Abrasive Cleaners/Powders
Environmentally Friendly Recipe: Baking soda or borax; rub area with ½ teaspoon lemon dipped in borax.
Hazardous Ingredients in Common Cleaners: Trisodiumphosate, ammonia, ethanol.
Hazardous Properties: corrosive, toxic, irritant.
Proper Disposal: fully use these products so that no waste remains except minimal residue. The container may be disposed to the landfill.

Furniture Polish
Environmentally Friendly Recipe: 3 parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar; water stains: toothpaste on a damp cloth or…1/8 cup food grade linseed oil, 1/8 cup vinegar, ¼ lemon juice (mix ingredients in a glass jar using a soft cloth, rub into wood until it is clean; add a few drops of vitamin E to save leftovers; cover)
Hazardous Ingredients in Common Cleaners: diethylene glycol, petroleum distillates, nitrobenzene
Hazardous Properties; flammable, toxic
Proper Disposal: safely store for a hazardous waste program.

Houseplant Insecticide
Environmentally Friendly Recipe: Mix 2 T. dishwashing liquid with 2 C. water and spray on leaves.
Hazardous Ingredients in Common Cleaners: methoprene, tetramethrin, carbaryl
Hazardous Properties; toxic
Proper Disposal: safely store product for a household hazardous waste program.

Roach & Ant Killers
Environmentally Friendly Recipe: Place boric acid in and along cracks
Hazardous Ingredients in Common Products: organophosphate, carbamate, pyrethrin
Hazardous Properties: toxic
Proper Disposal: safely store product for a household hazardous waste program.

Floor Cleaners
Environmentally Friendly Recipe: 1 C. vinegar, 1 pail water (wash the floor as you normally would)
FOR HEEL AND SKID MARKS…eraser (rub the marks away)

Drain Cleaners
Environmentally Friendly Recipe: ½ C. baking soda followed by ½ C. vinegar; elt set for 15 minutes, follow with boiling water, snake or plunger.
Hazardous Ingredients in Common Products: sodium or potassium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite, hydrochloric acid, petroleum distillates.
Hazardous Properties: corrosive, toxic
Proper Disposal: safely store product for a household hazardous waste program.

Or..

A pot of boiling water can often clean up a minor blockage. It has to be boiling to dissolve grease. Pour a quarter cup of baking soda in the drain, and then half a cup of vinegar. Cover the drain for the odors and wait fifteen minutes before flushing thoroughly with boiling water. For tougher drains, enlist help from enzymes. Enzymes can be found at several hardware and department stores. Mix the enzymes with a cup of warm water and pour it down the drain. Then leave it undisturbed overnight. Instead of harsh chemicals, enzymes slowly eat the gunk (some washing detergents use other types of enzymes). This method only works if there is some drainage, and not in standing water. The procedure must usually be repeated three times, sometimes more, before the drain is clean again. Use a hose with a high pressure water nozzle or plumber's snake for serious clogs. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, as Benjamin Franklin said. Before you notice any slow drainage, pour boiling water down the drain, or do a single treatment with the enzymes. This will keep the drains in good shape.

Formica Cleaners
Environmentally Friendly Recipe: ½ t. vegetable oil based liquid soap, 3 T. vinegar, ½ t. linseed or olive oil, ½ C. warm water (put all ingredientes in a spray bottle and shake well; spray cabinets and wash with a sponge, rinse well.)

Toilet Bowl Cleaners
Environmentally Friendly Recipe: coat bowl with paste of lemon juice and borax; let set and scrub off.
Hazardous Ingredients in Common Products: muriatic (hydrochloric) or oxalic acid, paradichlorobenzene, calcium hypochlorite
Hazardous Properties: corrosive, toxic, irritant
Proper Disposal: fully use product so that no waste remains except minimal residue, then dispose of container in landfill or if possible store for a hazardous waste program.

Rug & Upholstery Cleaners
Environmentally Friendly Recipe: Clean immediately with soda water or baking soda paste, then vacuum or…
FOR CARPETS…use a box of baking soda (sprinkle baking soda generously over stain or entire rug; let sit overnight, then vacuum.)
Hazardous Ingredients in Common Products: naphthalene, perchlorethlene, oxalic acid, diethylene glycol
Hazardous Properties: corrosive, toxic
Proper Disposal: safely store product for a household hazardous waste program.

Flea Collars & Sprays
Environmentally Friendly Recipe: Herbal collar/ointment (eucalyptus or rosemary), or Brewer’s Yeast (call vet for amount) To control fleas on dogs and cats, bathe the animal every 2-4 weeks with a pet shampoo containing insect-repelling herbs such as rosemary, rue, eucalyptus, and citronella.
Hazardous Ingredients in Common Products: carbamate, pyrethrin, organophosphate
Hazardous Properties: toxic
Proper Disposal: fully use product so that no waste remains and dispose of container in landfill or safely store product for a hazardous waste program.

Other Recipes

Disinfectant - Wash items with soap and water, or with borax in water.

Pest and Weed Control - For aphids, mealybugs, mites, and whiteflies, spray plants with a dishsoap and water solution (1 tablespoon of soap per cup of water) and spray on leaves. To control caterpillars, beetles, aphids, mites, leafhoppers, thrips, moths, and dozens of other fruit and vegetable pests, spray with pyrethrum (a product of a type of chrysanthemum). Introduce other predatory bugs, such as soldier bugs, ladybugs, damsel bugs, pirate bugs, spiders, lacewings, and gail midgets to control unwanted pests. Use bacterial pesticides such as Bacillus popilliae for Japanese beetles and B. thuringiensis for many types of insect larvae. Interplant with pest-repellent plants: marigolds, coriander, thyme, yarrow, rue, and tansy. Indoors use a fly swatter or spray with 1 ground garlic clove and 1 onion mixed with a tablespoon cayenne pepper and 1 quart water. Let steep 1 hour then add 1 tablespoon of liquid soap.

Mouse & Rat Poison - Use live traps, caulk and seal all holes, ultrasonic wave-emitting devices.

Herbicide - Hand weeding, let grass grow 2-3 inches to shade weed seedlings.

Fungicide - Do not over water, aerate soil. Keep areas dethatched and dry.

Paint and Varnish Remover - Use sandpaper for lead-free paint or scraper and heat gun.

Spot Remover - For butter, coffee, gravy, or chocolate stains: Immediately sponge up or scrape off as much as possible. Dab with cloth dampened with a solution of 1 teaspoon white vinegar and 1 quart cold water.

Oven Cleaner - Wipe away grease and spills after preparing each meal. Wipe away charred spills with a nonmetallic bristle brush. Let mixture of 2 tablespoons of castile soap, 2 tablespoons of borax, and 2 cups of water set in oven for 20 minutes, then scrub with baking soda and salt. Scrub racks and burner inserts with steel wool.

Rug & Upholstery Cleaner - Clean immediately with soda water or baking soda paste, then vacuum.

Furniture Polish - Use olive oil, 100 percent lemon oil, beeswax, or beeswax and olive oil. Or spray with mix of 2 teaspoons lemon oil and 1 pint mineral oil. For water stains: use toothpaste on a damp cloth.

Laundry Bleach - 1/2 cup white vinegar or baking soda or borax per load.

Mothballs - Place cedar chips, blocks, or sprigs of dried tansy around clothes. Clean clothes well and store in cedar chest or airtight storage.