\nBy Caitlin Castelaz\n
There’s no better time than spring to give your home some serious deep cleaning. It’s finally warm enough to wash your windows without freezing them shut, and now that the snow has melted, it’s a good time to give your siding a thorough scrub. But before you fill your cabinets with expensive heavy-duty cleansers, check out our guide to cleaning naturally with products you probably have on hand. These cleaning solutions are safer for kids, pets, and the environment, and they’ll leave your home sparkling and beautiful.\n
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.\n
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Natural cleaners are best for stainless steel because abrasive bleaches and cleansers can cause damage. Treat tough stains with a baking soda\u2013and\u2013water paste. Keep your surfaces streak-free by polishing with olive oil.\n
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You can make 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!\n
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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.\n
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Give an antique dresser a makeover with a couple of cooking staples\u2014two parts olive oil and one part lemon will make it gleam.\n
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Can’t take the fumes of silver polish? The natural solution is amazingly simple: Make a paste of three parts baking soda to one part water, then rinse and dry.\n
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Run lemon rinds through the garbage disposal to freshen your whole sink. Lemons can also have a bleaching effect on stained sinks.\n
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Baking soda is a great way to clean and deodorize carpets. Sprinkle some on your carpets before vacuuming. You can also try cornstarch, which soaks up oils on the carpet.\n
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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.\n
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Banish hard water stains from the bathtub by placing a vinegar-soaked paper towel over the area. Let it stand for up to two hours, then scrub with a baking soda paste and spray with a vinegar-and-water solution.\n
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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.\n
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Crispy cheese, burnt rice, stuck-on oatmeal\u2014no wonder some folks despise washing dishes. Loosen the debris first by sprinkling baking soda and spraying vinegar. After that, it should come off with a little steel wool. If your dishes require something less abrasive, try a nylon scrubber.\n
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\u00a0with coconut oil, rubbing with\u00a0the grain and letting it soak in before moving anything back onto the surface.\n
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Lemon and vinegar are two of the best natural cleansers, so why not combine the two? Make your own all-purpose cleanser by soaking citrus peels in white vinegar for two weeks. Once you strain out the peels, this cleanser can tackle almost any surface.\n
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