Green cleaning essentials 

• Baking soda: not just for baking, this magic white powder removes odors and is a great scourer
• Coarse salt: An excellent scourer for tougher spots
• Lemon juice: Cuts grease and smells nice too!
• Steamer: Home steam cleaning systems are an excellent way to sanitize and clean floors and surfaces
• White vinegar: Also effective at cutting grease and removing odors 
  

• Dirty dishes: Dab baking soda on a wet cloth or make a paste with water to clean glassware, stainless steel and silverware. Baking soda paste also removes tea and coffee stains from cups and saucers. Coarse salt can be used to scour cookware.
• Cut through grease: Pour straight lemon juice or vinegar onto the stove and counter tops to remove grease. Wipe off with a cloth or sponge. 
• Free-flowing sink: Pour very hot water with 1 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar down the drain. Rinse with tap water. For a fresh citrus aroma, grind lemon and orange peels in the disposal.
• Garbage smells: Dump your used coffee grounds to mask unpleasant odors. Hose out your trash can regularly to keep it smelling fresh. 
• Odor-free freezer: A rolled up newspaper overnight will absorb odors.  Wipe out with a little vanilla extract to freshen up your icebox. 
• Fragrant fridge: Keep a box of baking soda in the fridge and change every couple of months. For really strong smells, small saucers of baking soda on each shelf will do the trick. Newspaper will also absorb smells as it does for the freezer. Wash your fridge out every couple of months with warm water and vinegar.

Bathroom Beautiful 

• Mold and mildew: Grapefruit seed extract is a fabulous mold remover. Add a few drops to a spray bottle of water and squirt onto cracks and crevices. Steam is even better. 
• Pretty porcelain: Scour sinks, tubs, tile and toilets clean by dusting with baking soda and scrubbing with a sponge or moist cloth. Coarse salt can help remove more stubborn grime.

Around the House 

• Fresh-smelling Carpets: For odors sprinkle baking soda liberally and let sit for half an hour before vacuuming off. For stubborn smells or stains add a few drops of white vinegar to warm water and rub into the spot, shake over some baking soda then vacuum when dry. 
• Red wine stains: Pour salt on the spill immediately and let it sit. Wipe off or vacuum.
• Windows and mirrors: Vinegar is effective at cutting grease and grime and was cleaning windows long before spray bottles were invented. Add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar to a 16oz spray bottle and fill the rest with water. Spray on and wipe off with newspaper which won’t cause streaking.
• Furniture polish: Add 2 Tbsp of Lemon juice to 10 drops of lemon oil and a few drops of jojoba oil. This makes a fragrant and protective polish for wood furniture.
• Bacteria-busting: Steam is the way to go again for showers, floors and tiling. Salt is an effective antibacterial cleanser. It kills bacteria by bursting their cell walls and absorbing the fluids inside. Use in high concentrations in bathrooms and toilets. Grapefruit seed extract is an antibacterial agent - add to warm water for bathroom and kitchen surfaces.
• Odor-free house: Leave vinegar overnight in jars around the house to kill smells. Vanilla essence rubbed onto light bulbs gives a freshly baked cookie smell.
• Green plants: Tropical plants are great air filters. They are used to lower levels of light found in the rain forest and in the home and their high chlorophyll content allows them to photosynthesize oxygen indoors.