A Cleaner, Greener Spring

I have mentioned my efforts to go natural and green here, but I wanted to share a few specific cleaning techniques that I have implemented in the last three or so months to reduce the amount of chemicals that reside in our house.  I have switched over to cleaning almost everything with vinegar and baking soda. Here are a few recipes and products that I have been using to give our house a spring cleaning.  

Floor:

I detest the rotten post-cleaning headache that I get from using strong chemicals, so switching over to vinegar and essential oils has been wonderful!  Now vinegar does not have the greatest scent, so I use the essential oil to mask the strong smell, or if you don't feel like using essential oil, the vinegar smell goes away as soon as the floor dries.  

Countertops/Sink: 

I loooooove Mrs. Meyer's products!  Last summer we house-sat for some friends and the wife kept a bottle of this counter-top cleaner under her sink and I was completely smitten.  It makes my house smell so wonderful!  Just about every female family member and friend received it as a gift last year.  

Vacuuming: 

I have only used this carpet deodorizer once, but it did make my carpet feel so clean and smelled so fresh! I will definitely be doing it again!  You can find more cleaning product recipes in 

Amy Korst's book The Zero-Waste Lifestyle. 

Laundry:  

Clean laundry is the best.  After many months of thinking about it, I decided to try out my own laundry soap.  You can see the recipe I used below.  I also put about 1/4 cup of vinegar in every load I run.  It is a color-fast for those fading darks and keeps the brights vibrant. These drying sheets are probably awesome, but I think I am allergic to them so I skip the dryer sheets entirely.  With this detergent, and the vinegar, you don't need them.  The last 3 or so weeks that I have been using this detergent, my clothes have come out very soft without using dryer sheets.  

Original laundry soap recipe from Delightful Creations and other green living ideas can be found here

If you have any other great green-living ideas, I would love to hear about them!
Happy Spring-Cleaning!