If you take stock of your cleaning supply inventory, you will probably find lots of products that contain lots of different chemicals.

Some folks are turning to products to make their cleaning “green.”

At a natural food market in Wausau there are several options for people wanting laundry detergent and other cleaning products without some of the harsh chemicals found in the mainstream market.

While some might be hesitant to use these items, Betty-Ann Peters, the owner of Back to Eden, says "I've had things like spots on my clothes and I thought ‘I'll use this spot remover.’ I was actually thinking it probably wasn’t going to work because I've used other spot removers on the market and they haven't worked -- and sure enough, it took it right out."

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, to make house cleaning even cleaner and greener you should avoid harmful chemicals like:

Petroleum found in many detergents. It contributes to air and water pollution.
Phosphates and EDTA also found in many detergents. It encourages algae growth in waterways and can deprive marine life of oxygen.
Phthalates used in many cleaning products to prolong the scent. It has been linked to cancer and reproductive diseases in laboratory animals.
Chlorine Bleach, a popular whitener and disinfectant. It can hurt the environment by forming chlorine-carbon compounds that damage the ozone layer.

When looking for greener alternatives, you might notice they cost a little bit more, but Peters says they might actually last you longer. “What you need to look at too, a lot of times our stuff is concentrated,” adds Peters. “It just depends on what you’re buying and how you’re using it. You don’t always have to use as much.”

If you are thinking about switching to environmentally friendly cleaning products, you should look for the following things:

Citrates and plant-based oils. They can be used a degreasers, disinfectants and polishes.
Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Bi-carbonate, Sodium Citrate and Sodium Silicate. They work like phosphates to soften the water.
Enzymes work as natural drain openers.
Non-chlorine bleaches that use oxygen to whiten you clothing.

You can also make you own cleaning products at home. For example, making a paste out of baking soda and water is good for scouring, and white vinegar will kill bacteria, mold and viruses and can also be used as a window cleaner.