My aunt died when she was 18 months of age due to ingesting a toxic cleaning product my grandmother was using. To prevent something like this in your home, either keep the cleaner locked up or try some greener solutions. Remember, cleaners may leave a residue that can get in the body through the skin, which you may want to consider with children or pets in the house.

The solution? Commercially prepared non-toxic cleaners products are usually more expensive than their regular counterparts. So the solution is to make them yourself! I’m going to start your wheels in motion by giving you some recipes!

Green Cleaning Product Recipes

Here are homemade antibacterial cleaning products with essential oils:

Diaper Pail Deodorizer

Use a cup of baking soda. Add 1 teaspoon of your favorite essential oil and mix well. Sprinkle in the bottom of the pail before you place your liner. Change out periodically.

Mold and Mildew

Make a spray with equal parts white vinegar and water. Add drops of your favorite essential oil to leave a fresh smell!

Bathroom Air Freshener

Use a one pound box of baking soda and add 20 drops of your favorite essential oil. Place under or near your toilet. Refresh as needed with more essential oil drops. Change out every three months and use the old baking soda in other cleaning solutions.

Silver Cleaner

Super cheap idea: Use a non-gel toothpaste to clean (don’t add essential oils).

Wood Furniture Polish

3/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup vinegar, and 20 drops lemon essential oil.

All Purpose Cleaner

2 tablespoons vinegar, 2 cups hot water, 1 tsp. washing soda, 1/4 cup liquid soap, add 20 drops of your favorite essential oil, and mix in a spray bottle.

Window Cleaner

1/8 cup vinegar, 1 cup water, 10 drops lemon essential oil. Place in spray bottle.

Laundry Detergent

You can make your own laundry detergent very inexpensively. The internet is full of ideas for making your own green cleaning products. Many do not call for essential oils. I like to add essential oils for the clean smell and because I like the antibacterial disinfecting properties.

Experiment! See how you can make your home a safer place to be, help the environment by not throwing away all the empty cleaner containers, and shave dollars off your budget!

For information about all the hazards of some cleaning products, check out How Toxic Are Your Household Cleaning Supplies?

What are some of your favorite cleaning products?

Joyce Harrell, RN, OCN is a holistic nurse who provides natural solutions for health and home. Joyce utilizes the art of nursing by implementing essential oils, enzyme therapy, vision boards, wellness coaching, and nutritional therapy to help you create an environment for your body to best heal.

Joyce is a wife, mother, nana, author, holistic healer, and above all committed to her relationship with God. You can find Joyce at www.NurseCoachOnline or email her at joyce@nursecoachonline.com.

With so many products out in the market today, it’s hard to keep straight what you’re supposed to use on wood, granite, marble and leather surfaces. What’s best to use when polishing wood? Can you use the same product to clean granite and marble surfaces? Are there certain products that should never be used on leather?

Party Topic

Join Pledge and our panel of experts as we discuss how traditions for holiday preparations have changed in your house and how Pledge® can help. The party will be held on Tuesday, November 30 from 9-11 ET (8CT, 7MT, 6PT). Click here to see details about the Pledge® To Love Your Kitchen Contest and enter for a chance to win.

Party Details

• What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
• When: Tuesday, November 30 from 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
• Where: Party with us on our very own Custom Tweetgrid! (Use hashtags #gno and #Pledgeyellowcan)
• Topic: How traditions for holiday preparations have changed in your house and how Pledge® can help
• Who: Brand Panelists: @megmeldrum @skpagel @curlygirl3, Community Panelists: @todaysmama @DineandDish @TipJunkie @mommyniri @goodLifeEats @xiaolinmama @daniellesmithtv @crafteNVy @TCreativeBlogs, Moderator(s): @jylmomIF @Dadventurous @troypattee and @MomItForward
• Party Favors: Click here to see details about the Pledge® To Love Your Kitchen Contest and enter for a chance to win.
• RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jylmomIF).

RT @MomItForward – Join #Pledgeyellowcan #gno Twitter party Tue 11/30 (9-11pm ET) on holiday traditions/cleaning http://bit.ly/dUDkjz PLS RT

Note: Mom It Forward accepts paid sponsorships for most #gno Twitter parties. During the parties, brand sponsors provide tips, techniques, expert advice, and information on party topics. Mom It Forward is grateful for the giveaway prizes, coupons, and discounts that sponsors also provide to the Mom It Forward community in conjunction with #gno Twitter parties.

Prize

Ten winners will each win a Health Home Kit, including:

• Kitchen Cleaner—Wild Orange & Cedar Spice cleaner tackles even greasy cooking surfaces and smelly garbage cans with ease.
• All-Purpose Cleaner—Cleans and degreases hard surfaces, indoors and out. Non toxic, it creates no harsh fumes. Safe for your family and the planet, great for wet mopping; not recommended on wood floors.
• Glass & Surface Cleaner—Effectively cleans glass, mirrors, chrome and other hard surfaces—without streaks, toxins, fumes or harsh chemicals.
• Shower Cleaner—Green Mandarin & Leaf daily-use shower spray prevents soap-scum buildup, mold and mildew without harsh fumes or toxic agents.
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner—Compare our Emerald Cypress & Fir Toilet Bowl Cleaner to your cleaner. You’ll love the change! Cleans and deodorizes without harsh fumes, harmful chemicals, aerosols or dyes.
• Tub & Tile Cleaner—You’ll love our Emerald Cypress & Fir Tub & Tile Cleaner. No harsh fumes. Refreshing spa scent makes bathroom cleaning a pleasure!
• Brown Paper Towels—These unbleached, 100%-recycled towels clean up spills fast! No dyes or fragrances; 120 two-ply sheets per roll.
• Eco Friendly Water Bottle—Courtesy of @thelittleseed.
• Eco Dough—A sample of eco dough from Eco Dough.

Entry Requirements

To enter for a chance to win, you are required to do the following:

1. Visit the Million Baby Crawl website and tweet an interesting fact you learned there. Include your ‘virtual baby’s name’ and the #mbcrawl hashtag in your tweet. Then, leave a comment here, linking to your tweet.
2. Retweet the following and leave a comment here, linking to that tweet as well:

GIVEAWAY! 10 winners will receive Healthy Home Kit w/@SeventhGen Cleaning Products http://bit.ly/4Bh9I #mbcrawl #gno PLS RT

Extra Entries

You can earn up to five extra entries for this week’s giveaway.

1. Become a fan of the Seventh Generation Facebook Page.
2. Post your “Soap Box Speech” from the Million Baby Crawl website on Seventh Generation’s Facebook page wall.
3. Follow @SeventhGen on Twitter.
4. Leave a comment on the Million Baby Crawl YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7b67Ul0YP0
5. Retweet the following and leave a comment here, linking to that tweet as well:

Spread the http://millionbabycrawl.com word 2 encourage ppl 2 fight 4 stronger standards on toxic chemicals #mbcrawl PLS RT

The Fine Print

No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Seventh Generation and Mom It Forward employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, November 1 at midnight PT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If they do not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants in the US and Canada 18 years and older.