Green clean your refrigerator’s exterior

Commercial surface cleaners can run upwards of $10 a bottle, especially those designed specifically for stainless steel appliances. Commercially sold green cleaners are no cheaper. Try this solution instead: Add a few drops of a natural dishwashing liquid such as Mrs. Meyer’s ($4.50 for 16 ounces) or Method ($4 for 25 ounces) to warm water. Use the solution to wipe away refrigerator fingerprints, remembering to follow the steel’s natural grain.

Green clean your refrigerator’s inside

To green clean the interior of your refrigerator, whip up a batch of non-toxic solution by combining equal parts vinegar and tap water. To boost the solution’s cleaning power, warm it in a glass bowl in the microwave. At $4 for a 64-ounce jug of food-grade vinegar, you can mix up big batches for just pennies. In contrast, commercial green cleaner like Seventh Generation sells for about $5.

Keep the inside smelling fresh

You can’t top good old baking soda, aka sodium bicarbonate, for absorbing nasty food odors. The naturally occurring substance in baking soda neutralizes the odor-causing acids in the air, rather than simply mask them. At about a buck a box, it’s tough to beat. Save money by buying the baking soda in bulk. You should plan on swapping out the box every three months.