With all the research, nowadays, revealing that the air in our homes is about 200% more polluted than the air outside, people increasingly turned to more natural cleaning agents such as vinegar and baking soda. And it is a fact that many of the commercial cleaners nowadays are not only more expensive and cause pollution, but are actually damaging, and could even trigger asthma if someone is genetically predisposed.There are many benefits from cleaning with natural products only. Vinegar is so popular because it is cheap, efficient and perfectly safe to use at home. You, probably knew all that, so I won't waste your time. What you may not know is the variety of things that you could clean with vinegar.

You can use vinegar:

1. To clean the floors. Mix a few cups of vinegar in a bucket full of hot or lukewarm water and use it to clean your flooring.

2. Remove Stains. Vinegar works quite well with non-oily stains. Simply mix some vinegar with water and apply on the stain, than rub gently with a soft sponge and rinse with tower dipped in clean water. Let it dry.

3. Carpet cleaning solution. Vinegar is a very good carpet cleaner for a few reasons. As we established it is quite effective when it comes to stains, but that's not all to it. As vinegar is acidic it is quite good in eliminating dust mites, germs and bacteria. Often when you have a carpet and pets, or it is situated in a high traffic area, it could become dusty. So washing it with a solution made of vinegar and water would help eliminate the bad odors and all the mites.

4. Use it as a multi-purpose cleaner. Simply get a spraying bottle and fill with vinegar and water. Spray on your dining table, kitchen counters and other areas that you think need cleaning. Wipe with a damp cloth. Because of the acidic qualities of vinegar all the surfaces you use it on will be bacteria and germ-free.

5. Windows. Believe it or not a mix of white distilled vinegar and water doesn't leave marks and streaks on your windows. Instead it leaves them gleaming and really clean.

6. Drains. You could use vinegar to freshen up the drains and get rid of all the grease build-up. Simply pour a couple of small cups down the drain, which will eliminate the bad odours, the grease and other nasty stuff down the drain. You could the same with your garbage disposal/ Switch it on and while it is working pour down a cup of two. In addition, you could add a few pieces of cut in halves lemon.

7. Oven. In order to clean the oven properly you will need another ally in the face of baking soda. All you need to do is make a paste of baking soda and water, apply everywhere inside the oven equally and wait for a couple of hours. After that you spray vinegar, again, all over and if it starts fizzing then it is working.

8. Microwave. In a heat-resistant bowl make a mix of vinegar and water. Put inside the microwave and heat for 2 minutes. The fumes and vapours will soften the grease which you will only need to wipe with a damp cloth.

9. Mattress. vinegar will do wonders with your mattress. You can make a mix and apply it on an affected or stained surface of your mattress. Or you could wash your mattress covers in hot water and vinegar, which will kill the dust mites, which are known to be triggers of asthma.

Professional cleaners warn against the use of vinegar on some of the following spots at home. Careful, you don't want to damage these and make your landlord unhappy!

Vinegar is not to be used on:

1. Grease. Vinegar cannot do much when it comes to grease. So clean other stuff with vinegar, but when it comes to greasy frying pans and dishes, reach for the dish washing solution and leave the vinegar for the salad. Actually, if you want another green cleaning alternative for grease stains and build-ups you can get baking soda. Making a paste of baking soda and water will usually be enough to get rid of the annoying stain.

2. Waxed surfaces. Not only you should avoid using vinegar on such, but you must never do it, as it will damage the finishing. If you are looking to remove an old coat of wax use vinegar as much as you like, but if you just want to clean the surface go for something else.

3. Stone. Do not use on stone flooring, or other stone surfaces such as counters etc. Stone could corrode if you clean it with vinegar.

4. Sensitive screens. Never use vinegar on sensitive screens such as plasma screens and other lap top screens. They have special layers that could be damaged if you apply vinegar on their surface.

5. With bleach. Never use vinegar with bleach. It is acidic and when mixed with bleach it makes powerful weapon. No kidding. The fumes that your mix will release will resemble closely a gas used in World War I.