Here is an extremely helpful article that I read on www.livegreenlivestrong. The site is wonderfully informative, straight-forward and a fantastic resource for living healthier and helping the planet.
White distilled vinegar is a popular household cleanser, effective for killing most mold, bacteria, and germs, due to its level of acidity. Cleaning with white distilled vinegar AND baking soda is a smart way to avoid using harsh chemicals. You’ll also be glad to know that it is environmentally friendly and very economical.
For all intensive purposes, this is all we use to keep our home shiny clean and fresh!
Best to you, Mary It is a little long but worth the read!

Baking Soda – Green Cleaning Miracle

By Glenn Grundberg, on February 12th, 2009

Toxic Chemicals used in synthetic commercial cleaning products contribute significantly to indoor air pollution. Indeed, studies show that the air quality inside of our homes is many times worse than outdoor air, even when we live in areas that have serious air pollution problems.

It’s hard to avoid toxic chemicals in your home, and that’s because there are so many of them used: from processing the building materials, to the paint on your walls, your petroleum-based floor coverings, the varnish on your cabinets and even the furniture in today’s houses.

But, you don’t have to add to them when you clean. Indeed, that’s kind of a stupid contradiction in terms, right?

“Cleaning” with Toxic Chemicals?

Listen, by making a couple of cheap (and Money Saving) substitutions, you can keep your home a little greener, and even save serious CASH doing it!

Would you like to reduce or even do away with using synthetic chemical products to clean your home? Here’s how:

You probably already know that you can use baking soda to keep your refrigerator and other appliances smelling fresh. But there are a ton of other ways to use this inexpensive but versatile product- hundreds, in fact.

Here’s just a few ideas to get you started:

Mix this miracle “green” powder with a little water or vinegar, grab a soft cloth, and baking soda can clean a lot more of your house than you ever thought possible.

You can replace chemical scouring powders that you use to clean your counter tops, stove tops, bathroom fixtures, shower tiles, and even your grungy pots and pans. Use a paste of baking soda and water on a sponge, and then start scrubbing just like you would with any chemical cleanser.

The baking soda will get soap scum off of your bathroom tiles and even remove the toughest burned on food from your pots and pans. Mixed with a little white vinegar it cuts grease better than ANY commercial cleaner, and is 100% safe for you, your family, your pets…and Your PLANET.

See, Baking soda causes dirt and grease to dissolve in water, so it is incredibly effective in cleaning kitchen counter tops, refrigerators, and stove tops. And sprinkled on a sponge or dishrag, baking soda forms a mildly abrasive scouring powder.

It actually gets the grease and grime up faster than toxic artificial cleaners, and doesn’t leave behind any chemical residues or odors- it’s 100% natural. This is especially critical for kitchen surfaces that come into contact with food like countertops and your cookware.

You can replace glass cleaners with a solution made of baking soda, water, and a little white vinegar. Use a left-over spray bottle and a soft cloth or old newspaper. This trick will make your windows, mirrors and glass-topped tables sparkle, and leave your entire home smelling awesomely fresh.

You can even replace your toilet bowl cleaner by adding a little baking soda and vinegar directly to the bowl. Just stir it up and let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Then scrub as usual with your toilet brush. Your toilet will be sparkling clean, and with no foul lingering chemical fumes in your bathroom.

It’s no surprise that all of the uses of plain-old baking soda and vinegar are such a well-kept secret. The mega-companies that make chemical cleaning products will lose millions if enough people realize they’re not needed.

And they’re NOT. You can buy a huge box or bag of baking soda and a gallon of white vinegar for well under $10! Do the math- that’s enough cleaner to replace about $100 bucks worth of toxic chemicals! Save an old spray bottle for your solutions, and a larger old spice bottle or can with a shaker top (like crushed peppers or seasoned salt come in), and you’re golden.

So, now that YOU know about baking soda, there’s NO excuse! You can save yourself some serious money, and at the same time, you can clean up your indoor air, keep your home garden fresh, and do a great service to the planet besides.