Non-Toxic house cleaning tips

Ahhh, cleaning the house. Some people hate it, some people love it- I am firmly in the love it camp. When I was a little girl, I would go over to my friends houses and clean up their rooms for them (no joke- their moms loved me coming over). I am a sucker for an organized, well cleaned house, sometimes to the point of obsessiveness. It gives me a sense of control and pride, that I can keep my tiny little part of the world clean (read: I probably have a mild case of OCD). The only part of cleaning that I hated, when I moved out on my own and had my own house to clean, was the smell and reaction I had to cleaning products. There is a reason why we all hate the smell of Windex and Pine Sol- because they are SO BAD FOR YOU! I stopped using "big chemical" products long ago, and have favored Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyers products for years, but recently I started making my own cleaning products in an effort to take the sustainability one step further- less plastic waste, less money spent buying products... etc, etc. You only need a small list of things that are very inexpensive and easy to get at your grocery store to keep your house sparkling. Here is my list  of cleaning essentials:

The biggest jar of White Vinegar you can find (seriously, it's so cheap and the base for all the cleaning recipes)
A large bottle of Dr. Bronners Castile Soap- I get the baby mild unscented (which I also bathe with) and add essential oils to make my own fragrance combinations, but I do love the almond and peppermint versions of this amazing soap as well.
Lemons
Baking soda
Sea Salt
Olive oil (if you have wood floors)
Essential oils of your choice- I love lavender anytime, orange/lemon/grapefruit are great in the spring and summer, and pine or clove are yummy in the winter, but it's totally up to you-whatever you want your house to smell like.

A run down of simple homemade cleaning recipes:

All purpose cleaner: 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water, plus a few drops of your favorite essential oils if you like. I use this on just about everything- counter tops, door knobs, windows, mirrors, tile floors, the litter box, etc... vinegar is a powerful antiseptic and does a great job at killing common household germs.

Wood floor cleaner: 1 gallon of hot water, 3/4 cup of olive oil, 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Go to town on the wood floors with this and they will smell good and have a nice sheen with out the toxic Pine Sol chemicals (and that horrible fake pine smell that always makes me want to barf).

Bathroom cleaner: 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water, and a healthy squirt of Dr. Bronners soap, plus essential oils if you want them. Shake before you use it. I use this on the shower, the tub, the toilet...

Soap scum remover: 1:1:1 ratio of salt, baking soda and vinegar plus elbow grease = no more soap scum!

Stove cleaner: Scrape off bits of burnt food on the bottom of the stove. Sprinkle a fairly thick layer of baking soda on the bottom of the stove, and then spray it with water to make it look like a paste. The baking soda does the scrubbing for you. Let it sit for 2-3 hours, and spray again. Depending on the level of grossness at the bottom of your stove, you may have to let it sit overnight. When you have let enough time pass per funkiness factor, wipe the baking soda out of the stove with a wet cloth or sponge. I scrub a little bit with a small amount of baking soda after as well, just to give it an extra clean feel.

Kitchen cutting board scrub: wet the cutting board, sprinkle it with sea salt, and cut a lemon in half. Use the cut part of the lemon to scrub the cutting board well with the salt, and then follow the scrub with a good old fashioned wash with soap. 

There you have it! Why would you want to use toxic chemicals to "clean" your house anyways- that seems like it misses the point entirely! And all of these methods are much cheaper then buying cleaning products, so your health and your wallet both win. Let me know if you have any of your own DIY cleaning formulas, or if you try some of these! Cheers!