Household Chemical Alternatives: Mix Your Own
  • Glass cleaner: Mix 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice in 1 quart water.
  • Bleach: Substitute borax, lemon juice or hydrogen peroxide.
  • Furniture/floor polish: Mix 1 teaspoon lemon oil with 1 pint mineral, olive or vegetable oil.
  • Wall cleaner: Mix ½ cup borax, 2 teaspoons dishwashing liquid, and 1 gallon warm water. May add dash of lemon juice or vinegar.
  • Rug shampoo: Mix 1 quart white vinegar and 3 quarts boiling water.
  • Rug deodorizer: Apply baking soda liberally and leave for 15 minutes before vacuuming.
  • Disinfectants: Use rubbing alcohol or ½ cup borax combined with 1 gallon hot water.
  • Roach killers: Mix baking soda with powdered sugar.
  • Ant killers: Discourage entry with chili powder.
  • Drain cleaners: Use plunger, then flush with mixture of boiling water, 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup vinegar.
  • Silver polish: Soak in boiling water with baking soda, salt, and a piece of aluminum.
  • Abrasive cleaners: Rub with cut lemon dipped in borax, then rinse.
    • SOURCE: The Terrene Institute in Dulles, Virginia
    Clean Living, Without the Side Effects
    • For an all-purpose cleaner: mix a cup of vinegar in a pail of water.
    • To disinfect, use one-half cup borax or sodium carbonate (washing soda) dissolved in a gallon of hot water.
    • Wash windows and mirrors with one part vinegar to every four parts water, or add 3T ammonia to the solution.
    • To deodorize carpets, sprinkle with baking soda. Vacuum after 30 minutes.
    • Oven cleaners containing lye and ammonia are especially toxic. For a healthier alternative, mix two teaspoons borax and two tablespoons liquid soap in a spray bottle of water. Scrub vigorously.
    • Use phosphate-free laundry soaps. There are plenty to choose from on your grocer's shelves.
    • To polish furniture, mix 2 tsp. lemon oil and 1 pint mineral oil in a spray bottle.
    • Toilets: pour 1/2 cup liquid chlorine bleach into bowl, let stand for 30 minutes, scrub and then flush.
    • Tub-and-tile: 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 cup ammonia and 1 gallon warm water.
    • Drains: 1 cup each - baking soda, salt, and white vinegar. Pour into drain. Wait 15 minutes. Flush with boiling water.