Cleaning your home with natural products makes sense because you don’t want to create a bigger problem by injecting harsh chemicals into the air. If anyone in your household has sensitive skin or breathing issues like asthma, it’s often better to stick with eco-friendly products that won’t trigger a reaction. Luckily, there are many businesses that use effective alternatives to harsh cleansers, or you can mix a few yourself.

Floors

Wood floors can be cleaned with a soft cloth barely dampened with olive oil and vinegar to create a shine. Tile and laminate floors come clean with warm water and vinegar. To add a lingering scent, put a few drops of your favorite essential oil into the bucket before you mop. Simple carpet and rug cleaning can be achieved with baking soda and a few drops of essential oil. Sprinkle it over your rugs and let sit for about 20 minutes before vacuuming up.

Windows and Mirrors

Your grandmother may have extolled the virtues of using vinegar to clean windows and mirrors. It turns out, she was right. Buy a spray bottle and mix up a vinegar and water solution so that it’s ready when your mirrors get gunky. To complete your eco-friendly cleaning job, use yesterday’s newspapers to cut out streaking.

Bathrooms

Toilets are probably the worst thing to clean of all time. Make sure you have the right tools to make the job easier and quicker. Start with another spray bottle filled with just vinegar. Spray it (using the stream rather than the mist setting) under the rim of the toilet. In addition, pour a half cup of vinegar into the bowl and scrub all around. If you can, let the vinegar sit in the toilet for an hour, and then flush. Finish the job with another spray bottle filled with tea tree oil and water to disinfect all the surfaces. Let this dry, and your toilet will be sanitized and ready for action.

While you’re waiting for the vinegar to work its magic in the toilet bowl, sprinkle baking soda on the bathroom counters, sink and in the tub. Dampen slightly by misting with water. You will have created your own all-natural scouring powder. After your bathroom is ship-shape, give it a few spritz of a natural room refresher.

Kitchens

The kitchen sink is a heavy-duty appliance that gets a lot of wear and tear, but it’s easy to make it sparkle using ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. Sprinkle your sink with salt, slice a lemon, and then use the two lemon halves as scrubbers. Lemons have natural disinfecting properties and salt provides the scrubbing agent. The combination will leave your sink smelling bright and fresh.

Double the cleaning power of a cup of vinegar by using it twice: once in the microwave and then in the drain. First, heat a cup of vinegar in the microwave for about five minutes. Do not cover the bowl. Let the steamy vinegar coat the inside of the microwave. Let the liquid sit for about three additional minutes and then wipe down the inside of the oven. While the vinegar is sitting, sprinkle baking soda down the kitchen drain. When you’re finished with the cup of vinegar in the microwave, carefully pour it into the sink. It will remove disposal smells as it goes down the drain.

Dusting

A small amount of castile soap mixed with water makes a great dusting solution. Dampen a soft cloth and use it on almost any surface. If you want a bit more shine on wood surfaces, add in a drop of olive oil.

There are many ways to keep harsh chemicals out of your home. Mix up a batch of all-natural cleaning solutions or if you’re pressed for time, hire a company that only uses environmentally friendly products. Either way, you’re making your home a healthier place to live.