Winter is dragging its feet but we can use this time to gear up for Spring cleaning!  I have a few Green Tips to share with you.  Some of them are my own and some from Becky Harmon's Transformations Staging and used with her permission.  

Green Cleaning Tips

Salt, baking soda, vinegar, lemon …these are your go to cleaners.

*To clean and dislodge waste in your disposal – ½ cup salt + ½ cup baking soda

*To freshen disposal – grinding a lemon or orange

*To open a clogged drain – 1 cup baking soda + hot vinegar

*To ant proof a space – spray lemon juice at all points of entry.

*To repel fleas – wash floors with juice of 4 lemons to ½ gallon of water * careful of wood floors! For carpet…sprinkling with salt and let sit for a few hours then vacuum. *If you miss any spots the salted area will become damp since salt attracts moisture.

*To kill roaches – place jar lids around filled with ½ sugar and ½  baking soda

*For stubborn microwave stains- 3 Tablespoons Lemon juice + 1 ½ cups of water; microwave for 4 minutes and wipe clean

*To clean hard water stains in toilets – Alka-seltzer tablet or baking soda + vinegar or ½ cup Borax in 1 gallon of water.

*For stains in a porcelain sink – 2 parts baking soda + 1 part peroxide

*For grout: white vinegar or baking soda

*For shower tile: ¼ cup ammonia+1 gallon of water, use a thin layer of car wax to keep it clean (Be very careful of slippery surfaces!)

*To clean the bottom of the bathtub: 3 cups of white vinegar – let it soak for 4 hours

*For the shower door: ½ cup vinegar + 1 cup of ammonia + ¼ cup baking soda

*For mildew stains – white vinegar

*For quick removal of a small carpet stain: shaving cream

*To clean leather – WD40 will clean, lubricate and protect (definitely test first)

*To Freshen Carpet – sprinkle with baking soda then vacuum

*For rust stains on concrete driveway – vinegar

*For oil on driveway – kitty litter

*For smelly tennis shoes – put kitty litter in fine mesh bag and insert in shoes

*To freshen kitty litter – add a few lemon wedges

*** Not a cleaning tip but still very cool.  Lavender oil repels mosquitos.  In a 2 ounce spray bottle add 1/4 tsp -1/2 tsp of lavendar oil and fill the rest with alcohol (I prefer using a mid priced vodka for less smell).  Water can leave spots on furniture and stays wet longer than alcohol. Even a cotton ribbon saturated with lavender oil tied on your wrist or around your neck works great!  It smells so much better than regular mosquito repellant. 

*No guaranteed results and I’m not responsible for mishaps. I just thought these were interesting tips to pass along.  

*Parts of the Green Cleaning Tips used with permission from Becky Harmon of Transformations Staging, Jacksonville, FL.