Being rather sensitive to the strong chemical smells of most cleaners, and concerned about polluting the environment, not to mention my kids, I set out to find a healthy way to clean the house that didn't involve spending huge amounts of money on "green" cleaners.  After using it for a few years now, I can say without a doubt that vinegar is the greatest cleaner ever.  Not only does it get my toilets, coffee tables and floors clean, I never have to worry that my kids will die from drinking it and if I have extra, I can sprinkle it on a salad!

Vinegar is easy to use.  We keep a spray bottle of diluted vinegar handy to spot clean everywhere.  I dust my living room and then clean my bathrooms with a bucket of vinegar water and two rags - one wet and one dry.  Everything gets completely clean and once it dries, there is no vinegar smell to assault the senses.  Traditional chemical cleaners can't boast as much.For toilets, a sprinkling of baking soda followed by a dollop of vinegar works excellently to keep the bowl shiny.  Just scrub with a toilet brush and you're good to go.

In the kitchen, vinegar is a miracle worker at removing lime scale and mineral deposits.  We soak the coffee maker head, shower head and any other small pieces in a straight solution of vinegar.  You can run it through your coffee maker to clean it, and never have to worry about a toxic chemical residue being left behind.

Now that I have been using vinegar, which, by the way, costs about $4 a bottle, I don't think I could ever go back to the expensive, toxic, stinky chemical cleaners.