The pungent veggie makes a perfect, non-toxic cleaning companion.

After a long weekend of backyard BBQs, sizzling veggies, marinated, grass-fed meats, tastes-like-steak tofu and other grilled up green goodies, we’re willing to bet your little Weber has taken a beating.

If your once-like-new grill racks have started to cake up in layers of black, here’s a simple, strange and sustainable way to get them clean.

1. Heat up the grill super hot so it will be easy for the clumped up gook to scrape off.
2. Cut an onion in half.
3. Stab one half of the onion with a fork and then with the flat end of the onion pointing facedown, use the veggie-utensil combo to rub down the grate.

This will ensure your grill works well and keeps food tasting fresh and delicious all summer season—without having to use nasty, chemical cleansers.

Cleaning your vehicle’s interior can be a delicate operation, which is why natural cleaners are often a good first step.

Commuters spend a lot of time in their cars: transporting kids, business colleagues, drinking coffee, eating meals. All this makes a vehicle’s interior very susceptible to stains. While there are an abundance of products designated for cleaning your automotive interior, some of your best stain removal options are actually the natural ones. Before we begin with these methods, remember that your best chance of removing any stain is when it initially happens. Waiting too long can set a stain into the fabric, making it next to impossible to remove.

Carpet Freshening/Stains

It’s a good thing that most automotive carpets are rather dark in color, but if you have a light interior, you will want to pay particular attention here. For your basic everyday carpet refreshing, sprinkle a little clove, cinnamon, and baking soda around the carpet, allow to sit a few minutes, then vacuum the area. For general stains, mix 3 quarts HOT water, 1 cup vinegar, and 2 teaspoons castile soap.

Dab mixture onto stain and gently massage the area with your fingertips (use rubber gloves if you prefer). Once the stain has been removed, rinse with water, blot with a clean cloth, and allow to dry. Vacuum the entire area, and if stain shows up again, you can repeat as necessary.

Leather and Vinyl Fabric

Leather and vinyl fabric stains can be tricky to remove. Due to the variations of dye used by each manufacturer, it is important to test each of these methods on a small area underneath the seat to make sure it is not going to effect the color of the dye.

Simple Stains: Toothpaste
For surface stains, nothing beats toothpaste on either leather or vinyl surfaces. Apply a small dab on the stain, use an old toothbrush to gently rub the toothpaste into the area until the stain is removed. When finished, remove excess with a damp towel and allow to dry. If the stain is not removed, it is probably embedded into the dye and you’ll need a slightly more heavy-duty method, such as the two below.

Tougher Stains: Isopropyl Alcohol
When it comes to leather and vinyl, isopropyl alcohol can sometimes help release a stain embedded in the dye. You will definitely want to test a small area first to see how your dye reacts to the alcohol. Many dyes can be easily wiped away or discolored with too much alcohol, which is why you never want to soak the area, but rather dab it gently. If the stain has been resistant to both the methods discussed so far, it is going to require some gentle soaking in order to release the stain.

Toughest Stains: Cream of Tartar & Lemon Juice
Mix equal parts of cream of tartar and lemon juice. After testing on an inconspicuous area, apply the mixture to the stain and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Gently wipe the excess mixture with a damp cloth. Check to see if the stain has become lighter in color, or if you’re really lucky, disappeared completely. Repeat until desired outcome is attained, then wipe entire area with a damp cloth and allowing to dry.

Note: Professional leather experts often claim that many store purchased cleaners, protectants, and waxes actually do more harm than good on natural leather. A very gentle leather soap (not saddle soap) is all you should need for general maintenance and cleaning. While various products will tell you leather needs special oils and waxes to maintain its condition, in truth, most natural leathers need only be wiped with a damp cloth from time to time to maintain their moisture and softness.

Sometimes the oldest tricks are the best tricks!

Treated Dust Cloths

Swiffer was not the first company to get the idea that a treated dust cloth would be convenient. Homemakers were doing that decades ago. By using a treated cloth dusting is less likely to kick up allergies because the dust particles are being collected rather than shaken into the air. It is easy, frugal, and there is virtually no packaging to worry about.

Cleaning and dusting isn’t on anyone’s list of favorite ways to spend a day. When you can use eco-friendly, homemade cleaning products and save money everything is a little nicer. If you have antique wood then it is especially important to use gentle, natural substances to clean it.

Of course the big question is if they work and the answer to that is a resounding “Yes!”.

How to Make Homemade Dust Cloths

Materials:

• Container of some sort that has an airtight cover. An old baby wipe container will work.
• 5 cheesecloth squares cut to about 20 inches by 20 inches.
• 1 pint of hot water
• 1/4 cup lemon oil

Instructions:

1. Combine the water and lemon oil in a Mason jar. Cover and shake well.
2. Soak the cloth in the solution and squeeze out the excess.
3. Hang and allow to dry.

To Use:

Just take one of your treated cloths and dust wood furniture as you always do. The solution will help the dust adhere to the cloth and also leave a protective coat on your furniture. Added bonus? Your house will smell great!

To Wash Treated Dust Cloths:
When the cloth gets dirty just wash it in warm, soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Repeat the dipping and drying process and it is ready to dust and polish more furniture.

Looking into an over filled fridge can be as stressful as looking into a cluttered closet. Every meal that you aimlessly gaze into the never ending horizon of past date food allows more time to build unnecessary anxiety in your mind. Follow these steps to get rid of the food that’s gone rancid in the fridge as well as the food that is not doing a body good.

Green Cleaning the Fridge

1. First pick out the foods that are past date or you know you don’t plan on eating and get rid of them. Recycle or reuse as many containers as possible. Note what you’re throwing out and cut back on purchasing so much of those items in the future.
2. Remove all the food from the fridge so that you can really get to scrubbing it. Put the food that needs to stay cold in a cooler.
3. Using white vinegar and baking soda along with a few old rags really get down and dirty. Scrubbing every last bit of the monster. Making sure not to skip the shelves or drawers and realizing that after this it will be a very long time until you have to go through this misery again.
4. Unplug and move the fridge away from the wall vacuuming under the fridge as well as the coils behind it. This is a good way to increase efficiency. The refrigerator consumes about 8 percent of a home’s electricity. It’s far and away the single most energy-intensive appliance. Fridges use up a lot of energy while making the coldness. You can do things to make your fridge more efficient.
5. Use vinegar in a spray bottle to give the outside of the fridge a good scrub as well.

Even the most trained pets can have accidents in the house.  Maybe it was a long day at home alone and your puppy just can’t hold it anymore.  Or maybe it’s only a few droplets of excitement.  But if you don’t notice it or you’re not home when the accident occurs, it can cause the biggest stink imaginable. But I refuse to clean the stink up with eco-hazardous bleach or other terribly harmful cleaners. Seriously, I’d rather live with the stink than have those poisonous substances anywhere close to my family. Fortunately, I can have my cake and eat it too by cutting the stink the green way.

1. Try Biokleen Bac-Out Stain and Odor Eliminator. This stuff is magic, it doesn’t just cover up a smell, it actually gets rid of it. It’s also biodegradable and non-toxic. It’s great for puppy accidents.
2. In the fridge, use aluminum free baking soda http://science.howstuffworks.com/baking-soda-save-environment2.htm to absorb lingering smells that you just can’t seem to get rid of like fish and old dairy. Remove all foods that are rotten and take them out of the house entirely.
3. Shake all rugs that can be easily picked up and if possible, throw them into the wash for a good cleaning.
4. Make sure that your pooches don’t have an accident on the cushions of your furniture. If you find that they did, you might ultimately have to replace the stuffing in the cushions in order to fully free yourself of the nasty stink.

Olive oil has a variety of uses. Some people say that you should drink it before bed if you snore. There are others who claim that it can be used to condition hair. Olive oil does make a handy substitute for shaving cream. On an episode of Renovation Nation, I even watched a woman use olive oil to fix scuffs in her recycled paper countertops.

It can also be used to clean. Olive oil works well as a polish for metal. It is recommended as a cleanser for cast-iron pots and pans, sink nozzles and garden tools. Some people clean collectible coins with it.

Olive oil can also be used to polish wood. It’s really great on dry wood, making it all supple and invigorated. There are those who claim olive oil cleans leather, but I’ve found articles about getting olive oil stains out of leather as well. Use it on leather at your own risk.

Olive oil is a great green cleanser, because it does not come in an ozone-destroying aerosol can, and it doesn’t contain any whacky chemicals that release harmful VOCs into the air. It is a natural way to clean a green home.

Indiana residents who live in Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Indianapolis, Zionsville, Westfield, Geist, Broad Ripple, or a surrounding area should call 317-670-6127 or email Katharine@GreenTeamIndy.com to schedule a professional, green house cleaning from The Green Team!