Clean Green, Save Green At Same Time!

Think it will cost you more to stay "green" when cleaning your house, because eco-friendly cleaning products are too expensive?

Think again!

On The Early Show Saturday Edition, Better Homes and Gardens magazine environmental lifestyle contributor Danny Seo showed how to keep your house clean and watch out for Mother Earth at the same time!

Clean Your Garbage Disposal

Instead of harmful bleach to disinfect your garbage disposal, reach for lemons and ice. Just fill the disposal with cut lemons and a cup of ice. With the cold water running, turn the disposal on. The ice will sharpen the blades and the lemons will naturally disinfect germs and odors away.

Break the Paper Towel Habit

Americans use around 27 million trees every year to supply our paper towel habit. To clean up spills around the house, reach for reusable micro-fiber towels instead. These fabric-like towels are made from millions of microscopic fibers that are knit together to literally grip onto dirt and bacteria; they're also extremely absorbent and can hold three-times more water than regular terry towels. Hotel housekeepers swear by micro-fiber towels. Since they're machine-washable, you save money by using them over and over again.

Disinfecting

To truly disinfect cutting boards, use rubbing alcohol to kill 99.9 percent of all germs and bacteria. Just dab a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and rub it all over. That's it. To remove stains, use salt and half a lemon to create an abrasive scrub. Rub the cut lemon all over the board to scrub it clean. Old sponges can be sanitized and deodorized just by placing them in a microwave on high for 90 seconds. That will radiate all the germs away and add longevity to your sponges.

Dusting

For a soft cloth that picks up dust without scratching, look no further than your own drying machine. Use a wad of dryer lint to pick up oil splatters on a stove or keep delicate wood surfaces shiny and dust-free! You can also attach a used dryer sheet to an existing Swiffer head as a free dusting pad.

Unclogging Drains

To clear drains that are truly stuck, call a professional or use a drain snake. But to prevent drains from clogging, make it a habit to clean the inside of the drains. Just pour baking soda and white vinegar down the drain and let the natural reaction "fizz" away organic matter that has collected inside. Follow by flushing it with a kettle of boiling water. Many people also find pouring a can of Coca-Cola also helps to keep drains clear.