Five easy green cleaning solutions to make at home

With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, we’re all thinking about the color green.

When it comes to green and your house, home, castle and cabin, we wanted to offer you a few ideas on green cleaning solutions you can make yourself!

As you go through these ideas that we’ve sourced from all around the web, you’ll note there are a lot of recurring key ingredients that most of us probably have in our cupboards:

• Water
• Lemons
• Distilled white vinegar
• Ammonia
• Baking soda
• Toothpaste (not the gel)
• Essential oils

Here are five green products you can make at home!

All-purpose cleaner

One of the easiest cleaners is made by adding equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and shaking the mixture. You can use this on just about every hard counter and glass surface for general clean-up. The vinegar smell disperses quickly, so no worries there, and you can even add a drop or three of your favorite essential scented oil to add a bit of freshness.

All-purpose deodorizer

An odd smell in the fridge is not only bothersome, it can start to infiltrate your fresh food items. If you’re trying to deodorize inside the fridge and around the kitchen, mix two tablespoons of baking soda and two cups of water. Soak a sponge with the solution and wipe the odors away!

Glass cleaner

For an easy glass cleaner, all you need are three ingredients: four cups of water, one cup of vinegar and a few drops of your favorite smelling essential oil. Combine these in a spray bottle and voila! Your widows will be clean and you’ll have a fresh smell throughout the house.

Garbage disposal freshener

No one likes a foul odor in the kitchen and often the culprit is the sink disposal. Take a single lemon and cut it up into four wedges. Turn on the garbage disposal run cold water through it. Add each wedge, one at a time until, it’s completely chewed up and disposed of completely. By the end, you’ll have a refreshed disposal that’s been scrubbed by the rind as it’s chewed up.

You’ll also want to wipe down the underside of the rubber splash guard with bit of the deodorizer (with the power off or unit unplugged of course) as there can be quite a build-up of grime and filth that can amplify that smell.

Dirty rings cleaner

Rings around the tub are never fun to look at. To fix it, mix equal parts of white paste toothpaste (not gel) and baking soda. Add the mixture to a damp cloth and scrub, rub and buff the ring area clean. Take a dry towel and wipe the residue off.

CAUTION: NEVER MIX AMMONIA-BASED CLEANERS WITH BLEACH!

The fumes can be hazardous to your health. It’s always a good idea to read the product labels before you mix anything.

More recipes for make-at-home cleaning products and healthy home ideas can be found on sites like at Mother Earth Living and Good Housekeeping.

You can find more advice and do-it-yourself tips for your house, home, castle or cabin, at every Arizona homeowner’s best friend, RosieontheHouse.com. Be sure to tune in to KTAR every Saturday morning from 7-11 a.m. for the Rosie on the House broadcast!

To get Rosie’s Homeowner tips delivered right to your mobile device each and every week, text HOUSE to 411-923.