Out with the chemicals, in with the natural clean!

Try lemon juice to clean brass and copper.  You can mix lemon juice with baking soda to make a cleaning paste for a countertop.   

Regular polishing of most wood furniture is unnecessary and can even be damaging.  Many of the everyday products you use as furniture polish contain silicone and after years of use can cloud many finishes.  For regular maintenance of your wood furniture, wipe with a water dampened cloth.  For periodic maintenance, you may need to wax your older furniture -- check the literature that came with your furniture pieces to ensure proper care.

The actor Ed Begley Jr. battles out eco-living with his wife on the show Living with Ed.  Ed has come out with an environmentally friendly cleaner called Begley's Best which you can purchase here.  According to the site, Begley's Best is "terrific all-purpose cleaner designed to replace all other household cleaning products! Discover its unique effectiveness, versatility and safety for yourself.  Made from extracts of pine, de-acified citrus, maize, fermented sugar cane roots, and olive seeds. The ingredients are all natural, non-toxic and totally BIODEGRADABLE in just 3 to 7 days."

For scented candles in your home, don't get those chemical-laden store candles -- try Big Dipper Wax Works found here.  The site says that "beeswax is 100% natural and a renewable resource that actually cleans the air by emitting purifying negative ions.  Most candles are made with paraffin, a petroleum by-product, which is not natural and is unhealthy to burn. To prepare it for candle making, it is chemically bleached and hardened, then artificially scented. Burning paraffin emits harmful, black soot and pollutes the air."  Yuck!  I'd prefer a more natural, purifying candle experience. 

Make a natural window/mirror cleaner by mixing:  1/2 teaspoon plant-based liquid soap, 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar and 2 cups water.  Spray and wipe clean with a newspaper or cotton cloth.  Helpful hint -- use your labeler to put a name/date on your concotion so you don't forget what you've made later.