Green Cleaning Recipes

All Purpose Cleaner:
Add 1/2 cup ammonia and 1/3 cup washing soda to a gallon of warm water. Use to clean floors, tiles, and painted walls.

Window and Mirror Cleaner:
Put 1/4 cup white vinegar in a spray bottle, and fill to the top with water. Spray on desired surface, and rub with a newspaper or a rag. Squeegee dry.

Toilet, Tub and Tile Cleaner:
Mix 1/2 cup borax and add enough lemon juice to make into a paste. Wet the sides of the surface and add the paste. Let stand for a few minutes, then scrub off and rinse.

Rug Stains:
Dampen stained area with water, and rub in borax. Vacuum when dry.

Oven cleaner:
Mix 1 cup of baking soda with enough water to make a paste. Apply to surface and let stand for a few minutes. Scrub the surface with a scouring pad. Do not use this recipe in self-cleaning ovens.

Drain cleaner:
Three words - Use a plunger.
A hand plunger used every time the drain slows down will take care of almost any problem.

In you need a cleanser pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain, and then 1/2 cup vinegar. Let it fizz for a few minutes. Then pour down a teakettle full of boiling water. Repeat if necessary.

Mildew:
Make a paste from salt and vinegar and rub into affected area.

Furniture polish:
Add 1/2 cup lemon juice to 1 cup vegetable or olive oil. Apply with a soft rag.

General air freshener:
Simmer a pot of water with cloves, an orange peel and cinnamon.

Natural Pesticide:
To naturally keep ants and other insects away, add a few teaspoons of orange oil to your green cleaning products. To kill ants that are already around, just spray them with diluted orange oil.

Courtesy of PATH www.pathnet.org/homeowners