Environmentally Friendly Cleaning (Cheaper To)

I have been amazed at how many cleaning supplies I have sitting underneath my kitchen sink and in my laundary room. Since we now have two little ones, I have been thinking about making the transition to greener products. The only thing is they can be very expensive so I have been reading a lot online about making your own cleaning products. As I was doing research, I found an old article on CNN about how commercial cleaners killed 99.9% of germs while all natural cleaners (vinegar and baking soda) only killed about 90% or less. What they didn't mention is if they used cleaners that combined several ingredients that are known to disinfect if they killed a higher percent of germs. Undiluted distilled white vinegar is known to kill 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold, and 80% of viruses. I've included several suggestions that I found online to make your own natural cleaning products.

To make an all natural disinfectant spray:

Combine 2 Tablesoons borax, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 2 cups hot water and mix until the borax dissolves. You can also add a few drops of tea tree oil for a pleasant scent (this oil has disinfectant properties also).

or

Combine equal parts vinegar and water and add essential oils (such as mint, birch, or tea tree).

To make window cleaner:

Mix 2-3 Tablespoons vinegar per quart of water. (Use newspaper to dry for a streak free shine.)

To clean the toilet:

Sprinkle baking soda in the toilet, let sit, then scrub

or

Spray vinegar in the toilet, let sit, sprinkle on baking soda, and scrub

Polishing wood:

Mix 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar, and 20-30 drops lemon essential oil (or fresh lemon juice) and rub onto wood with a cloth

or

Mix together 2 parts olive oil and 1 part fresh lemon juice and rub onto wood with a cloth

Other interesting tips I found:
Use olive oil to polish shoes
Put used sponges in the dishwasher to clean them
To get rid of water rings on wood surfaces rub on mayo or toothpaste with a damp cloth and then buff the wood
You can also decrease the amount of liquid detergent you use by adding baking soda to your laundary (it softens your water making your detergent work more effectively)