"Thankfully strong, irritating cleaners are no longer the only cleaning supply option."

I disagree. Cleaning is always irritating.

I love bon ami. I just love it.

The Seventh Generation toilet bowl cleaner simply does not work. A few months ago I bought that stuff, and my toilet would get a water-line ring around it a day after cleaning. I ended up throwing away half the bottle, because it was so annoying I couldn't even make myself use it up.

You are missing my favorite line- Better Life cleaning products! Their all-purpose and floor cleaners are truly wonderful, safe, and WORK. I bought my first bottle two years ago and haven't looked back.

http://www.cleanhappens.com/

@Trish1980 the smell coming from a cleaner is probably nothing like the food they seek, so no it shouldn't be a problem. Also the critters are seeking survival stuff like food and warmth. If food is all sealed up they probably won't visit. Keep in mind though some species eat other things like wood or cardboard. Exclusion is your best bet - no holes for them to climb through.

We use vinegar and or baking soda for almost everything. The only exceptions are dishes, clothes and bathroom cleaner. I like Seventh Generation because I worry less about our cats being poisoned than with regular or stronger cleaner, although I don't think their company is perfect and it's too expensive.

I buy and use all the items listed (except Method - personally don't like their scents). I also recommend Borax to boost these natural cleaners at times when I need extra cleaning power.

I start cleaning with the least harmful product and increase strength/toxicity if the first stuff doesn't work. I will also include bleach and rubbing alcohol in my toolkit but try to use them sparingly.

Another thing once I discovered cleaning brushes it was all over. I went hog wild. They scrub even the toughest scum off of any surface and kitchen ones can be tossed in the dishwasher (we put scummy ones to soak in a mop bucket). I love my scrub brushes.

I am stunned to find out Bar keepers' friend is non toxic. I thought it was opposite. That's great to know!

Dr. Bronner's is FAIR trade, not free trade.

:)

Ordinary dish soap and water clean most dirt. And you'll need glass cleaner as well. Method is my brand of choice. I must say it is because the bottle looks pretty.

I haven't found a good alternative to Easy-Off oven cleaner. It smells like something Jack Bauer use to interrogate the terrorists, but no eco-alternative I've tried compares to its effectiveness. Can anyone suggest a less harmful oven cleaner?

From the Dr. Bronner's section: "The company claims 18 uses in 1, and is organic and free-trade."

I assume you meant fair trade, not free trade. They're not at all the same thing, and I doubt Dr. Bronner's would boast that it's free trade.

I switched to mostly homemade cleaners about a year ago, but I haven't found a good homemade recipe for dishwasher detergent or toilet bowl cleaner. Any recommendations?

Roaches don't like bay leaves or catnip. Put a few bay leaves in a small, shallow dish and see if that helps.

@Adora one cleaner not mentioned here is Sun and Earth. Now, I have no idea if this product is eco friendly or even pretends to be; but it's wicked for cutting grease. NO IDEA if it's safe to use dishwashing liquid to clean ovens but I've considered it after breathing those terrible fumes of toxic oven cleaners.

ps Fair trade does not mean eco friendly. There has to be specifications and with the new FTC regulations companies have to be very careful what they claim.

I use Bon Ami, Dr. Bronner's, Vinegar and Baking Soda and that takes care of pretty much everything. The only thing I use that isn't listed is Murphy Oil Soap.

I agree with adora, dish soap is awesome and I use it clean most things. Vinegar is my favorite as a fabric softener. Since I've switched my clothing feels cleaner and softer.
Check out my blog post for on vinegar and it's uses. http://angsays.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/the-wonders-of-cleaning-with-vinegar/

I really like Mrs. Meyers. I have skin allergies and it is the least bothersome. I love Mrs. Meyer's surface scrub. That stuff really really cleans. I once thought I had permanently stained the top of my washing machine but it got the stain out. Mrs. Meyer's at one time had scentfree cleaners - I wish they would bring those back. I don't need my stuff to smell like basil, I just want it to be clean.

Adora - this would be my recommendation for your oven. Dampen the interior surface and put the scrub on to form a paste. Let sit and then clean.

In the kitchen I've found that Mrs. Meyer's liquid dish soap + a sprinkle of baking soda can get anything clean.

I have Mrs Meyers laundry soap and it smells amazing and the smell really stays in the fabric (which I like since I don't use softener), but their hand soap is SO rough on my hands and nails. Back to Trader Joes lavender hand soap for me!

Borax works as a toilet bowl cleaner. I really like Charlie's Soap laundry powder. It doesn't leave residue on your clothing which can cause them (especially technical garments) to stink. You only need 1 Tablespoon per load. I just ordered their Indoor/Outdoor spray cleaner. I have yet to find any spray that beats vinegar/water with a few drops of dish soap, but I thought I'd give it a shot.

Count me among the guilt free bleach and ammonia users, tho' not at the same time. I hate cleaning and I don't want to do a half @$$ job doing it with baking soda and vinegar. I have the Meyers stuff and I like it, mostly for the smell. But I know that to get something truly clean and germ free, you're wasting your time if you don't use the chemicals.
As a chemist, I know that *all* of the products that are listed above have chemicals and I can even tell you their IUPAC names. There's nothing special about them except they're less effective than traditional cleaning products. When I clean, I don't want to mess around and I don't want to spend more energy than I need to. I might use a bit less or I might dilute it but I don't fool myself into thinking there's some "natural" substitute that will do the job just as well.

Can someone suggest natural carpet cleaners? We have a wool rug that my stinky lab loves to lie on. (He's really old so we let him have that one luxury.) We vacuum very regularly and use baking soda for the odor but what can I use to give it a deep down cleaning?

Not non-toxic, but I've heard if you put a bowlful of ammonia in the oven overnight it will be easy to scrub in the morning. You don't have to scrub with the ammonia; you just wipe afterwards. I like the less-toxic cleaners, but since ovens don't need cleaning all that often this doesn't sound so bad to me. In fact, the method was detailed on AT: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-clean-your-oven-with-am-80192

Like KHinNJ I don't feel guilty about my occasional use of bleach and ammonia, but I do avoid scented products which keeps me out of many mainstream preformulated cleaners. The scents don't add to the cleaning ability and they irritate my nose and skin. I use simple cleanser, unscented dish soap, baking soda and vinegar the most and feel free to break out the bleach or ammonia if the mess warrants it. I also use brushes, scrubbies, and don't try to stretch out my sponges forever. Oh, and my new secret weapon is a steamer originally intended for unwrinkling clothing. Really loosens that gray stuff that forms in the shower.

Vinegar, washing soda and borax are my staples for cleaning.

-Vinegar in water for walls and wood floors. Just a small amount is all you need. Also, I spray the shower with a vinegar water mix, let it sit, scrub any gunky spots then rinse.

-Borax and a microfiber mop is all I use on our tile floors. Best cleaner out there for them and the microfiber picks up excess water so it dries quickly

- Washing soda in water is what I use to clean kitchen cabinets, just be sure to wear gloves as it will irritate your skin.

- I make my own washing powder with grated Ivory soap, washing soda and borax.

And Barkeepers Friend is great for the sinks and tub as well.

@notyou - Do you shampoo or steam the carpet? If so try white vinegar. I'm not sure of the amount, as I don't have carpets, but in an apartment I've lightly misted the carpet with a vinegar and water mist, let it dry then vacuumed, which seemed to help our stinky dog problem. I've heard vodka can help as well, but I have no experience with that. Not for cleaning anyhow. Perhaps drinking it and you'll no longer care how your carpet smells?

I use Dawn for everything in the kitchen and my butcher block gets vinegar and baking soda every week to de-stinkify. Just mix it to a thin pancake batter consistency, rub it all over the board and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then use more vinegar to wipe off. I've heard of the salt and lemon method, but I don't always have lemons around.

I use Seventh Gen bathroom cleaner, and just a scrubber for the toilet. I like the scent of the Seventh Gen, although I'd be willing to give Mrs. Meyers a try if I could find it in stores.

For floor cleaning I use a steamer for the kitchen tile, so just plain water, and every once in a while I'll go at the grout with a baking soda/water paste. Works like a champ. Bona for my hardwood floors everywhere else. I love Bona, it's awesome and is supposed to be safe for kids and pets. It's vet recommended anyway :)

Oh yeah, and a Magic Eraser is great for wall smears. One of our dogs likes to dry herself on the walls, occasionally after a good wallow in the mud. I'll hit it with a wash cloth damp with vinegar water then if anything remains the Magic Eraser.

Barkeepers friend leaves a maddeningly fine white residue that requires many, many, multiple, arrrgh-still-not-gone rinses to remove. I think people who love it are people who must use it on white things only so they can't see the residue.

notyou - I don't know how natural it is, but I find that Oxiclean is the only cleaner that can remove anything my two labs dish out.
To remove smells (after accidents on the rug), I use the pet odor remover they sell in half gallon bottles at Wal-mart. That is most definitely not natural but it seems to work. I can't smell anything after, not sure if the dogs can.
You could try a nice warm bath with a nice oatmeal/lavender shampoo & conditioner for him too - if bathing is an option, I know it might not be, one of my labs is ok with baths outside but petrified of the tub, so we are trying to make it through the winter without a bath. Ugh.

@Trish1980, do you keep your drains closed partially at night? Tub stoppers in? I'm a native New Yorker, currently living in the city, and it wasn't until our last move that the super here told me to do this---if they are waterbugs (the large-a%$ roaches), this is where they will come in, through the pipes. If they're in your bathroom, likely the source. If you close the sink drains partially before bed, and plug up kitchen sink, tub, that will go a long way. I live with two kids and a dog, and it's not the crumbs that let them in, it's the pipes and holes. Since we started doing that it's been a huge difference in frequency. Unfortunately, they are a part of city living.

I have tired so many Seventh Generation cleaning products, and the fact is they are just not effective. I second the comment abou their toilet cleaner. The dishwashing powder is also useless. The worst product by far has been their laundry detergent; the essential oils seem to spoil on the clothes and everything ends up smelling rancid when they're dry. It took a while to pinpoint what was happening because you would never think a laundry soap would be causing clean clothes to smell dirty!

Mrs. Meyers and Method I have had much better luck with, as well as homemade cleaners using natual ingredients. Baking soda, lemon, vinegar, or peroxide can be used to clean almost anything (depending on the surface and source of dirt).

I'm still rather amazed at how clean baking soda and a lemon got my bathtub. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup baking soda on the tub, wait about 30 minutes and scrub it all down with a lemon cut in half. Not only effective, but because the cleaner didn't overwhelm me in such a small space, I was able to scrub much longer than usual and get out grunge I thought would never come clean. I'm not using anything else on my tub from here on out...

Equal parts of vinegar and blue dawn (or any other dish soap) makes an awesome tile cleaner and also works well in fighting tub scum.

Ammonia: the most underrated cleaner. 1) Cleans everything, 2) Evaporates completely leaving no trace and 3) the fact that our bodies are designed to eliminate ammonia means makes long-term use harmless. Of course you have to be careful about mixing it with other cleaners - but since I started using ammonia it is practically the only cleaner I own.

Just a note to those who feel guilt-free about using bleach and other harsh chemical cleaners...while some alternatives might not kill all of the same germs as quickly as "traditional" cleaners, they really do quite an effective job of it. What's more, if you look at the breadth of science related to cleanliness in our homes it's very clear that not only are harsh chemicals toxic to our bodies but that having a completely sterile home is questionable as to it's benefit to our immune systems.

Even with bleach and ammonia you will still leave behind germs and dirt because of "missing a spot," human error, etc. So why not clean your home in a way that is better for your health AND for the environment.

Let's not forget that the earth is our home, too.

KNinNJ well as a Chemist it's pretty odd you seem to be characterizing bleach as not more harmful than baking soda. It sounds as if your underlying message is you can't be bothered with eco friendly solutions and anyway all these products are chemicals (you don't need a degree to know that).

I clean my toilet with white vinegar and it works really, really well.

Oddly enough I tend to use the DIY versions for heavier cleaning. Method's Orla Kiely special edition in pear smells AMAZING (and cute bottle bonus!) so that's my general surface cleaner (Mrs Meyer's Basil and Lemon-Verbana are close seconds). Method's wood cleaner was great for my floors too but I'm having a hard time finding it for some reason so I've switched to Murphy's Oil Soap. For the DEEP cleaning I bust out the vinegar/Dawn mix--it's effortlessly removes accumulated grease from my range and hood, and soap scum and discoloration from the tub. Vinegar/baking soda is also the way to go if you need a more abrasive cleaner. The only thing I haven't been able to replace is a toilet bowl cleaner.

For the toilet bowl, I use Melaleuca's tub and tile cleaner - works wonders for me.....

I love the Method wood floor cleaner. I bought the Bona cleaner because it's vet recommended, but one of my cats was totally allergic to it! He took to sleeping in the bathtub or under the couch where I hadn't dry mopped and I had to give the poor guy Benadryl for a couple days. He's had no reaction to the Method cleaner and it also smells wonderful.

I second the comments regarding Seventh Generation. Their window and glass cleaner is HORRIBLE. It leaves streaks and film that I had to buff out with half the Sunday Times (I use newspaper to clean glass -- no streaks or dust). Their bathroom surface cleaner is also totally ineffective. I've had much better results with the Method bathroom cleaner and their toilet bowl cleaner is great.

Actually, that's true that it does leave a film sometimes, but you can rinse twice if it bothers you. I use it for my stainless pots and pans and sometimes I see a film if I don't rinse them well enough.

To me, an extra quick rinse off or surface wipe is more than a fair trade off for spotless stainless steel pots. I also use it on my glass cooktop and it's great on that, too.I find when I use a very small amount the residue is never a problem. Little goes a long way with that stuff.

i use method and mrs. meyers. i prefer the lemon verbena and lavender scents for mrs. myers. i even use her laundry detergents. i like the method bathroom cleaning products and their glass spray. i also like method's floor cleaner for my concrete floors.

Any great ideas for natural drain cleaners? Our shower gets really clogged, but it has an attached stopper which makes it really hard to clean out. I've tried 'natural' products (store bought) and also tried baking soda + vinegar... nothing works except for Draino Max. Hate using it, but otherwise, I'm standing in 3 inches of still water while showering.
Open to DIY or buy!

Sounds like the drain pipe needs to be snaked. You can also buy a crank auger (thin, flexible tube for cleaning drains) from your local hardware store and attempt to get the blockage yourself.

Try unscrewing the stopper (if it can). More than likely there's ridiculous amounts of hair stuck to the stopper (not for the easily grossed out). We've had a few attached stoppers and they easily unscrew.

One of my new year's projects is to convert all our cleaning products into eco-friendly, and chemically safe products. I've been using the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) as a reference and it seems most of the Mrs. Meyers and Method products have dismal ratings. Am I missing something? Is there another resource anyone can recommend?

I use the Charlie's Soap laundry powder for clothes and their Indoor/Outdoor spray cleaner on everything else.

MonicaK, Bar Keeper's Friend, as much as I love it, is NOT non toxic. It contains oxalic acid, and according to the Wiki: "Ingestion of oxalic acid through skin contact or orally is dangerous." I use gloves if I'm going to be doing a big job with it (like polishing the brass candlesticks at church).

Hi Dominique - why don't you try Melaleuca's environmentally safe products - Melaleuca is serious about getting harmful and toxic ingredients out of your home. Melaleuca cleaning products use the best of science and nature to combine for the safest most effective cleaning - I love their stuff....

@Trish1980:

All I know is if I am using it for an extended period of time it tears the skin on my hands up. And there are warnings on the package about ingestion. Just because oxalic acid is in foods doesn't necessarily mean that the concentration in cleanser is safe to eat.

@Dominique83 I don't know about Meyer's ratings, but I find their products to be WAY too heavily perfumed, which gives me a splitting headache. I don't bother with bottled products (outside of Bar Keepers Friend and a spray for the counters) as most are too scented and vinegar, washing soda and borax are really all I need for the whole house. I do occasionally use a spray window cleaner, if cleaning windows and mirrors, although vinegar works as well.

Borax - tile floors and bathroom tiles/shower if particularly grimy, toilets, either leave for 30 minutes or overnight, brush out and flush.
Washing soda - cabinets, stainless appliances, stove grates and anything that gets a greasy build-up. It's also supposed to be good for removing built up wax on floors but I don't know, as we don't wax ours.
Vinegar - small amount in warm water for wood floors, walls, glass, some greasy surfaces, regular shower/bath cleaning.

Agree completely with Emmi, you don't need harsh chemical cleaners to get every last germ and bit of bacteria, that stuff is all good for you. (I'm glad this site is anonymous, as I admit that I rarely use anything to clean the kitchen apart from hot water - sometimes dishsoap.)

We have been using and like the Method Almond wood cleaner, but lately I've found it leaves the floors looking a bit dull....anyone else?

And we're always looking for good, green dishwasher tabs because so few have rinse agent in them, leaving our glasses cloudy and dirty looking.

Get a good quality rubber squeegee. Use it to clean the shower stall, sides of the bath tub, windows. Sometimes all you need to use is a spray bottle of water and the squeegee. Sometimes you can spray diluted white vinegar or other cleaner of choice.

I squegee my shower after every use, and I only have to CLEAN my shower with chemicals about twice a year, when the moisture I didn't remove from the floor permits a little mildew action to begin. (After I do scrub the shower stall, I apply one of those clear car coatings -- I think the one I have at home now is called "White Lightning" -- to seal coat the shower and repel moisture for a long while. )

Not using ANY cleaning products is cheap and very eco-friendly, when you can manage it!

I know it didn't make my list above, but I second the love for Bona for cleaning wood floors. I wrote a review about them way back, and have also been using their tile floor cleaner with success. Highly recommended!

Also, anyone else use JR Watkins? They're another one I like that didn't make the list. I've only ever bought their all-purpose spray and dish cleaner from Target, but really liked the scent (I think it was lemon). Anyone have experience with any of their other products?

I'm a vinegar and baking soda girl, but sometimes (especially in the *cough* amenities) buy a natural product that is slightly stronger

For my tub, I pour some vinegar in first, then use a mixture of borax, baking soda and salt (could honestly probably leave out salt). It does a really good job of getting my bathtub clean.

I made a spay for our bathroom out of vinegar, water, handwashing dish soap (suppose you could use castile soap instead) and a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil. I've read that hydrogen peroxide is good if you want something that is more of a heavy duty disinfectant.

Switching to these two things has really helped me because other bathroom cleaners make it hard for me (as an asthmatic) to breathe. I can't stop coughing when we use something like Kaboom in our shower.

We use Bon Ami on our pots and have used it on the tub as well.

I love everything Method and use their spray on our countertops. We love their concentrated laundry detergent, dish soap and hand soap as well.

The toilet...that's a difficult one. The toilet bowl is where I'll break down and use bleach.

For declogging pipes, maybe try boiling water? And baking soda + vinegar?

Emmi: I have yet to see proof that a little bleach or ammonia is as "toxic" as commenters here seem to think it is. Open a window and go to it. It will not kill you. Nor is it any less "eco-friendly" than baking soda or vinegar.
But if you want to spend your time scrubbing away with that stuff, be my guest. I'll buy my cleanser with bleach, thank you very much, and wash my floors and kitchen surfaces with an ammonia solution. I don't want to waste my time.
As for my chemistry background, I found that it has prevented me from being sucked into making purchases based on an ad campaign that targets the emotions and our desire to be virtuous. It must be an original sin thing. We all feel we are born guilty. Bleach and ammonia is not causing global warming or pollution. All you need is good ventilation. I promise, you're not killing anything but bacteria.

I've tried just about every eco-friendly dish soap, and none of them cut grease very well. I am a tried and true Palmolive girl.

On a tangential note, I use the Swiffer dry stick to sweep the floors but get large reusable microfiber cloths & wash them instead of their disposable ones. I also bought a 4 pack of them cheaper in Target's car cleaning section rather than the house-cleaning section. They work great & I throw them in the wash when I'm done separate from anything else really.

I also have a spray mop that has a refillable bottle & washable cloths to clean the filth of the floor itself.

We've been struggling with our shower drain for a few years and had to snake it almost every year. Old house with old pipes - when the snake got caught in the pipe last time and we almost couldn't get it out (I'm flashing to horrible ideas of having to cut into the walls to remove the pipes and stuck snake) we bought one of those little wire drain covers that catches hair and lint. I thought the look of it would bother me alot but it's WAY better to look at it than it is to snake the drain or call the plumber. We clean a lot of hair and lint out of it every week but our shower drain hasn't slowed at all. FTW!!!

We tried vinegar for the toilet boil and it's okay, but Bar Keeper's friend works much better and keeps it cleaner longer.

I'm no chemist but one of my students was telling me that he did an experiment in his chemistry class that looked at the bacterial killing properties of many cleaners and was surprised to see that plain vinegar (because of its acidity) was the one thing that killed the most bacteria.

I like Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds better than the regular castile soap for cleaning the house- it smells like a Christmas tree and one bottle lasts FOREVER. I'll use a drop straight on my counters and a squirt in a bucket of water (with essential oils in whatever mix I'm feeling) to do floors.

I'm all about keeping a variety of essential oils on hand- it makes housecleaning feel a bit less like work and more like being at a spa. Well, kind of.

Some of my favorites too - great round up!

@KHinNJ

Bleach and ammonia do contribute to global warming and pollution. By definition they are produced in industrial plants and factories that create massive ammounts waste byproducts and air pollution.

When those of us concerned with toxicity of our cleaning products talk about their environmental impact we're not just talking about their harmfulness to ourselves, plants, pets, etc.

As a chemist you should be familiar with the chemical processes that are required to make large quanities of cleaning agents like bleach, ammonia, chlorine, etc.

You can get a plastic flexible barbed tool to snake the drain for a couple bucks at the hardware store. Use that to remove the hair/lint/soapscum buildup and then pour boiling water down the drain. No chemicals needed other than H2O.

msjwhitz - yep, definitely could do with a snake, but I think that's a last resort.

Angela Says - unscrew it!!! genius! I had no idea, thank you. It's most definitely hair (mine) and hopefully I can get it all out. Or beg my husband to do it this weekend ;)

okay, is there a favorite natural toilet cleaner (or solid that goes in the tank) out there? we must have high-mineral content water, as our toilet bowls get grimy FAST. 7th gen is not great, and of course bleach works best, but i can't bear the fumes. any suggestions???

Seventh Generation Disinfectant Wipes. Those things cut through EVERYTHING. Best emergency clean up tool I've found.

adora - Definately a chore, but I use vinegar and baking soda on my oven. Lots of scrubbing, but if you keep after it the oven is spotless and no chemical smell of Easy-Off...plus it's a great arm workout - ha!

Borax works on roaches too - amazingly well http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Roaches-with-Borax

tried successfully on two continents

I had this problem with my shower, paid $350 for a plumber to snake it out (hair). He suggested we do away with the attached stopper which made it nearly impossible to clean out any clogs. He did the work of disconnecting it and taking it out, put a plain cover over the hole that housed the open/close knob, installed a drain hole with threading to screw in the drain stopper for baths, stainless insert with small holes to catch hair for showers. Love it! And the reduction of clogs is AMAZING! If we do get a slow drain all we have to do is use the plastic barbed tool (snake) from the store (it's small - only about 15 inches long and cheap - about $3), stick it in the drain (no obstruction from the stopper) give it a twist, pull it out and voila! out comes the glob of hair.

I use a baking soda, white vinegar combo to clean the majority of things in my house and regular house chores. My mother gave me a few suggestions which totally work so I thought I'd share them. Some white vinegar to dampen a cloth and wave around like a whirling dervish dance actually deodorizes your space. Note make sure it's damp so your not whipping vinegar around like rain. :) Also the same combo in your Lu, let stand about half hour, brush and flush, all done. To clean pots or stove tops no worries use a spray bottle and spray a good amount of white vinegar on the areas, sprinkle some baking soda on it all, let stand over night and scrub the next day with the same ingrediants. This may take a few times if your dealing with some thick long over due stuff but totally works. last but not least, some of both on your tooth brush twice a day before or after brushing will whiten your teeth to a natural white, clean and pretty not that odd super glow white from the other methods. hope these are helpful hints. cheers :)

National Geographic article on how some chemicals in cleaning products affect the environment:

http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com/household-cleaner-affect-environment-20087.html

Seattle has combined storm/sewer which means that for a large part of the year everything that goes down the drain can potentially end up in the Puget Sound.

If your not into DIY, the only thing i would suggest about buying your cleaners is to first check with the EWG (environmental working group) cleaners guide before you buy. its an awesome resource that grades and scores all cleaning products sold in stores and rates them based on their level of toxicity. Its a grade system A-F. Just type in the name of the product your interested in buying and see how it measures up. or just do a search for the top cleanest Cleaners. If you DIY check out the Ultimate green cleaning guide at greenecoholic.com to try our some free cleaning recipes. Happy Cleaning!

@adora, the way to do the oven is to liberally sprinkle baking soda over the bottom of the oven and the open door and then spray with water so the baking soda is very damp. Then leave it to dry. It will bond to the charcoalized drippings and gunk on the bottom of the oven and the carbon in the charcoal will change chemically. By the time it's dry, take a damp cloth or sponge and start wiping it out. It will require far less elbow grease than you expect and you can repeat on stubborn spots. When you are done: no weird toxic chemicals.

Curious, a combination of which of these items would work well to take out the smell of a smokers apartment? I will be switching apartments with my mother-in-law and I was wondering what would work best on the walls and the furniture (wood)! (besides airing out the apartment and painting)

I forgot to mention I'm very DIY

I just finished a DIY glass cleaner and it works wonderfully! Not to mention it saves nearly $2 a bottle. Here's my formula: http://soprettyisasprettydoes.com/2013/05/07/homemade-glass-surface-cleaner/