Great links! I have allergies to chemicals & traditional household cleaners leave me in a major mess if I try to clean with them. I banished all scrubbing bubble-esque cleaners from my home & now clean with vinegar/baking soda style homemade cleaners. Now I can clean my bathroom without suffering from a headache & worse for the rest of the day. :)

Thanks for all these cleaning tips. Time to roll up the sleeves, don the rubber gloves and... go out to the garden and pick a couple of lemons.

Happy weekend!

I've had several good repairmen over the years, and every single one of them has pointed to my washing machine and asked, "do you run it empty on a hot cycle with bleach or vinegar at least twice a year?" (I've often heard "once a month" too, but at least twice a year is what repairmen tell me.) It doesn't matter what type of detergent you use; all machines should be run empty on a hot cycle every so often in order to clear out gunk. It's not just detergent buildup, it's also the oils and dirt in your clothes.

(Also, important note for everyone: bleach OR vinegar. Do Not Mix bleach and vinegar, despite what some sites say about that being a good mold deterrent. Okay, it does deter mold... and it creates deadly chlorine gas!!
http://chemistry.about.com/od/healthsafety/a/dangeousmix.htm )

I always use borax with my detergent when washing in an HE machine. Helps to blast the gunk out - also inhibits the growth of mold.

Keep the door open between washes so the machine will dry out.

Run an empty load with scalding hot water and vinegar. That should blast out the mold, and any other detergent or soap gunk. If you're washing your clothes with soap instead of detergent, a lot of fatty gunk will be building up in the washer. Sooner or later your colors will probably go dingy, too (although the borax and vinegar in the rinse cycle will help slow that process down a lot). Soap leaves behind residue, which builds up over time. That residue also encourages the growth of mold and mildew.

Does anyone have a good suggestion for a natural wood cleaner? We have a solid oak dining room table, and there's no "green" alternative to Pledge or any other wood cleaners, so I've just been very gently wiping it with a damp cloth, but it's starting to look a bit dingy.

This is just One TOO Many Roundup Posts about Cleaning/Cleaners for me from Apartment Therapy for me.

There must be a better way for All of us who work for Apartment Therapy and All of us who read the Apartment Therapy posts everyday/week, to come together and put in one place a compilation of DIY formulas and DIY techniques to clean ourselves and all of the materials and surfaces in our homes.

Dear Apartment Therapy, when it comes to DIY Housecleaning, I feel like I am constantly circling the drain.

Please, can you create on your website a reference library of DIY formulas and also Tips and Techniques regarding How to Effectively Clean that - toilet, mini-blind, mirror or Whatever.

Please Let Us Stop "sharing" the same old, same old information.

I realize that many companies continue to come out with "new" cleaning products, but, when it comes to DIY cleaning products based upon vinegar, baking soda, wahing soda, ammonia, and Water, etc.

Please - no more new Roundups. Just one reference source/post about DIY Cleaning products. And then let the Comments begin.

Thanks for listening.

"Please, can you create on your website a reference library of DIY formulas and also Tips and Techniques regarding How to Effectively Clean that - toilet, mini-blind, mirror or Whatever."

I would love something like this. But I also appreciate the reminders. The good thing about the reference library idea is that you could just include the link as a reminder in a post that also offers something new. Just a thought.

As re: natural wood cleaner, I use Method wood cleaner and it works nicely. Don't know how green it is, though. I love Method products, but they almost seem to good to be green. I'm going to have to investigate.

conscious.

environmentally conscious.

I'm with bscott80

natural cleaner for leather?

great tips! I love learning more about green cleaning!

Great post! I just wanted to respond to bscott80 about your request for a resource for green cleaning solutions. I've written a book called: The Joy of Green Cleaning - which has over 70 recipes for everything you have asked for - HE laundry soap, leather cleaner even a furniture restorer! You can download a e-book at www.thejoyofgreencleaning.com or purchase the hard copy on Amazon. Just an FYI :-) I'm looking to learn more as a member of your community.

I also have an HE machine. One day I decided to do a thorough cleaning around the outside of the machine and then around the rubber gaskets just inside the washer door. I was absolutely horrified to see that LOTS of stuff accumulated just under the gasket. My suggestion is a wet cloth soaked in vinegar and thoroughly clean around the rubber gasket. I should add that this suggestion was not mentioned in the owner's manual and I think running liquids through the machine won't really solve your machine odour problem. You have to be careful with this and not dislodge the gasket (my machine LG - has two and both required cleaning.)