Frugal Cleaners From Your Kitchen Pantry
Frugal cleaners from your kitchen pantry Can I ask you something? If you had to guess, how much do you think you have spent this month on cleaners and detergents? My guess is that you have spent at least $20. If you mulitply that by 12 months, it's easy to see that cleaning products is quite a profitable industry. Not only are you spending quite a bit of money, you are also contributing to our ever-growing pollution problems. What if I could show you some very simple to make frugal cleaners that do the job just as well, are environmentally friendly and cost a fraction of what commercial cleaners cost? Let's Start With Vinegar A little vinegar solution can clean anything from glass and mirror surfaces to kitchen and bathroom counters. Dillute it by adding about one third of cup of vinegar to an emtpy (and clean) spray bottle. Fill the bottle the rest of the way with tap water and get ready to clean. For a better smell, add a splash of your favorite essential oil. Get a sponge or a clean rag and whipe your counters or other surface off. The vinegar solution should take away any grime and spots. Newspaper pages work well for cleaning glass surfaces. You can also replace your fabric softener with vinegar. Just add a ¼ of a cup during the rinse cycle. As an added bonus, you won’t need to use dryer sheets either. Cleaning With Baking Soda Clean your kitchen sink, counters and even the bathtub with baking soda instead of fancy scrubbing powders and such. Just sprinkle on plenty of the powder and add just enough water or vinegar (for bad stains and grime) to make a paste. Scrub away and watch how the grime comes off and your sinks, counters and tubs start to sparkle. Baking soda is also an excellent deodorizer. Start by dusting your carpet and couch with baking soda. Wait a little while, then use your vacuum to remove the soda and the odor with it. Keep an open box of baking soda in the fridge to keep odors at bay. I also like to sprinkle a bit in the bottom of my trash can. Cleaning With Salt Salt is perfect for cleaning copper and brass. Make a paste from salt and vinegar, add it to the item to clean and scrub away. My pots have never looked better. Instead of using those nasty oven cleaners, just heat up the stove, sprinkle some salt on the area in question, close the door and turn the oven off. Wait until everything is cooled down, then simply scrape it off with an old spatula. The grime and spilled food will come right up with the salt. Don't forget about salt when you spill your drink on the carpet either. Sprinkle plenty of it on the spot right away. The salt will soak up most of what you have spilled making cleanup and stain removal down the road easier. By Susanne Myers Last but not least, let me share the one thing that will save you the most. It is this simple homemade laundry detergent recipe: http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/homemade-laundry-detergent.htm You can save hundreds of dollars each year with this frugal version. And yes, it will get your clothes just as clean.
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