Green Cleaning with Mayonnaise, Vinegar and Baking Soda

For truly natural, eco-friendly, green cleaning, try using mayonnaise, vinegar, and baking soda.

Green Cleaning with Mayonnaise

1. Mayonnaise is one of the best green cleaning substances. Try it on pine pitch, grease, or to wash tar off your hands. Rub it on, let it sit for a few minutes, and clean off the spot. 2. Remove crayon marks from furniture by rubbing mayonnaise on them. Let it sit for a minute or so, then wipe with a damp cloth. 3. If the flannel backing from a tablecloth sticks to a table, remove the flannel from the tabletop by applying mayonnaise liberally to the area. Let it soak in for an hour, then wipe it off with paper towels or a soft cloth. 4. Road tar on your beautiful car? Mayonnaise will take it off without hurting the finish. Rub it onto the car and let it set for a few minutes, then wipe off. 5. To remove the residue from tape or labels on glass, saturate the sticky part with mayonnaise, oil, or peanut butter, then wash and rinse.

Green Cleaning with White Vinegar

1. Before warm weather hits, clean your air-conditioner filter. Take the foam filter out of the grill and soak it for an hour or more in a solution of equal parts white vinegar and warm water, then squeeze dry and replace. 2. Clean hairbrushes with the most logical cleaner: shampoo. Scrub it into the bristles, rinse with water, then rinse with white vinegar to remove any soap residue. Your hairbrush will be squeaky clean! 3. Clean painted woodwork with a solution of 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 cup ammonia, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 1 gallon of lukewarm water. No rinsing is necessary with this solution. 4. Clean vinyl shower curtains without taking them down by wiping them with a sponge dampened with white vinegar. 5. Springtime green cleaning? Wash windows with a mixture of 1 part white vinegar and 10 parts warm water. 6. Give your washing machine an annual green cleaning by filling it with hot water, adding a quart of white vinegar, and running the machine through the wash and rinse cycles. 7. If a closet smells musty, wash it thoroughly (walls, floor, and ceiling) with a mixture of 1 cup ammonia, 1 cup white vinegar, and 1/4 cup baking soda in a gallon of warm water. Repeat if needed. 8. To bring out the color in a rug, dip a broom in a mixture of 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 gallon of water, then brush the rug with the broom. No need to rinse. 9. To clean a stainless-steel pan, first rinse it with white vinegar inside and out. Then shake on enough salt to cover. Rub lightly. This cleans the pan and keeps it shiny. 10. To clean gummed-up holes in a steam iron, mix well 1/3 cup white vinegar and 1 tablespoon baking soda. Pour this into the iron and heat just until iron begins to steam. Turn off iron and empty. Fill and empty twice with warm water to rinse. 11. To clean ironwork before painting, apply a coat of white vinegar and let it dry. The mixture will evaporate, so you don’t need to rinse it off. 12. To clean leather, rub on a solution of equal parts white vinegar and boiled linseed oil. Wipe off any excess with a clean rag. 13. To clean salt marks off boots and shoes, try a mixture of 1 part white vinegar and 3 parts water. 14. To clean suede, brush with a suede brush or steel wool, then wipe with a cloth dipped in white vinegar and wrung out almost dry. 15. To remove old wallpaper (nonvinyl), mix equal parts of warm water and white vinegar. Sponge a section of wall with the solution until the wallpaper is saturated. Let sit for 20 minutes, sop the wallpaper again, then peel it off with a broad-bladed putty knife. 16. Use full-strength white vinegar to clean tubs, sinks, and toilet bowls. 17. Wipe down counters and tabletops with a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water to help keep away ants.

Green Cleaning with Baking Soda

1. A paste of baking soda and water makes an inexpensive but effective scouring powder for all sorts of green cleaning jobs, from counter tops to rolling pins to gold-trimmed dishes. 2. Clean painted woodwork with a solution of 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 cup ammonia, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 1 gallon of lukewarm water. No rinsing is necessary with this solution. 3. Clean vinyl car upholstery with a damp cloth dipped in baking soda. Then wash with a mild solution of dish washing liquid and water. Rinse thoroughly. 4. Did you run out of toothpaste? Substitute baking soda mixed with a little salt or baking soda mixed with hydrogen peroxide for some self-green cleaning. 5. Do school thermoses already smell bad? Make a thin paste of lemon juice, cream of tartar, and baking soda; fill the thermos about a third full, and shake well. Allow to soak for about 20 minutes, then scrub with a cloth wrapped around a wooden handle. Rinse well. 6. Dog odor can be eliminated by sprinkling baking soda on the dog’s coat, working it into the fur with your hands, then brushing well. The dirt in the dog’s fur will come out along with the soda. 7. If a closet smells musty, wash it thoroughly (walls, floor, and ceiling) with a mixture of 1 cup ammonia, 1 cup white vinegar, and 1/4 cup baking soda in a gallon of warm water. Repeat if needed. 8. It can take years for new cedar shingles to weather to match the color of old ones. To make them blend in at once, mix up a solution of 1 pound of baking soda and 1/2 gallon of water. Brush onto the new shingles, and they’ll turn gray in a few hours. 9. Make your own odor-eater balls for boots and sneakers: Pour a few teaspoons of baking soda on a square of cotton cloth. Tie the ends of the cloth together and secure with a rubber band. Set one ball in each shoe overnight. The balls can be used again and again. 10. To clean a sink drain or garbage disposal, pour in 1/2 cup of baking soda and flush with very hot water. 11. To clean burned food from the bottom of an aluminum pot or pan, wet the burned food, cover with baking soda, and set aside for a couple of hours. Then scrape, wash, and rinse the pan. 12. To clean chrome, rub on a thin paste of baking soda and water. Let it dry, then buff the chrome with a clean, dry rag. 13. For a green cleaning fix for gummed-up holes in a steam iron, mix well 1/3 cup white vinegar and 1 tablespoon baking soda. Pour this into the iron and heat just until iron begins to steam. Turn off iron and empty. Fill and empty twice with warm water to rinse. 14. To clean stovetop, glass, or percolator coffeepots, fill with cold water, add a little baking soda, boil for a minute or so, and rinse clean. 15. To clean wooden rolling pins, bowls, and cutting boards, sprinkle on baking soda, dampen with a little water to make a paste, and rub with a sponge. Then rinse well and dry with a cloth towel. 16. To get the odor of cat urine out of a carpet, sprinkle baking soda on the area. Leave it on for several hours, then vacuum it up. If necessary, repeat the process with fresh baking soda. 17. To help keep the odor down in a cat’s litter box, sprinkle baking soda in the bottom, then add a layer of cat litter. 18. To remove a lingering odor in your microwave oven, wet a cloth with warm water, wring it out, and dip it in baking soda. Lightly scrub down the inside of the oven. 19. To remove coffee or tea stains from a cup, wet the cup with vinegar. Then dampen a rag with water, dip it in baking soda or salt, and swab out the stain. 20. To remove mustard stain from a counter, rub in a sprinkling of baking soda with a damp cloth or sponge. 21. You can use green cleaning techniques to scrub the starch off the bottom of an iron by making a paste of baking soda and a little water, rubbing it on the iron with a soft cloth, and wiping it off with a clean cloth.   For more natural and green cleaning tips, check out these eco-friendly New England-made products.   What are your favorite green cleaning tips?