When it comes to cleaning products, I'm kind of a delicate flower. Strong chemical smells make me gag, and the fumes give me a headache long after the rest of my family has stopped noticing them.

To avoid harsh chemicals, I find myself spending a ridiculous amount of money on natural cleaning products at stores like Whole Foods. I wanted to try making homemade cleaning products, so I turned to local sustainable living consultant and author Linda Mason Hunter for guidance.

I decided to clean our house's bathrooms with recipes from Hunter's book "Green Clean: The Environmentally Sound Guide to Cleaning Your Home." The recipes were easy to make and featured simple ingredients, most of which I already had in my cupboard — baking soda, distilled white vinegar, Castile soap, essential oil and tea tree oil.

Mirror, countertop, and shower stall: I added ½ cup distilled white vinegar to two cups water in a spray bottle and cleaned as I would with any spray cleaner. Hunter said this will keep for months.

More at source: Desmoines Register

Find a green cleaning service here.