It was a long, cold winter in Knoxville and I know I’m glad spring is finally here. It’s time to go fishing! But first, grudgingly, it’s time to give the house a good spring cleaning. Doors and windows have been closed for four or five months, leading to a collection of dust blowing through heat filters into the air we breathe. And if you’re like me and have dogs, the dust and pet dander make the household air even worse.

Instead of heading to the local big box store to buy some not-so-good for us, toxic cleaning solutions, consider using something that is not harmful to breathe or harmful to the environment. Here are a few ideas:

• Put the peels of three or four oranges in a sealable container and fill the remainder of the container with white vinegar. Let this solution sit for about a week. After that time, you can fill a spray bottle with the solution or simply pour it out of the container to use to clean everything from bathtubs to toilets to sinks.
• To create a solution that will cut through grease or grime, sprinkle some baking soda on the surface and then saturate with white vinegar. This will cause the baking soda to fizz which loosens the dirt.
• Combining vinegar and lemon also creates an effective, natural cleaning solution.
• To keep furniture or wood floors clean, use a solution of 1 gallon of hot water, ¾ cup of olive oil and one tablespoon of lemon essential oil.
• If you don’t have the time to mix your own solutions you can use Simple Green. Simple Green produces a line of environmentally friendly cleaning solutions that are very effective.