Maybe you have kids who got a little crazy with their markers while you slept through your alarm one morning, or possibly you picked up a thrift store find that's a bit marked up. No matter what your scribble-stress, if it's painted, it can be cleaned with toothpaste. True story! More

When it comes to most things I buy for my home (toilet paper, for example), I am pretty flexible: I will buy what is at Costco or what is on sale, including generic or store brands. But with certain products I am very brand loyal (even when my budget tells me to be otherwise).Do you have brand loyalty with certain household products?
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We all know that some of the best, most effective cleaners are ones that are easily made at home, but there are some out there that are worth buying. Personally, I can't resist Mrs. Meyer's geranium scented products, and I swear by OXY-Boost; it really does get my whites, white.

What are your favorite, go-to natural cleaners? Please share with us in the comments. More

Two things I love for breakfast are a cafe au lait and scrambled eggs. Two things I hate are cleaning the pan I use for warming the milk and the one I use for cooking the eggs. Milk and egg residue seem to be resistant to hot water, to vigorous scrubbing, even to prolonged soaking. My mornings used to a be a dishwashing battle until I discovered two tricks that make clean up a breeze! More

When it comes to a healthy home, we know air and water quality are important. We've covered the bases on how to rid your home from pollutants, and how to prevent more from creeping in.

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• 1 How To Seriously Improve Your Indoor Air Quality
• 2 Freshen Up! Spring-Inspired Tips for Cleaner Air
• 3 Indoor Air Quality: Is Your Home Healthy?
• 4 8 Ways To Protect Your Town's Water Supply
• 5 Top Ten Air Purifiers for Small Spaces More

We are always on the lookout for new ways to help streamline eco-friendly living, and this year we featured an abundance of great ideas that are easy to incorporate into daily routines and flexible enough to customize. Check out some of our favorite easy tips for sustainable living.

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•1 25 Green Cleaning Recipes For the Whole House
•2 How To Clean Burnt Pans with Vinegar and Baking Soda
•3 Hot Tip: Entertain with Style. No More Disposable Cups!
•4 A Guide To Encouraging Recycling At Your Party
•5 Throwing A Garden Party: Best Eco-Friendly Tips and Tricks More

Doing things that are good for the planet often have the added advantage of being good for you, too. Mindful living means slowly and consciously working to develop habits that will make you and your home healthier. Here are a few of our most thoughtful posts on the topic from this past year:

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• 1 Why Sustainability Is Boring and Merely Consuming Less Misses the Point
• 2 Live With What You Love: Rethinking Sustainability
• 3 Starting Over: How To Get Back Together With Your Home
• 4 The Rules: An Illustrated Guide to Modern Etiquette
• 5 Eating with 7 Billion: Smarted Up Food Resources
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Science is cool, right? Clean a slow drain with baking soda and vinegar, and it makes things smell better but it doesn't do much for getting rid of the unwanted matter blocking your pipes. So instead try a little instant yeast. To which you say, I'm sorry, what? More

While doing a load of laundry you may be thinking about the effect that detergents and dryer sheets have on your clothes, but what about that warm exhaust air that wafts out the vent? Well, a new study from the University of Washington unveils that the sweet-smelling fragrance can actually contain harmful toxins. More

I use Oxi Clean for everything and it has never failed me. It's the only way I've been able to clean my white shag rug and it's saved many of my husband's favorite work shirts. I always felt somewhat guilty for using it because I thought that since it worked so well it must be filled with harsh chemicals, fragrances and dyes. More