How to Clean Your House Without Losing Your Mind

Walk down the cleaning aisle in any store and you will find cleaners for everything in your home. Not only are they expensive and cumbersome, half the time they don't do the job, or are so toxic you need to have a HAZMAT team standing by in order to use them.

If you're like me, you've got cupboards full of full of these "toxic avengers", each touted to eliminate a particular disgusting problem in your home. And with a teenage son (think "teen-age feet" smell), a mate who does home improvement/landscaping (aka ground-in-dirt-and-muck-bringer), a mother with breathing problems, two poodles who think they're people AND a full-time career, keeping the house clean without spending my entire paycheck is a challenge.

Thanks to a back injury that kept me flat in bed with nothing to do but watch TV, I've come across some remarkably simple solutions that will clean everything in your home without breaking the bank (or you aching back.) These are tried and true solutions that really will simplify your life. The other benefit is that these are not as toxic as commercial cleaners, so they're great if you're sensitive to chemicals.

Here's what you'll need. Yes, it means another trip to the store, but hey, you're going anyway, right? But I promise, these items are inexpensive and last a long time. Buy the cheap stuff - it works just as well.

Distilled white vinegar
Household bleach
Dishwashing liquid
Baking soda
A couple of spray bottles
Essential oils of your choice. Lavender and lemon-grass are especially nice. (You may have to go to the health food store for these. Use common sense when using essential oils - read the labels.)

Here a couple "recipes" for cleaners that will clean nearly everything in your house. The nice thing about these is that you can use them on everything from floors to sinks and mirrors. And you don't have to be a rocket scientist or chemist to make these. They're fairly foolproof.

Save-my-Sanity Vinegar Cleaner

Fill a spray bottle ¾ full with water. Add a capful or two of white vinegar. Squeeze in a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid. Shake well.