10 Non-Toxic Cleaning Supplies You Already Have At Home

Leading a healthier lifestyle usually means starting off with a little spring cleaning around the house, but how are you supposed to feel clean with all those toxic chemicals in the air?

Aside from being expensive, most cleaning products tend to be made with harsh ingredients that you can barely even pronounce.

Instead of wasting your money on those all those unnatural sprays and wipes, just try out one of the secret cleaners you have around the house.

You’d be surprised to see how many of these cleaning supplies you already have:

1. Coffee Grounds: Banish bad refrigerator odors with coffee grounds—new or used! Simply place a cup of coffee grounds inside a bowl and keep it on a shelf in your refrigerator for a fresh, slightly caffeinated scent. You only need to replace the grounds once every two months, or so.
2. Sponge & Baking Soda: You can easily get rid of unsightly scuffs on your vinyl floors by rubbing them with a little baking soda and a clean sponge.
3. Ice Cubes: Garbage disposals can easily become smelly and clogged if you don’t clean them right. But you don’t need a pricey bottle of liquid cleaner to get the job done. Simply toss a few ice cubes down the disposal—along with a couple of lemon, lime, or orange peels—to break up the grease and give your sink a fresh smell. The sound of the ice cubes crushing won’t be too pleasant, but your garbage disposal will smell as good as new in no time!
4. Play-Doh: This playtime modeling compound is a must-have for every kid, but Play-Doh can help with a lot more than an arts and crafts project. Next time somebody breaks a glass, use a handful of Play-Doh to pick up the dangerous shards without hurting yourself.
5. White Vinegar: After enough cycles, you might start to notice that your dishwasher isn’t getting the job done like it used to. To make sure your dishes always come out spotless, you have to make sure your dishwasher is clean first. Try running an empty cycle after pouring ½ cup of white vinegar into the detergent cups. If you don’t have any vinegar around the house, you can also clean your dishwasher with a few tablespoons of powdered laundry bleach, Tang, or lemon-flavored Kool-Aid.
6. Dental Floss: If you have an extra pack of floss leftover from your last trip to the dentist, use a bit to remove the grime from the cutting disk on your electric can opener.
7. Salt: Polishing tarnished copper doesn’t have to mean an expensive trip to the store. Try this instead: Fill a 16-ounce spray bottle with white vinegar and 3 tablespoons of salt. Spray the solution onto the copper, let it sit for a few minutes, and gently rub it clean.
8. Baby Oil: After cleaning your bathtub, skin, or shower, you probably feel like the dirty water just refuses to wash away. Next time you clean, rub down the entire area with baby oil or lemon oil after to help the dirty water bead and roll down the drain faster.
9. Mouthwash: Mouthwash doesn’t just help your teeth stay squeaky clean—it also does wonders for your floors! Next time you’re ready to mop your vinyl or tile—but not wood—floors, just pour a capful of mouthwash into a gallon of water to make your own non-toxic solution.
10. Antacids: Why run to the store for a bottle of toilet cleaner when you can easily make your own? You can freshen any toilet bowl with antacid or denture tablets found inside your own medicine cabinet. Just drop two tablets in the bowl, let the solution soak for about 20 minutes, brush, and flush! A can of cola dumped into the bowl will also do the trick, if you let it soak for an hour.

How many of these all-natural cleaners have you tried? Let us know in the comments!

Photo Copyright © 2015 rachel_pics/Flickr