There are so many zillions of bathroom cleaners out there now it’s amazing. But have you ever read the warnings on the labels? Ventilation, gloves, burns, poison etc. It’s crazy. While I admit that occasionally you need something stronger than a homemade, natural cleaner – most cleaning can be done surprisingly well with ingredients you have around the house. And I’m not talking just a lame attempt at cleaning, I mean really effective cleaning.

Here are some great tips for cleaning the bathrooms that not only will be better for the environment and your family’s health (think of the reduction in dangerous fumes) – but also better for your wallet.

Since white vinegar is the star of the show, I suggest buying a big ol’ bottle at a wholesale club. We have one in our kitchen, one in the laundry closet and one in the bathroom cabinet. It’s incredibly cheap and amazingly effective. And no- your house will not smell like pickles

1) Toilet bowl cleaning: Getting rid of hard water stains, odors etc can be a pain in the tush (so to speak). But actually – all you need is 3 cups of white vinegar. Toss that into the toilet bowl and leave it in there. If you want even more disinfecting add a few drops of Tea Tree oil. After it soaks for about 15 minutes, scrub with a toilet brush. If you need even more scrubbing action, you can use Borax. Borax is another amazing household cleaner- however you do need to be careful with it, as you would with some of the more typical cleaners. It can be toxic if it is ingested. Read more about how Borax cleans here. It’s very interesting, actually.

2) Tub + Shower Cleaning: I admit that sometimes this is where I bring in the big guns when necessary to totally get rid of mildew (which our master bath shower seems to breed despite all kinds of efforts on our part). But almost all of the cleaning can be done easily without the chemicals. Because of vinegar’s acetic acid, it breaks down and reduces things like soap scum, mildew and mineral buildup. Fill a spray bottle 1/2 with white vinegar and 1/2 with water. Spray it on and leave it on for 10 minutes or so. Then you can scrub if necessary or just rinse.

You can leave the bottle in the shower for daily spritzes to keep your shower clean and fresh and reduce the scrubbing for the next time. Spray it on then rinse it off.

To shine up the chrome and get rid of mineral build-up use either the vinegar spray or Borax (again – see the link above for Borax information).

If you have rust spots, make a paste of cream of tartar and water. Apply it to the stain then rinse off.

3) Mirror and Glass cleaning: There are a couple of options here. You can just mix equal parts of water and vinegar in a spray bottle. Or you can add a few tablespoons of rubbing alcohol to the mixture – which helps it evaporate more quickly. If you feel like you need some extra power you can add a few drops (just a few) of liquid dish detergent to the mixture. Don’t add too much detergent or it will make it streaky. Whatever combination you choose will give you clean and sparkly windows, mirrors and chrome.

With all of these, don’t forget that they can still be dangerous in the hands of children. So clearly mark your bottles and make sure they are kept safe from small children. And do not mix them with any commercial household cleaners. There are so many dangerous combinations (like ammonia and bleach) that you can never be too safe.