Borax. Borax is most often used as a laundry booster and water softener, but it’s also great for killing insects, cleaning walls, floors and bathrooms, killing weeds, and getting rid of nasty odors. Unlike many of the other cleaning products listed here, borax can be toxic if swallowed. It may also lead to skin irritation. Be sure to keep it away from pets and children.

Vinegar. You know those spray bottles of multipurpose cleaner. Why not replace that with a solution of half water and half vinegar? It cleans glass and surfaces, while disinfecting and deodorizing. Plus it’s safe for your kids to drink (it’s actually healthy).

Hydrogen peroxide. You may have used this to clean out cuts and scrapes, or just the inside of your ears. If it can clean so well inside your body, imagine what it can do for your house. While drinking hydrogen peroxide is safe, it can make you feel very sick, so keep it away from children.

Lemon juice. Lemons juice is a strong acid, so it breaks down dirt and the organisms that live all over your house. It can be used to clean and disinfect just about anything (just test for staining first) and even polishes and shines many metals. Plus, you don’t have to add the lemony scent, it’s already in there.

One great thing to do with natural cleaning products that you should never ever do with conventional products is to mix them. While mixing certain household cleaners can be harmful and even deadly to you and your family, mixing natural products can give you added cleaning power.

You know all those bubbles that get released when you mix baking soda and vinegar? Well those bubbles are great for unclogging drains and breaking up other hard to reach dirt and grime. You can also substitute lemon juice for vinegar to produce the same effect with a fresh scent.

So, next time you need a new cleaning product, why not replace it with one of these great natural alternatives instead? You’ll soon find you can have both a clean house and a safe house.

Copyright © Lara Velez, All Rights Reserved

Appliances:

- Removes build-up from the bottom of a non-stick iron
- Cleans stainless steel finish appliances

Bathroom:

- Removes hairspray build-up from brass doorknobs
- Cleans bathtub and/or shower
- Removes permanent marker from countertop
- Removes hard water stains from shower door

Doors:

- Removes pen, crayon, markers
- Cleans wooden door frames

Furniture:

- Removes craft paint and marker from mahogany bed and dressers

Kitchen:

- Cleans old formica kitchen countertops
- Removes tarnish from old silverware
- Removes coffee stains from formica countertops
- Removes grease and grime from stove
- Polishes stainless steel sinks

Office:

- Removes marks from metal filing cabinets
- Removes cigarette burns from formica type desktops

Outdoors:

- Cleans inside and outside of boats
- Cleans leather seats in cars
- Removes bugs and tar from cars
- Cleans lawn furniture

Shoes:

- Cleans and polishes many types of shoes
- Removes black scuff marks off white cowboy boots

Walls:

- Removes crayon, marker, pen marks from walls and baseboards
- Removes soot marks left from candle sconces

Windows:

- Removes crayon marks from windows

About the Author: Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, gardening, organizing tips, home decorating, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

OK, let’s make this list HUGE! Share your tips and uses for the magic eraser! Hey, don’t you wish someone would invent a magic eraser that would magically erase all the junk piling up on every free surface??? LOL Just a thought….