These helpful tips illuminate ways to achieve a natural clean around the home

Most people love the feeling of walking into a newly cleaned home. But did you know that some of your most often used household cleaners include ingredients that are toxic to children and pets?

Products such as laundry detergent, furniture polish, drain cleaners and window cleaners can contain chemicals that may irritate the skin and eyes, as well as cause respiratory problems. These chemicals may include ammonia, chlorine and formaldehyde.

Read labels on your favorite products carefully.

You might be wondering how to get rid of household dirt without commercial cleansers. You can easily find safe, non-toxic substitutes. For example, rather than using bleach or bleach products to rid your showers and sinks of mold and mildew, pick up some baking soda and make

a quick paste by adding water. After the paste sits on a shower or sink surface for an hour, scrub the paste off, and the mold or mildew will come with it.

Other swaps include:

• Ditching the dusting

spray and investing in a microfiber cloth, which picks up dust off your furniture and windows without chemicals.

• Adding a couple of drops

of your favorite essential oil to a damp washcloth to use in place of dryer sheets.

• Mixing a paste of baking

soda and water to use as an oven cleaner. Avoid the heating element. Let it sit overnight before scooping out the paste and wiping down.

One great way to ensure your household cleaners are made of only the safest ingredients is to make them yourself.

To clean hard surfaces, combine the following ingredients in a spray bottle.

Natural Home Cleaner

• 2 tbsp. baking soda

• ½ cup white vinegar

• 10 drops tea tree, lavender

or lemon essential oil

Shake the bottle to mix the ingredients, then spray on the surface you want to clean and wipe.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

• 1 cup salt

• 4 cups baking soda

• 1 cup of Lemi-Shine

(found in the detergent aisle) Other home cleaning tips:

• Baking soda and white

vinegar are not just for elementary

school science experiments. They can also clean clogged drains. Just let the mixture sit for an hour and rinse with hot water.

• Products containing citric

acid, such as lemonade soft drink mix, can be used as toilet bowl cleaner.

• Many communities have

a household hazardous waste collection day for products you wish to safely throw away.

• Ordinary table salt can be

used to scour off difficult dirt and grime.