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The start of fall means more outdoor activities and more people in your home, which inevitably leaves more dirt and stains to clean up. Many people turn to cleaners packed with chemicals, but it’s easy to make your own safe and natural cleaners for every type of surface in your home from wicker furniture to your favorite furry friend. Hometalk, a top online home and garden Web site, gave AFM their top 10 DIY natural home cleaners that are useful year round.

  1. Salt Water for Wicker Furniture-Salt water isn’t just for getting rid of a sore throat! The solution’s abrasive texture effectively and quickly removes even the most stubborn and hard-to-reach dirt. Plus the sodium in salt water kills and prevents mold from growing. And it does this without destroying your furniture.
  2. Vinegar and Newspaper for Streak-Free Windows-Summer is the perfect time to enjoy the sunshine through your windows, but streaks and scratches can obstruct your view. Simply combine half cup of water, half cup of vinegar and four drops of dish soap into a spray bottle and wipe with a newspaper. Enjoy the view!
  3. Club Soda for Windows-If you don’t have vinegar in your pantry, you can also grab a bottle of club soda to clean windows. All you need to do is attach a spray nozzle to the bottle and start cleaning.
  4. Baking Soda for Pets and Shoes-It doesn’t matter how hard we scrub the house; if we can smell our puppy’s dirty paws and shoe odor, there’s no reason to clean. For a fresh-smelling pup, massage a small amount of baking soda into his or her fur between baths. And sprinkle some baking soda into your shoes to alleviate the smell.
  5. Allergy-Friendly Laundry Detergent-From days spent at the park to messy ice cream parlor trips, this season seems to require a few extra loads of laundry a week. Because we can’t control the cost of running your washers, save on detergent. Create your own version with Borax, super washing soda and Ivory bar soap. It will cost about three dollars for 40 loads.
  6. Lemon for Sink Stains-One of your favorite flavors to squeeze in ice water is also perfect to clean the faucet and garbage disposal. Not only does the acid break down the mineral deposits and watermarks but also the lemon’s smell is an added delight.
  7. Cream of Tartar for Stain Fighting-Bleach is not only expensive, but it’s also extremely potent. Mix a teaspoon of cream of tartar with water or vinegar to pre soak white clothing before throwing it in the washer.
  8. Essential Oils for Dust Mite Repellent-While we love the smell of soothing essential oils, dust mites cannot stand the aroma. To create this dust mite repellant, put a few drops of your favorite oil, whether it’s peppermint, rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus or clove, in a spray bottle of water. Then mist your bed area, let it air dry and prepare for a sound sleep.
  9. Hydrogen Peroxide-The natural disinfectant comes to the rescue when it comes to cleaning surfaces that come in contact with food such as wooden cutting boards.Unlike store-bought cleaners, hydrogen peroxide reaches the smallest crevices even a brush can’t reach.
  10. Rubbing Alcohol-For a good portion of the day, we’re focused on computer, cell phone or TV.And chances are there’s stubborn dust on the screens of those devices.But if you mix rubbing alcohol into a spray bottle of water, your productivity will surely increase (or decrease!), depending on what you’re using your device for.

Photo Credit: 22 Cleaning Recipes Using Baking Soda via Rethink Simple