House Cleaning with Pantry Ingredients

Spring cleaning can get expensive, and you don't want to expose your family to chemical cleaners.

But, you can make a lot of progress with water and elbow grease. You can work miracles with vinegar, baking soda and salt.

Vinegar is great as a laundry fabric softener. It can also clean your toilet. Straight vinegar works well on calcium deposits, mildew, metal polishing and stinky drains. It also works well on pet stains on carpet. You can make your own spray cleaner with two cups of water and two tablespoons of vinegar, adding a drop or two of essential oils for scent.

Baking soda works on porcelain and iron without damaging the surfaces. You can use baking soda on cooking residue on your stove, pots and pans. You can sprinkle it on your carpet as a room deodorizer, vacuuming it after 15 minutes. Mix it with warm water and mop to brighten your floors.

Salt can be combined with water to absorb grease from less delicate cookware. Salt and hot water down the drains can prevent grease build-up. It's also great on wine stains. Blot up the wine, sprinkle salt on the fresh spot to absorb the color, then wash as usual. You can create a household scrub with 1/4 cup salt, 1/2 cup baking soda and enough orange oil to make a paste.

Listen in as Dr. Holly Lucille joins host Melanie Cole to explain how you can clean with these simple pantry ingredients.