Your kitchen cupboards are probably filled with chemical products designed to clean, disinfect and deodorize. Most of them work, but they're expensive, harsh on the senses and often environmentally iffy. Your cupboards probably also contain all kinds of natural products that you keep around for other uses, but which make great cleansers, without the chemicals and expense.
Vinegar
Distilled white vinegar is arguably the single best all-natural cleaner you have sitting around your home. The high acid content of vinegar kills mold and mildew and removes grime effectively. Run it through appliances in your home that use water--coffee maker, dishwasher, iron, garbage disposal--to eliminate impurities that you can't get to with a washcloth. Put it in a spray bottle, diluted half-and-half with water, and spray on glass, linoleum and other surfaces--not natural stone like marble; the acid is bad for it--and wipe it down. The vinegar smell disappears when it evaporates.
Baking Soda
The abrasive texture of baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, and its odor-absorbing properties make it a great cleanser for items that need some scrubbing and deodorizing at the same time. You can scrub sinks, grills, stovetops and other cooking areas with a paste made from baking soda and water. For deeply stained coffee cups, soak overnight in a baking soda solution diluted two-to-one with water. Sprinkle it dry on rugs or upholstery to deodorize--let it sit an hour, then vacuum. And of course there's the ubiquitous open box of it in your fridge to absorb odors.
Lemon Juice
The acid of lemon juice is great for removing dirt and grime, and leaves a citrus scent that everyone likes. Covering a cutting board in lemon juice and letting it sit overnight will kill germs and leave it smelling fresh. Cut a lemon in half, coat it with baking soda, and use it to scrub down a linoleum countertop. A teaspoon of lemon juice added to dishwashing detergent will help it work better and smell better.
Salt
Standard table salt has both abrasive and absorbent properties that make it an excellent cleaning product. And it's cheap. Sprinkled on a wet sponge, it can help remove stains from glassware without scratching. Sprinkle it over kitchen grease spills in the oven, wait an hour, then wipe it up.
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