Here are a few basic household ingredients you can use to clean your home. They are inexpensive and you probably already have some of them in your kitchen cabinets. Try using them for a natural way of cleaning, you’ll find them effective and easy to use in many ways.

Lemon Juice Lemon, aside from being a very healthy citrus fruit, also makes a very good household cleanser. This is because of the acidic content found in its juice. The acid provides antiseptic and antibacterial properties to be used for cleaning. It can be used as a stand-alone - which means that it can clean areas in the home just by itself, not combined or mixed with other products. The smell of lemons has already been closely associated as the scent of cleanliness.

Uses:

Copper – You can clean copper pots and pans using lemon juice. Copper-bottom pans can easily be transformed into spotless clean bottoms in no time with lemon juice. Other materials that are made of copper can also greatly benefit from the thorough and proper cleaning power of lemon juice extracts. All you have to do is cut the lemons in half. Dip one half in a little table salt and use it to rub on the copper fixtures or pots.

Countertop – Stains on countertops can easily be removed by letting lemon juice sit on the countertop stains for 15 – 30 minutes, depending on the size and stubbornness of the stain. After that, you can scrub the affected area with baking soda. The cleaning combination of baking soda and lemon can easily erase these stains, leaving your countertops looking brand new and spotless clean.

Drains – Lemons also make a great household deodorizer. Lemon rinds can be placed in the garbage disposal area in order to make that area smelling fresh and clean all day, every day. You can also add a few drops of lemon juice into hot water and use this solution to pour down the drain. These techniques can help clean and leave your drain smelling fresh.

Bleaching – Lemon juice, with its acidic property, also acts as a powerful natural bleaching agent. You can place lemon juice in your white cloths, clothes and other fabrics and let them dry out in the sun. This technique is effective in removing stubborn stains from your clothing and also has a very efficient and powerful bleaching effect.

Vinegar Vinegar is an affordable all-purpose cleaner. It is a great natural cleaning product, as well as a disinfectant and deodorizer. Always test on an inconspicuous area. Improperly diluted vinegar is acidic and can eat away at tile grout. Never use vinegar on marble surfaces. Nonetheless, it is safe to be used on most surfaces. Don't worry about your home smelling like vinegar. The smell disappears when it dries. Alternatively, you can add a few drops of lemon juice into your vinegar solution to neutralize its strong smell.

Uses:

Bathroom – Vinegar can be used to clean hard water stains and soap scum from your bathtub, sinks, shower and toilet. You may dilute the vinegar with water or use it in full strength. You can even soak your shower heads in hot vinegar solution. You will be amazed at how well vinegar removes hard-water stains!

Kitchen – Vinegar can be used to clean your linoleum and wood floors. Just add about half a cup of vinegar to a warm bucket of water and start cleaning! Don't worry, the vinegar smell disappears in about 10 minutes. You can even add drops of your favourite accent oil such as: Lavender, Lemon, Spruce and Pine. About 15 drops should do for a full bucket of water.

Laundry Room – Use vinegar as a natural fabric softener. This can be especially helpful for families who have sensitive skin. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle in place of commercial fabric softener. Vinegar has the added benefit of breaking down laundry detergent more effectively. (A plus when you have a family member whose skin detects every trace of detergent.)

Baking Soda

As its name suggests, baking soda can be used for cooking. It can also be used medicinally and for cleaning.

Like vinegar and lemon, baking soda has three major advantages as a cleanser:

• It's non-toxic.
• It's multi-purpose.
• Best of all, it's cheap.  

Uses:

Kitchen – To clean surfaces, sprinkle baking soda on a damp cloth. Wipe and then rinse with clean water. To remove scuff marks or grease spills from the floor, sprinkle with baking soda and then wipe with a warm, damp cloth. This is even safe for no-wax floors. For burnt-on food at the bottom of pots, sprinkle with baking soda, then add hot water. Let it soak overnight; the dried-on food will come loose much more easily. Baking soda can also remove odours.

Bathroom – To remove stubborn stains from most surfaces, use a baking soda paste (3 parts baking soda, one part water). Apply and let stand, then scrub or wipe clean. Hairbrushes and combs can also be cleaned in a baking soda solution. To avoid clogged drains, pour 1/4 cup baking soda down weekly. Rinse through with hot water.

Laundry – Replace half of each measure of laundry detergent with baking soda to keep clothing fresh. To remove grease stains, either add baking soda to the wash load or pre-treat the stains with a baking soda paste. Baking soda increases the effectiveness of chlorine bleach. Simply add 1/2 cup to your laundry, along with the usual amount of bleach.

Reference Links:

http://housekeeping.about.com/cs/environment/a/alternateclean.htm

http://www.cleaningwithvinegar.com/

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Many-Uses-of-Lemon-Juice-As-a-Natural-Cleaning-Product&id=1761770

http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/bakingsoda

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