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People are talking about going green all the time. Some people are doing it to save the planet. Some people are doing it to live healthier lives. Some people are doing it because studies are now showing how the chemicals we use in our homes can affect not only our health but our kids behavior as well. What ever your reason, I have a few tips on how to clean and still be green.

Did you know that there are no regulations on the use of the term "green"? If you look at the ingredients in some of the products that claim to be green you may very well be shocked. You need to really check into anything that claims to be green. Just like you have to really look into things that say all natural. Poison Ivy is all natural but I will not be rubbing that all over my body!

The easiest way to be sure that what you use is really green or all natural is to make it yourself. This also saves TONS of money when shopping. We all love saving money. So here are some recipes for all natural and green cleaning products. I really like the oven cleaner and drain cleaner ones. The products you buy at stores are such harsh chemicals. I really do not like harsh chemicals where I cook my food. You may remember from my Fun With Microwaves post that I do not use chemicals in my microwave either. Microwaving a damp rag for a minute takes care of the mess.

All Purpose Cleaner

Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons borax) with 1/2 gallon of water. This can be used to clean just about everything including showers, windows, and mirrors.

Wood Floor Cleaner

Combine equal parts of white distilled vinegar and water. Add to that several drops of pure peppermint oil. This can be used for damp mopping wood floors.

Oven Cleaner

Make a paste of 3/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup salt and 1/4 cup water. Wipe the oven clean with a damp cloth and then spread the paste on.. Avoid bare metal and openings. Let the paste work over night. The next day use an old spatula to remove the paste and wipe clean. Some areas that are really bad might need fine steel wool.

Drain Cleaner

Pour about 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain. Then pour down 1/2 cup of vinegar. After 15 minutes pour boiling water down the drain. If you have PVC pipes do not use boiling water. It will be too hot for the pipes. You should not do this if you have used chemical drain cleaners recently. It could cause harmful fumes.

Removing marks off of walls and painted surfaces

Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge and rub gently. Rinse with a wet rag.

I hope you found something you could use. Feel free to leave comments with any recipes for homemade cleaners that you make. I would also like to add that cutting up those old towels and using them as cleaning rags keeps them out of the landfills.