If harsh chemicals aren't for you, here are some handy herbalhousekeeping hints, just in time for spring cleaning:

• Renew and polish wood furniture with a soft cloth moistened with a mixture of 3 tablespoons linseed oil, 3 tablespoons malt vinegar, and ½ teaspoon lavender oil.

• Chase moths by hanging herbal sachets in your closet. Fill sachets (or muslin bags) with equal parts rosemary or southernwood leaves and ground pyrethrum flowers. A fragrant alternative: 1 cup lavender flowers, 1 cup southernwood, ½ cup rosemary, ½ cup pennyroyal, 1½ tablespoons powdered cloves.

• To freshen the house, place a few drops of bergamot or orange oil in a simmer pot

• Mice don't like mint, so stems of the herb (or drops of mint oil on a cottonball) will send them packing. Bay leaves banish weevils from flour, cornmeal, and stored grains.

• Full-strength vinegar, mixed with a few drops of lemon essential oil, removes mildew from bathroom fixtures and shower curtains.