Home cleaners

I ripped up all my carpet in my house, and you should've seen what was underneath (oh SO nasty!), so we're now down to hardwood floors. To clean, all I used was vinegar, baking soda, and tea. Vinegar works well on all surfaces - it's a buffer acid, so its chemical action is a little different than the stronger alkaline bases you buy. For windows, vinegar with newspaper (there's something in the news ink that leaves a wonderful streak-free clean). For all scrubbing, baking soda. It does take some elbow grease, but it works. Vinegar is also good for odors, once it dries, there's no smell. Remember, a clean house has no smell. Odors come from the source, there is no such thing as "eliminating odor-causing bacteria in the air". There is no odor-causing bacteria in the air, the odor-causing bacteria in on a surface. Find the surface and clean it, and there will be no odor-causing bacteria. Cheap brewed tea is fabulous for hardwood floors, the tannic acid deepens the stain on the wood without messing up the finish, lovely shine. Diluted vinegar does the same. Dishwasher detergent, 1 tsp borax and 1 tbsp baking soda - warning, it is abrasive and will scratch your glassware (but I have 4 small kids, scratches are piddly compared to being thrown against the wall!). Laundry - there are several recipes available for homemade laundry detergent, I can post if you like. 1 cup vinegar in your rinse is a mild bleach, disinfectant, as well as fabric softener. For leather and wood furniture - either olive oil or a mix of vinegar with oil. Vinegar strips and cleans, oil moisturizes the surface. Warning, most leather furniture is treated with wax from the factory, and vinegar will strip it (unless your kids have done that already!!). Another warning, animal fats like mink oil will break down the stitching of your leather furniture, so it's not recommended for reconditioning. Same with saddle soap. Bathroom/household soap-save your little bar soap slivers melt them down in a pot on the stove with water to the consistent you like, and place in the squirt dispensers. You can also cut the leg of an old pair of hose, stuff them in there, and use as bar soap, just keep adding slivers in. Hair conditioner is baby lotion diluted with water.