If you want to lead a more “green” lifestyle, one of the easiest places to start is the cabinet where you keep cleaning supplies.

Though it may seem counter-intuitive, many household cleaners contain highly toxic substances. Examples include formaldehyde, which can be found in furniture polish and is considered a carcinogen by the World Health Organization; diethylene glycol, a poison that causes kidney failure and is found in window cleaners; and perchloroethylene, a carcinogen and central nervous system depressant found in carpet and upholstery cleaners.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that there’s a host of alternatives available that are not only environmentally friendly, but also much easier on your wallet. Some of them — such as vinegar, baking soda, cornstarch and lemon juice — are probably already be in your pantry. And they were being used to effectively clean the house long before the advent of ready-made chemical products.

Let’s start with window cleaner. A mixture of vinegar and vegetable-based liquid soap does the trick well. The folks at care2.com suggest this recipe: combine 2 cups of water, 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar, and up to 1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap or detergent in a spray bottle. The soap, ironically enough, is needed to cut through any residue left behind by previous chemical window cleaners. After using this mixture a few times, you should be able to switch to straight five percent vinegar.

To polish furniture, mix a cup of mineral oil with three drops of lemon (or orange) extract (not juice). To remove excess polish, sprinkle with cornstarch and buff with a soft rag.  And while we’re on the subject of cornstarch, it can also be used to clean carpets and rugs: sprinkle it, then let it sit for 30 minutes before vacuuming. It will draw out odors and dirt like a charm.

For stains, white vinegar or lemon juice work to get out many substances (Wholeliving.com has a comprehensive list of natural stain removers for different applications).

Ready to clean the bathroom? Make a paste of baking soda — three parts baking soda,  one part water (or liquid soap) — to scrub toilets, tubs and sinks. Spraying them down with an undiluted solution of five percent white vinegar (which is how it’s usually sold) will significantly reduce the amount of bacteria, mold and germs. Although it’s useful as an antimicrobial agent — tests requested by CBS’ 48 Hours have found it to be 99.9 percent effective against bacteria — keep in mind that it’s not recognized by the EPA as a disinfectant.

Vinegar can also be used as a general cleaner around the house; it’s a good  for countertops, tables, and other surfaces.  Never use it on marble, however, and make sure to dilute it before using it on grout, as it can eat away at the sealer.

Baking soda is another essential ‘green’ house cleaner. A small bowl of it will reduce odors in the pantry, refrigerator and freezer, and it can be used to deodorize trash cans. A mix of baking soda and water will also remove odors from food containers if it’s allowed to soak overnight. Much like cornstarch, it can also be used to get your carpets smelling fresher.

Just remember to properly dispose of any chemical cleaners you won’t be using anymore.  Never flush them down the drain, where they’ll end up polluting the water.

To find out more about chemicals in the household, check out a page from the National Institutes of Health. For more about green cleaning, visit this page from the EPA. 

Do you have a green cleaning hint you want to share? Leave a comment for us below!

Harvest time is, arguably, the best part of growing your own fruits and vegetables. You’ve used compost to enrich the soil; kept weeds down by mulching, and used your rain barrels to irrigate the plants. Now it’s time reap what you’ve sown. But when everything starts turning ripe around the same time, a trip to the garden could seem like a scene from ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.’

Have no fear. Taming that plethora of produce isn’t as tough as it looks.

For years, canning has been the go-to solution for home gardeners. Your mother probably did it, and your grandmother, and her grandmother, too. The upside of canning is that it provides a reliable, long-term solution to the problem of preserving your harvest. The downside is … well, there are several downsides, actually. It’s messy, it’s time consuming, and the process compounds the dog days of summer by adding a lot of heat and humidity to your kitchen.

That’s not to say canning should be taken off the table. It’s a tried-and-true method of storing food, and although it’s labor-intensive, the payoffs are well worth the time. If you want to learn more, the USDA has collected some great information here. But if time’s of the essence, keep your cool by freezing instead.

Freezing is one of the simplest ways to store food. Preparation is quick and easy, and there’s no need for specialized equipment. Pick up some freezer bags, sugar, salt and, if you’re concerned about fruit discoloration, ascorbic acid, and you’re ready to go. Most fruits and vegetables can be frozen in just a few minutes’ time. And when it’s the middle of winter and you want some of those peppers that tasted so good this summer, you need go no further than your freezer.

Here are some quick recipes from the Penn State Cooperative Extension to get started (note that their site suggests never freezing more than 2 pounds of food per cubic foot of freezer capacity per day):

 Tomatoes

Select firm, ripe tomatoes with deep-red color. Wash and dip in boiling water for 30 seconds to remove skins. Core and peel. Freeze whole or in pieces. Pack into containers, leaving 1-inch head­space. Seal and freeze. Use only for cooking or seasoning since tomatoes will not be solid when thawed. Note: Cooking or stewing tomatoes provides better texture and flavor.

Strawberries

Homegrown varieties are best for making jams and freezing

• To make a syrup pack: Dissolve 3 cups of sugar in 4 cups of water. Add 1 cup of this syrup per quart of prepared fruit.

• To make a dry sugar pack: Mix 2⁄3 cup of dry sugar per quart of prepared fruit.

• To make a dry pack: Omit sugar.

To package: Fill pint- or quart-size freezer bags to 3–4 inches from top, squeeze out air, seal, label, and freeze. Before freezing, bags may be inserted into reusable, rigid freezer containers for added protection against punctures and leakage. If using rigid containers, allow 1⁄2-inch headspace for dry pack and 1-inch headspace for syrup pack berries in quarts.

Prepared berries can also be individually quick frozen (IQF) first on a tray and then packed into containers as soon as they are frozen. IQF berries may be used partially thawed as a snack.

 Peppers

Bell or Sweet Peppers preparation: Select crisp, tender, green or bright-red pods. Wash, cut out stems, cut in half, and remove seeds. If desired, cut into 1⁄2-inch strips or rings.

For longest shelf-life, water-blanch halves for 3 minutes and strips or rings for 2 minutes. Cool promptly, drain and package, leaving 1⁄2-inch headspace. Seal and freeze. For crisper texture, package raw, leaving no headspace. Seal and freeze.

 Hot Peppers preparation: Wash and stem peppers. Package leaving no headspace. Seal and freeze.

Do you have a favorite way to preserve food? We’d love to see your recipes. Please share them in the comments section below, and we’ll post them for our readers!