Hey frugal folks!! Welcome back!!
True story. I loved that low-priced and effective product,
AWESOME!! I even blogged about my love for its cleaning strength and ability to
remove the toughest spots. Plus, it was cheap, so it was “Frugalicious Diva”
approved. However, I had to end the relationship because it tried to kill me
and it DID kill some of our clothing.
My daughter cleans the bathroom and though she’s a little
heavy handed, AWESOME was choking me!! I was on the main floor and she was in
the second floor bathroom. I won’t even mention what it did to our
unmentionables. Stained clothing got clean, but the fabric was weakened and
finally tore apart. That is too harsh!! I made it a vow to transform all
household products to natural ones. We’re not completely there yet, but we have
changed some habits drastically.
Did you just spray the last of your favorite household
cleaner? Well, instead of going out to get another bottle (especially if you
don’t have a coupon), make your own recipe. You don’t have to be a chemist,
just someone who wants to have a clean house without all the harsh chemicals.
Belles, it’s time to Do It Yourself!!
Easy Cleaning Areas
With all the surfaces around the house, I did a lot of
research to find what works best for each. Here are the easiest surfaces I
clean in the house:
·
Glass surfaces,
including mirrors
·
Kitchen countertops
·
Microwaves
·
Furniture that
requires light dusting.
My favorite staples for easy cleaning areas: lemon,
vinegar, water, olive oil and newspaper.
Reuse old bottles, rinse thoroughly and mix up one part
white vinegar to three parts water and use as a glass cleaner. Instead of paper
towels to wipe the glass, use newspaper. It keeps the glass from streaking.
When the paper dries, simply toss it in the recycling. This same bottle can be used
to clean off countertops and anything needing a good cleaning. Vinegar may have
an unpleasant smell, but it deodorizes the surfaces it touches. If the smell
really bothers you, add 10-15 drops of your favorite essential oil to your mix.
I always use lavender; it’s calming.
Need an easier way to clean your messy microwave? Cut a
lemon in half and fill up a microwavable bowl with water. Place the water and
lemon inside for about 30-40 seconds. When it’s done, get a sponge and simply
wipe away the grime. The acidic nature of the lemon interacts with the steam
and makes the dirt easy to wipe clean. Also, if you have a garbage disposal, toss
your old or used lemons in. They helpsharpen the blades and freshen the
disposal!!
Furniture polish is easy too, by adding all of the
ingredients in my list together and Voila; your own duster and polisher. If you
like fragrance, add a few squeezes of an orange to your mix and it’s your very
own Murphy’s oil and Orange Glo!!
Medium Cleaning Areas
These are surfaces that will take a little more effort than
a wipe down, but not too bad to clean, especially if you stay on top of it
regularly:
·
Sink surfaces and
drains
·
Stove surfaces
·
Kitchen floors
Tools for these areas: Vinegar,
baking soda, dish soap, isopropyl alcohol
Sink surfaces just need a bit of warmed up vinegar and dish
soap and they are disinfected, clean and shining like they are brand new.
Since everyone doesn’t have a Swiffer for the kitchen and
wood floors, we can still make the work easy on ourselves. Get the same recipe
as the glass cleaner (water and vinegar), add a little dish soap (for the suds)
and rubbing alcohol and you have your own floor cleaner. If you do have a
Swiffer, you can use this solution with it and skip the expensive refills. The
great thing about this recipe is you can use it on your kitchen tile floor
too!!
Wow, I have been chatting on and on, so much so that we’ve
run out of time today!! Looks like you’ll have to stay tuned for tips on the
most difficult cleaning areas. I’ll give you a hint though…you’ve already been
given most of the products used to make your own cleaners, but will add more
next time.
Thanks for being here and feel free to share your DIY
cleaning secrets with us in the comments below!! Enjoy your week!! Make it a
frugaliciously clean one!!
Frugalicious Diva
Follow me on Twitter at @FrugaliciousDva
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