Many surfaces and objects that we come in contact every day are covered in germs.  When cleaning  our homes, most of us try to eliminate germs as by doing our usual cleaning, such as wiping down counters, scrubbing floors, and cleaning toilets.  But what about those "hidden" germs found on items we don't really think about cleaning?

Here are some places where germs might be lurking in your home:

• Kitchen sponges.  We use them to clean dishes all the time but how many times do we actually clean  the sponge itself?  Try and clean your sponge at least once a week by putting it in the microwave on high for two minutes to kill off germs.
• Kitchen handles, buttons, and door knobs. Clean those handles frequently with soap and warm water, especially before and after preparing a meal.
• Coffee maker.  Running a solution of equal parts of water and white vinegar through the coffee machine once a month helps get rid of bacteria and mold.
• Cutting boards contain more germs and bacteria than you think!  Clean your cutting boards with half of a lemon dipped in salt, or spray on a mixture of vinegar and water and wipe.
• Pillows.  Avoid dust mites living in your pillows by covering them with anti-allergen covers.  These covers also help protect pillows from other outside germs getting in.
• Laundry baskets.  The odor and grime from sweaty clothes and dirty socks and underwear sits in the laundry basket, soiling the basket itself.  Spray and wipe basket down with a natural homemade disinfectant made up of two cups vinegar and three drops tea tree essential oil.
• Contact Lens cases.  We clean our contact lenses, but how many times do we clean the lens case?  Try wiping out contact lens cases after each use with hot water, and replace it every month.
• Toothbrushes.  Rinse toothbrushes thoroughly after use.  Allow them to dry completely.  Once a week, dip toothbrushes in a cup of hydrogen peroxide to clean off germs.  Replace toothbrushes every three months.
• Bath Mats.  Wet bath mats can sometimes create a moldy environment.  Clean mats with very warm water and soap.  Use equal parts vinegar and water to disinfect.  Dry thoroughly.

Petroleum Jelly...

...a semi-solid mixture of fat-based substances made from petroleum.

Sounds a little gross, right?  The truth is that petroleum jelly is used for everything from minimizing wrinkles to repairing scratches on wood furniture!  

Because petroleum jelly is an oil-based emollient which repels water, it can be used around the home in a variety of ways.

Here are some of my favorites:

• A cotton ball dipped in petroleum jelly and placed in your ear keeps water out of your ear.
• Warm a paste of petroleum jelly and peppermint oil in the microwave and rub on sore muscles.
• Spread petroleum jelly onto cuticles before painting  nails to keep nail polish off cuticles.
• For covering up those split ends, apply petroleum jelly to the ends.
• Get gum out of your hair using petroleum jelly. 
• To keep your perfume scent smelling longer, put some petroleum jelly on the area you are spraying and then spray on perfume.
• For removing candle wax, spread petroleum jelly on the edges of the wax.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Wipe.  
• Make your own fly paper by dipping paper strips in warm petroleum jelly. Hang strips up.
• To keep light bulbs from getting stuck, spread on some petroleum jelly to the threads before twisting in bulb. 
• Blot lipstick stains with petroleum jelly before washing clothes.
• Keep shampoo out of your eyes by dabbing a little petroleum jelly above your eyebrows before shampooing.
• Keep ants out of pet bowls by applying petroleum jelly around the exterior bottom of the bowls.
• For cracked paws on dogs, apply petroleum jelly to bottom of paws.
• Keep squirrels out of bird feeders by applying petroleum jelly to area around feeder.
• To prevent corrosion on your car battery, apply petroleum jelly to clean terminals.
• When painting, apply petroleum jelly to areas you don't want painted.  
• To remove water rings and repair scratches on furniture, apply petroleum jelly to area.  Let sit for one day.  Buff and wipe.
• To keep your Pumpkin from rotting and drying, smear some petroleum jelly on the edges of the pumpkin.
• To help start your campfire, dip a few cotton balls into petroleum jelly and place them in a small brown paper bag. Light bag.  Place wood over bag. 
• Apply a good amount of petroleum jelly on your toilet plunger to get a good seal.  

Club Soda...

                            ...carbonated water with added mineral-like ingredients for flavor enhancement.  

These mineral-like ingredients, such as potassium bicarbonate and potassium sulfate, are what makes club soda great for all sorts of uses around the home.  

Club soda is widely used as an all-purpose cleaning solution because of its great stain-removing powers. 

for cleaning purposes -

• Replace your glass cleaner with club soda.  Use on glass surfaces, windows, mirrors, and car windshields.
• Stainless Steel:  Spray with club soda.  Wipe. Rinse with warm water.  Wipe dry.
• Mix club soda with salt and clean the inside of the refrigerator and freezer.
• Clean pots and cast iron pans by spraying club soda on while pan is still hot.  Wipe clean when pan cools.
• Counter tops:  Spray on club soda and wipe with microfiber cloth.
• To clean porcelain fixtures, spray on club soda.  No need to wipe!
• Loosen rusty bolts and nails by spraying club soda on them.

for cleaning stains -

• Carpet stains:  spray club soda on stain, blot, repeat.
• Grease stains:  pour club soda on stain, scrub.
• Urine stains:  first, blot up as much urine as possible.  Next,  pour club soda over the stain.  Blot again.

for your garden -

• Got old or leftover club soda and don't know what to do with it?  Pour it on your plants!  The minerals in the soda water help green plants grow. For maximum benefit, try to water your plants with club soda about once a week.  Club soda is safe to use on both indoor and outdoor plants.

Club soda is used for so many things!  How do you use club soda?  Share your recipes and tips with us!

Hydrogen Peroxide is a great ingredient to have around the home.

Not only can hydrogen peroxide help whiten your teeth and highlight your hair, cleaning with hydrogen peroxide can make your home shine!

Here are some useful ways to clean with hydrogen peroxide:

In the bathroom:

• Soak toothbrushes in hydrogen peroxide to kill germs.
• To clean the inside of the toilet bowl, pour 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide into bowl.  Wait 30 minutes and scrub.
• Use equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water to remove soap scum and mildew from bathtubs.

In the kitchen:

• Replace bottle top of hydrogen peroxide with a sprayer and spray the inside of the refrigerator and freezer.  Wipe down walls and shelves.
• Spray hydrogen peroxide on cutting boards and counter tops and wipe down with a microfiber cloth.
• Clean kitchen sponges by soaking them in a bowl of equal parts hydrogen peroxide and warm water.
• Make a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide and scrub dirty pots and pans clean.

In the laundry:

• Soak stains on clothes in hydrogen peroxide before washing them.
• For whiter clothes, add 1 cup hydrogen peroxide to your favorite laundry detergent.

Do you use hydrogen peroxide to clean your home?  Share your cleaning tips with us!

The summer season is coming to an end.

All those dips in the ocean, trips to the ice cream store, walks on the boardwalk and sunbathing on the sand moments will soon be coming to an end.  All that’s left are wonderful memories, stinky sandals, dirty white t-shirts, chlorine-smelling bathing suits and dirty pool toys!

Here are some tips for keeping your summer gear looking its best for the next few weeks of the season:

Pool toys:  To get rid of the mildew odor on plastic and vinyl pool toys, add ¼ cup baking soda to 1 quart warm water.  Use a microfiber cloth to wipe down toys.

For very dirty toys, pour baking soda directly on damp cloth.  Scrub toys and rinse.

Bugs in the sandbox?  Sprinkle cinnamon in there!  To keep ants out, sprinkle black pepper around the perimeter of the sandbox.  Always keep lid on box when not using.  To get rid of debris, sift sand in box every few days.

To remove chlorine, salt and sunscreen from bathing suits, fill sink with warm water.  Add 2 tablespoons liquid detergent.  Soak bathing suit inside out.  Rinse well.  Squeeze, do not wring water from suit. Hang in shower or laundry room to dry.  Do not use dryer.  Do not dry in sunlight because UV rays break down fibers in suit.

To keep sand off beach bags, hands, and feet, sprinkle some talc powder on the outside of your beach bag to keep sand from sticking to bag.  To get sand off of legs, feet and hands, sprinkle talc powder on them.  No talc powder?  Use corn starch or baby powder instead.

Stains on shirt and shorts:

For berries, marker, newsprint, coffee, tea, juice, jams, ink, BBQ sauce, pumpkin, and mustard stains, combine ¼ cup liquid dish detergent, ¼ cup glycerin, and 1 ½ cups water in a spray bottle.  Spray on stain and throw in washer.

For pasta and blood stains, spray on hydrogen peroxide and water.

For deodorant stains, dab on vinegar, wait 30 minutes.  Rinse.

To clean canvas shoes, wipe off all loose dirt first.  Next, make a paste of baking soda and water in a bowl. Dip an old toothbrush into paste and brush it onto soles of shoes.  Wash shoes in washing machine.  Air dry shoes (not over a vent).

Stinky sandals:  In a large Ziploc bag or container with lid, combine 1 cup cornstarch, ½ cup baking soda, ½ cup baking powder, and an anti-bacterial essential oil (like tea tree or sandalwood).  Place sandals in powder overnight.  Next day, throw away powder and wear sandals!

Shoe deodorizers:  Pour ¼ cup baking soda into a coffee filter.  Fold corners of filter towards center and fold the top down.  Punch holes on sides of filter and tie with a string.  Place in shoes to keep them smelling fresh.

To whiten sneakers, brush off loose dirt from sneakers.  Remove laces.  In bucket, mix castile soap, washing soda and Borax with 2 gallons warm water.  Soak for about 1 hour.

For extra dirty sneakers, add 2 cups vinegar to 2 gallons water.  Let soak for 2 hours.  Vinegar disinfects and whitens.  Baking soda absorbs moisture.  Borax and washing soda neutralize odors, cuts through grease, removes stains and whitens.

It's been a pleasure, summer... see you next year!

I have to admit, no matter how much time I spend cleaning my home, if the windows are not clean, the rest of the house won't seem clean either.

Because living an Eco-friendly lifestyle is very important to me, I try to use non-toxic ingredients when cleaning my home and my windows.

Here are some recipes to try that will make your windows shine!

1.  Pour hydrogen peroxide into a spray bottle and spray.

2.  Add 1 cup white vinegar to 1 1/2 cups rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle.  For tougher window stains, add 2 drops of dish soap to the mix.   The dish soap will remove buildup.

3.  Mix 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap to 2 cups water.  Mix and spray.

4.  To remove dust from screens without removing screens from windows, combine 4 teaspoons baking soda, 4 cups water, and a few drops of your favorite essential oil (peppermint, lavender, cinnamon, clove, etc.).  Spray your screens and watch the dust fall off.

Here's a helpful tip: When washing windows, I always use a microfiber cloth instead of paper towels because the cloth seems to grab more of the dust from the windows .

Which recipe is your favorite?   Try some and send your comments to us!

Who wants to spend their summer cleaning?

I know I don’t…and I'm sure I'm not alone!

I recently teamed up with Leslie Reichert, author of “The Joy of Green Cleaning” and radio show host of “Green Clean Talk,” to create DIY Green Cleaning Videos that demonstrate the methods and recipes for quick and easy green cleaning.

To ease the burden of keeping a clean and healthy home this summer, here are some tips for tidying up your home in less time:

• If making your own non-toxic cleaners, have all products ready and mixed ahead of time. Gather your microfiber cloths, mops, HEPA vacuum and bucket. Make sure spray bottles containing cleaning solutions are labeled and dated (normally homemade solutions last about 1-2 months).
• If your home is already tidy, cleaning it should not be that bad. Picking up and organizing before wiping or scrubbing makes cleaning tasks run smoothly.
• Pick a room to clean and divide the room into four quadrants (or sections). Clean one section at a time, leaving the area with the doorway for last. Using the same method in each quadrant, wipe down surfaces, walls, baseboards, and windows, then move to the next quadrant. Work around the room until you get to the door.
• Bring in the troops to help! Each person can clean a separate quadrant, or clean a separate room.

Check out Maid Brigade’s DIY Green Cleaning Video Series on www.greencleancertified.com/Greentv for more helpful hints on making cleaning easier.

As Leslie’s new radio co-host, I invite you to join Leslie Reichert and I every Tuesday at 9 AM EST on www.w4wn.com “Green Clean Talk” radio, and let your voice be heard! Share all of your green cleaning tips, ideas, and recipes with us live!

Using natural ingredients to make your own household cleaners is a safer way to clean, plus  it can save you money.

Here are the top ten natural ingredients that I clean my home with:

1.  Baking Soda works wonders around my home.  It can be used to remove odors or it can be used as a mild scouring powder.

2.  Lemon Juice is used as a natural smelling bleach.  It works great on removing stains and grease.

3.  White Distilled Vinegar is wonderful for killing bacteria and germs because it is a natural anti-fungal.

4.  Borax is a mineral compound that works as an anti-fungal and disinfectant by eliminating odors and removing dirt.  It can be toxic if swallowed, so use with caution around children and pets.

5.  Olive Oil can be used to make a great furniture polish.

6.  Club Soda can be used to polish fixtures, like faucets.  Club soda also works as a stain remover.

7.  Liquid Castile Soap (vegetable based) works wonders as a disinfectant, grease-cutter, and all-purpose cleaner.

8.  Corn Meal is used to pick up carpet spills.

9.  3% Hydrogen Peroxide can be used as a bleach alternative, a disinfectant, and a stain remover.

10.  Essential Oils (pure), like lavender, peppermint, tea tree, lemongrass, and eucalyptus, smell wonderful when added to your homemade cleaners.  Many of these oils even have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and insect-repelling properties.  Remember to use caution when handling pure essential oils, especially if you are pregnant.

What are some of your favorite natural ingredients that you clean your home with?