My husband is the same way -- if it doesn't have some chemical smell that it truely isn't clean. Don't get him started when he smells vinegar

have allergies and asthma and this was the first year I have started to use natural claening products and this winter has been our best. I think there is something about the toxic stuff in the cleaning solutions

I got alot of ideas from watching that "how clean is your house?" on BBC. I buy baking soda and salt out of the bulk bins that one of the stores have here. (.34 a lb. you cant beat that!) and clean with those plus vinegar and lemon juice. I have saved a ton of money, and helped the enviroment a bit


oh, and I can stretch out my kitchen sponges by using one of their tips; hot water in sink, a squirt of dishsoap and a tbs or so of bleach, let it soak a few hours, santizes the sponge, and gets rid of those nasty smells sponges get. my sponges last alot longer this way!

What are you cleaning with the salt?

they use is as a gentle abrasive. Like I use a dish cloth soaked in lemon juice, then dip it in salt (just the part I am scrubbing with) and use it to scrub the grease on the stove. we moved into a older house wiht a older range, It had alot of dried grease on the top of the stove (above where the timer and clock are) and i cut a lemon in half, dipped the cut side in salt and used elbow grease and scrubbed it off. really worked well! I had been trying to get it off with magic erasers but it was tearing them to shreads. the elbow grease can take a bit time, but I just imagine all the calories I'm burning. lol. and I use the salt in a recipe to make drains run smoother

oh, and I use it in the same way for the bathtub. my kids get filthy outside playing and leave the tub nasty

I love to clean with vinegar & baking soda! I use it on almost everything! Today I polished my living room tables with 1 part lemon juice w/2 parts veg. oil. It looked amazing! Better than Pledge ever got it!

Someone mentioned sanitizing their sponges...something that I read once (and works great) is every night put your DAMP sponge in the microwave for 1 minute. The heat sanitizes it & dries it out so bacteria doesn't set up inside the sponge. I crocheted a few "dish rags", it is great for scrubbing yet doesn't get gross in the sponge.

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Mom to Ryan Christopher (8-'06)

I am going to have to try the salt on my two problem areas, the bathtub and my stove. I've never used it before.

I've also never tried the lemon and oil as a furniture polish. I think I have a lemon to test it out today.

I found this info today:

More Ways to Clean Naturally

Ammonia. Dilute 1 tablespoon of ammonia in a pint of water for a strong grease-cutting solution. (NOTE: Never mix ammonia and bleach; the resulting fumes can be deadly.)

Baking Soda. Sprinkle soda directly onto the soiled area and scrub with a damp cloth. For added cleaning power, mix it with water to form a paste the consistency of peanut butter, then scrub.

Dish Soap. To create a single-use cleaning solution, dissolve a teaspoon of liquid dish soap in a quart of water, then add a teaspoon of vinegar. (Do not add the two at the same time; the acid in the vinegar will neutralize the alkali in the soap.)

Salt. For a paste that removes hard-water stains, mix 1/4 cup salt with 2 tablespoons vinegar.

Lemons. To remove rust or food stains on countertops, rub a cut lemon over the spot or squeeze fresh lemon juice onto the area and let it sit for up to 30 minutes.

Vinegar. Dilute distilled white vinegar in water to cut through tacky dirt, soap scum, mineral deposits, or wax buildup. (Add a drop of essential oil to diffuse the vinegar odor.) For heavy buildup, soak a rag in vinegar, lay it over the area and leave it for an hour, then scrub.

Salt again!? And here I thought I was up on all of Green Cleaning stuff and I swear I've never heard of salt! Thanks again for the enlightment.

Also, if you have a stain on a white article of clothing, put a little lemon juice on it and set it out in the sun. It works like magic. I've never attempted it on color clothing but I suspect it woudl beach it out - though I'm not 100% sure.