Try using 'green' cleaning products to insure safe, healthy household

Waste Management, the local waste and recycling company, provides these tips for using ecofriendly cleaning products and finding a new life for old, unused items.

Many common cleaning products are hazardous to the environment when flushed or thrown away. According to the EPA, fumes from household cleansers and other products make indoor air in the typical home two to five times more polluted than the air outside.

There are several cleaning products that have reduced toxins, are made with natural ingredients and can be purchased at grocery and retail chains. Green cleaning products can also be made at home using baking soda or vinegar and lemon juice.

•Baking soda can be used as a gentle, nonabrasive cleanser for kitchen countertops, sinks, bathtubs, ovens and fiberglass. It is a useful air freshener and carpet deodorizer. Baking soda can also be added to litter boxes, left open in the refrigerator or freezer or included with laundry detergent to neutralize odor.

•When white vinegar is mixed in equal parts with salt it removes mildew, and when added to water it is a good floor cleaner. Used on its own, white vinegar can remove stains from coffee pots and is a good fabric softener.

Another way to "clean green" is to find new life for unneeded items piled up in the garage or basement.

•Nonprofit thrift stores will take gently used items and usually give donors a receipt to use for tax purposes.

•www.Freecycle.com allows members to give and get items for free. Freecycle is a webbased nonprofit organization made up of individual city groups that promote waste reuse among their members. Membership is free and open to all communities and people who want to participate.

•Have a yard sale or sell items online on sites such as www.craigslist.com or www.ebay.com.

•Re-gift old clothing and lawn care items to a neighbor, friend or co-worker who might need them.

•Recycle as much as possible. Many items such as books, small pieces of unfinished wood or glass jars are recyclable.

For more details, visit www .keepingventuracountyclean.com.