Going green in today's society is the way to go when it comes to saving the environment as well as saving a buck or two. We all love to feel good doing our part for our lovely planet - from recycling to using home remedies when we do our every day cleaning. If we look closely, we already have some of the ingredients, it's just a matter of having the spare minute to gather and mix them into our house cleaning concoctions.

It wont cost that much to get what we need for our collection of home bound cleaning supplies. Water bottles can be obtain cheaply at our nearest drug and dollar stores. They come in different sizes and colors. Be creative and color coordinate them and make beautiful labels for each. Make them appealing to your tastes so when it comes time for the dreaded cleaning it will not feel like a sour chore to do.

Now I'm going to share with you my favorite cleaning tips and recipes to make going green to clean and ideal way to go. It will almost feel like you are being a little witchy in the kitchy.

Children & Babies:

Lets begin with those of us who have children or / and babysits as well:

Stickers - Egads! Was it a beautiful idea for them to find the sticker book and paste those beautiful things EVERYWHERE? Not to panic, let's take a moment to admire their art work and have them retreat to their rooms while you go in to full cleaning doctor mode. Go to the kitchen and retrieve the vegetable oil. Saturate the sticker and carefully peel off. This will work on your furniture, glass and plastic.

Crayons and Ink - Stop! Before going "ROAR" at the children, you want to make sure they understand that you are not discouraging their creative side. Explain why it isn't a great idea to color on the walls and insure that they know where their art supplies are, so this incident can be avoided, but not guaranteed that this won't happen again. Take your hair dryer, the heat will melt the wax and it will wipe off with ease. If the color still remains, use rubbing alcohol or bleach to wipe off. Ink will come off with the rubbing alcohol or bleach as well

Smelly Shoes - Why waste money buying odor killing sprays when you can recycle your old or odd socks (who lost their mates during the laundry cycle). Fill the socks up with kitty litter and baking soda, or tea leaves, tie them closed and place in the shoes while they are not being used and they will eat those little odors away.

Crafters:

Alright Crafters this little section is just for you:

Photos - Scrapbookers - you are sorting through your photos and notice two sticking together. Not to worry take out your hair dryer and put it on the lowest setting and carefully peel away. Magic I tell you!

Paint - So if you are anything like me, you're an on-the-move-crafter. I don't stay in one spot when it comes to my project, hence the paint on the carpet. Just take a little bit of rubbing alcohol and blot away the mess. Try to do this right away, before the paint settles in.

Jewelry - A sure way of a chemical free bath for your rings is toothpaste. Yep, that's right, it's not just for your teeth, but it will promise to make you smile. Just dab a little toothpaste on an old toothbrush and scrub your rings clean - notice how shiny they are compared to before!

Kitchen:

Onto the kitchen:

Microwaves - I hated cleaning my microwave until I found a short cut. Take a water-soaked sponge, set it in the middle of the microwave and put it on for two minutes. Wait about five minutes before opening, this way the stains will be soften and easy to wipe clean and the sponge is right there ready to go.

Garbage Disposals - Don't like how your garbage disposal is smelling now? Just chop up some lemons and limes (leaving the skins on), and drop in to the bin with running water. Now, smell the wonderful aroma!

Scouring Paste
(for pots and pans.)

Find an old tin and fill it with this:

• 2 tablespoons of vinegar
• 1/2 cup liquid soap
• 2/3 cups of baking soda

Mix the soap and baking soda into a paste and gently add the vinegar. Put this mixture in a tin by your sink and use it for scrubbing your pots and pans.

Bathroom:

• 1/3 cup of baking soda
• 1/3 cup of liquid detergent
• 1/3 cup of warm water

Into the toilet and swish it around with your toilet brush and flush. If the stains is noticeable leave it over night then flush.

Fill your water bottle with:

• 2 teaspoons of vinegar
• 1 quart of warm water

Rub dry with newspapers for a streak free clean.

Make this all purpose cleaner:

• 2 tablespoons of vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of borax or washing soda (can be found in the laundry section at the grocery store)
• 2 cups of hot water
• 1/2 cup of liquid soap

Mix into your water bottle except for the soap. Then carefully add the soap to the bottle and apply and wipe clean. Works well with counters, wood work and appliances.

These are my favorites and I hope you all will try them out. Always do your research and be careful not to mix anything that may become harmful. For instance, mixing bleach and ammonia can be very toxic. For safety, keep your cleaning supplies away from small children. By going green to clean together, we can save the world.

Why not share your green cleaning recipes too? Add them via your Projects