While the rare individual may delight in cleaning his or her home, most of us regard it as a definite chore. But regardless of where you fall on the loving/hating-to-clean spectrum, when you do clean-clean green! By using products that don't contain ingredients that are harmful to you or the environment, the cleaning may be a headache, but the products won't give you an actual headache…

DID YOU KNOW? Naptha, an ingredient in furniture and floor polishes

and found in some glass cleaners, can cause headaches, nausea, and central-nervous-system symptoms with overexposure?

Why Clean Green?

Even if you don't consider yourself an environmentalist, there are plenty of reasons to clean in an eco-friendly way:

It's better for you. Traditional cleaners contain chemicals that are associated with a range of long- and short-term health problems, including headaches, dizziness, difficulty breathing, and cancer. For more on how chemical pollutants commonly found in cleaning products are 2 to 5 times higher inside homes than in outdoor air, see The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality web page developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Consumer Product Safety Commission. And if you are curious about the contents of your cleaning products, Consumer Reports' 2011 Cleaners: Green Buying Guide has the dirt on common cleaning chemicals.

DID YOU KNOW? You can unclog a drain using vinegar, baking soda, and water? (See " The Good Human" for details.)

Much cheaper-and much, much better for you and the environment than commercial drain cleaners containing sulfuric acid and lye.

It's cheaper. While the cost differential might not make up for rising fuel prices, who doesn't like some extra green in their wallet? See 8 Green Cleaning Tips to Save Money & the Planet from mytwodollars.com for frugal cleaning solutions.

We've only got one planet. While NASA declares life forms have been found on Mars, we are planted on the third planet from the sun. A fairly easy way to be kind to the Earth is to only use cleaning products you could ingest without having to call 911. See How to Clean Your House without Hurting the Planet from Grist Magazine for more greencleaning information from the planet-protecting perspective.

If you are convinced (or even just curious), give greencleaning a try. From rust stains to clogged drains to scratched wood, there are environmentally friendly solutions for just about everything.

Earth-and-Ocean-Friendly Cleaners You Can Make

DID YOU KNOW? Phosphates (commonly found in dishwashing and laundry detergents) can get into rivers,

streams, and the ocean where they can cause the overgrowth of algae and aquatic weeds, which can kill off fish populations and other aquatic life? And when Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) (found in a wide range of cleaning products, detergents, and disinfectants) are released into the environment, the chemicals can break down in such a way that they threaten the reproductive capacity of fish, birds, and mammals.

• The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management's (CZM's) A Greener Cleaner web page includes recipes to clean everything from dull floors to dirty drains to toilet bowls.
• Non-Toxic Kids Make Your Own Green Cleaning Products has cleaning recipes and ideas for engaging kids in the cleaning process.
• Natural Home Magazine via Mother Earth News has this Simple Washing Powder recipe to make your own laundry detergent (scent optional) for way less than the store-purchased counterparts.
• Eartheasy's Non-Toxic Home Cleaning page has easy-to-use alternative cleaners and formulas for making your own cleaning products.
• Money Crashers details 11+ Uses for Vinegar You Need to Know About, including how to clean your microwave, disinfect cutting boards, and deodorize containers.
• The Modern Pet Blog's Earth-Friendly, Pet-Friendly Cleaning web page gives recipes using castile soap (a natural soap made from olive oil) for homemade solutions that are inexpensive and safe for your pets and the environment.
• Organized Home's online article, Pantry Cleaners: Recipes for Homemade Cleaning Products, covers cleaning with vinegar, baking soda, rubbing alcohol, and other products you probably already have in your pantry.

Kinder, Gentler Commercial Cleaners

• Consumer Reports' 2011 Cleaners: Green Buying Guide, which walks you through terms used on cleaning product labels and breaks down the health risks associated with ingredients commonly found in them.
• EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) web site, which lists the products recognized under the DfE Safer Product Labeling Program.
• Green Seal's Household Cleaners web page, which includes the products that they have certified as meeting "rigorous, science-based environmental leadership standards."

Coast-Friendly Boat Cleaning

Because boat cleaning is often done on or near coastal waters, environmentally harmful cleaning products can mean big water quality problems. Luckily, you can also clean your boat, inside and out, with natural ingredients. For specifics, see:

• The California Coastal Commission's Simple Household Alternatives to Boat Cleaning and Maintenance Products.
• CZM's Massachusetts Clean Marina Guide, particularly the Boater Fact Sheets.
• The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection's Action Guide for Boaters (PDF, 823 KB).