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Instead of cluttering your house with harmful household cleansers, use these ten tips to make your own.

1. Try natural biodegradable cleaners from health stores, or 4 tsp. of baking soda in warm water instead of general-purpose cleaners.
2. If you need something strong, you can mix vinegar and salt instead of the heavy-duty cleaners for surfaces.
3. One-half cup of white vinegar followed by one handful of baking soda works well instead of drain cleaners.
4. To get black scuff marks off of hardwood floors, try using a large pink pencil eraser!
5. Vinegar and water can be used to clean almost anything including walls, floors and glass instead of special cleaners.
6. To get crayon off of walls, use toothpaste!
7. Opening the windows or setting out an open box of baking soda instead of using air fresheners.
8. If you can't find a safe substitute, then use as little of the toxic substance as possible to do the job.
9. Make your own compost (in city approved bins) from food waste products--especially good for vegetable gardens.
10. Look for citrus-based cleaning products. They are based on a solvent extracted from orange peels.