By Justin Spring: Excerpted from the Itty Bitty Kitchen Handbook. While strong commerical solvents are useful in fighting grime, they can also have toxic effects - sometimes even inspiring dizziness, nausea, and skin rashes in the people who use them in very small spaces. The good news is, you don't always have to use them: A gentler cleaner can often keep your kitchen equally fresh and happy.
Alternate cleaning products are becoming justifiably popular (the best known commercial brands are Earth Friendly Products; Naturally Yours; Caldrea Home Care; and Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day. But if you'd like to be thrifty as well as gentle, you can make your own homemade cleaning compounds as follows:
Cleaning refrigerator and freezer interiors: Use hot water with some regular dish soap (see above links). For added freshness, add 4 tablespoons baking soda or 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach per quart of water.
Cleaning a regular oven: If your oven receives only light use, cleanings can be done with gentler cleaning formulas than those that are commercially available. Wet the interior surface and sprinkle baking soda to form a paste. Rub gently with fine steel wool, then wipe off the scum with a damp cloth or sponge. Repeat if necessary. (Do not attempt this with self-cleaning or non-stick ovens.)
Cleaning and deodorizing a drain: Pour 1 cup baking soda into your drain. Slowly drip warm water into the drain.
Cleaning out a slow drain: Pour 1 cup baking soda into your drain. Slowly pour 1 cup vinegar after it (it will fizz); cover the drain and let it stand for 5 minutes, then follow with 1 gallon of boiling water.
Cleaner for windows and mirrors: Mix 4 parts water, 4 parts rubbing alcohol, and 1 part ammonia. Clean as you would with a commercial window cleaner.
Strong all-purpose countertop cleaner: Two cups of warm water with 1 tablespoon liquid laundry detergent (see above links) and 1 tablespoon ammonia.
Scouring powder for pots, stovetops, countertops, and inside refrigerators and freezers: A simple paste of baking soda and water makes the gentlest possible scouring agent.