Make all your own cleaners — to get started buy spray bottles and salvage washable rags from old clothes instead of paper towels. The website eco-me.com sells a basic kit and provides recipes, or get a biodegradable cleaning kit from Pleasanton-based Shaklee Company.
For countertops and floors combine 1⁄2 part white vinegar and 1 part water with a little peppermint oil in a spray bottle. Need to disinfect? Spray the area with distilled white vinegar and follow with 3% peroxide, then wipe off. Scrub grease with white vinegar mixed with salt, or combine baking soda with water for an abrasive cleaner. Simplest of all: undiluted club soda is a great glass cleaner.