What in the world can I clean with?

I asked this question myself at one point and time and went on a research quest to find what kind of cleaning products I could use in my home that wouldn't be toxic to my family and the environment.  There are a lot of really great products out there that are non-toxic, but most of them come with a hefty price tag.  Being the cheapo I am, I decided that I wanted to try and make these products myself.  I found out it's amazingly simple and cheap.

I use vinegar and baking soda for nearly all of my cleaning needs.  I will break this down in to areas of the house to make it more simple.

Kitchen:  I clean my counters with diluted(about half and half) white vinegar and water.  If you want to get fancy with it, one of my genius friends(thanks to Lisa Preston) told me that you can soak orange peels in it for added potency and smell.  You could also add some essential oils in there for smell and their many other cleaning benefits, depending on the oil that you are using.  For my sinks I sprinkle baking soda all over the inside of the sink and then spray the sink with my vinegar solution I just mentioned.  It's bubbles up real nice and then I use my brush to scrub the sink, rinse and voila!  Dish washing detergent....don't ask me about this one.  I've made my own, but the recipes I have tried suck.  I'm at a loss.  Any ideas, throw em' my way!
Here is a recipe I found for an oven cleaner that I want to try out:
1 cup or more baking soda
Water
A squirt or two of liquid detergent

Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn’t work for you it is probably because you didn’t use enough baking soda and/or water.

Bathroom:  I clean the sink, tub and toilet the same way as I clean my sink.  Throw in some baking soda, add the vinegar and scrub.  Comes out great if you ask me.  I do cheat and have Clorox wipes(they are bad, I know) to clean up the rim of the toilet in between scrubs because I have a little boy and sometimes you just need a quick wipe if ya know what I mean...  You could easily use vinegar to clean the rim, but I am lazy at this season in my life.

Living areas:  To deodorize any carpet or couches, I sprinkle baking soda on them, let it sit and then vacuum it up.  I use vinegar, water and essential oil of my choice to mop the floors.  I use a reusable towel thing to dust with.  I don't have any furniture that I polish.  If you do, there are some great recipes online.  Here is one I found:

1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax)
1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice
Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.

And for your windows, this is a good recipe:
1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

And then there's laundry.  I have made several attempts at making my own laundry soap and those recipes have worked out just fine.  Do a simple google search and you will find a recipe.  I recently found a great deal on an all natural powder detergent that I can buy cheaper than what I can make it for.  It all depends on what fits your needs.  Beware, however of the recipe that you will find most often on the Internet that includes fels naptha soap.  I used to make this until I looked in to fels naptha a little more and found out it's a pretty nasty soap.  You can use any other type of castile bar soap instead of it.  It's so much cheaper to make your own and you can with only a few ingredients, typically including bar soap, baking soda and washing soda.

There are a ton of recipes online.  If you haven't already, I suggest you look up recipes that work for you.  Or you can buy the expensive stuff.  Don't forget to read the labels, because you could easily be tricked in to buying something that claims it's healthy and it's really not.  Trust your source.

Throw out the bleach and other toxic chemicals.  They suck and are totally unnecessary.

Well, have fun cleaning the house.