How the best nontoxic household cleaners can save you money

by Aimee Heckel · August 22, 2013

Simple cleaners, like white vinegar, can clean your house without the toxins.

By Aimee Heckel

Stop poisoning your house.

We keep our houses clean to take care of our families and keep them healthy, but our chemical-based cleaners may actually be polluting our families. The U.S. Environmental Agency says that the air in the average American home is two to five times more polluted than the air outside, due to these cleaners.

Green up your cleaning and you may help reduce your child’s allergies, itchy skin and more.

And you may save money, too.

Here are some of our favorite nontoxic household cleaners that can actually save you money, while being better for your family’s health, too.

1. White vinegar cleans floors, windows, mirrors, carpet, curtains and furniture. Spray some on those unsightly weeds in your lawn and it can kill them, too. This is one of the most versatile and inexpensive cleaning supplies, so always keep a ton under the counter.

You can find a gallon of white vinegar at Walmart.com for $2.82, and it qualifies for free home shipping if you spend $45 or more (order your other groceries this way, too). Find more than 50 Walmart coupons online, and get 2.5 percent Cash Back from ShopAtHome.com.

2. Baking soda is also an effective way to clean your kid’s toys, high chair, the bathroom and kitchen. Leave a box in the fridge and behind the couch to clean the air. Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of your trash can. Mix baking soda and hot water and soak in a pot to help remove burned food. You can even pour 1/4 cup baking soda down your shower drain every week to keep the clogs away.

Best of all: A box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda is 68 cents at Walmart.

Compare this to an 80 ounce container of Liquid-Plumr Power Gel at Walmart for $7.48. And Liquid-Plumr is considered one of the most toxic household cleaning products, potentially correlated to respiratory, skin and sense-organ toxicity.

3. Other common products can be used or combined with other simple ingredients to create cleaners. These include hydrogen peroxide, water, olive or vegetable oil, essential oils (tea tree, lavender, lemongrass), Borax, castile soap and citrus peels.