spill clean ups.

Vegetable-based liquid soap - key ingredient in many homemade cleaners, biodegrades quickly

You can find many websites with recipes for mixing these ingredients to make a variety of cleaning products that are easy on your wallet and don't leave you with toxic chemicals to dispose.