It’s that time of year.  The time when the outside beckons and daylight starts to linger…and time to start spring cleaning.

This year, why not try to make your cleaning ritual a little greener, starting with your cleaning products?

Take a look under your sink.  How many products do you see?  Maybe you have an all purpose cleaning spray, a glass cleaner, a bathroom scrub.  These products may work, but they also expose you to chemicals that are bad for your family’s health and release chemicals that harm the ecosystem.

So this year why not try to make just one simple, non toxic, effective cleaning product to replace what you would ordinarily use?  It’s easy, and might even save you a little money.

We’ve compiled some of the simplest non-toxic cleaning recipes we could find – ones which are made with ingredients you probably already have or can purchase for pennies per use.  Give one of these a try!

Glass cleaner:  Mix one part of distilled white vinegar and one part water into a spray bottle.  When you clean windows, use newspaper or rags instead of paper towels for wiping.  Newspaper is great to eliminate streaking.

Bathroom scrub:  Mix 1 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup liquid castile soap (such as Dr. Bronner’s), 5-10 drops of antibacterial essential oil, such as lavender, tea tree or rosemary (optional).

All purpose cleaner:  Mix one part water and one part distilled white vinegar to fill a spray bottle, and add 10-16 drops of lavender essential oil (optional).

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