When it comes to cleaning, the goal is CLEAN. When I am walking through the aisle with all those products I am often enticed thinking that I need all of those products, but when it comes down to it is it really going to make me clean faster, deeper, or more efficiently? I want clean and I want it now!
Today's Saturday Savings Focus Is: Cleaning
1. Don't throw out those ragged towels, socks or t-shirts! Cut them up and use them for your cleaning. Those make great dusting, windexing or car washing rags.
2. Opening your windows every once in a while to get some fresh air in your house is a good first step towards a fresh smell instead of spraying chemicals. Putting a put on to boil with some vanilla or orange peels or cinnamon sticks will make things be even better.
3. Make it a habit for everyone in the family to deposit your shoes at the back door when you arrive home. Wear slippers, socks or go barefoot to cut down on the amount of dirt that is tracked through your house.
4. When shopping for your cleaning supplies, forget the grocery store or BIG stores... head straight for the dollar store.
5. Clean up messes as they are made so stains won't set in.
6. Don't run the dishwasher unless it is absolutely full.
7. Wash the bigger pots and pan by hand to avoid "wasted space" and therefore washted water in your dishwasher.
8. Cleaning Products:
a. Alcohol - Cleans candles and the telephone
b. Carpet freshener - Combine 3/4 cup baking soda, 2 tbsp corn starch, and 1/4 cup perfumed talcum powder. Sprinkle on dry carpet, let stand 5 to 15 minutes, then vacuum.
c. Erasers will remove black heel marks on floors.
d. Furniture polish - Mix in a sprayer bottle: 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup lemon juice
Shake well and apply a small amount to a flannel cleaning rag or cleaning cloth. Spread evenly over furniture surface. Turn cloth to a dry side and polish dry.
e. Glass Cleaner - Mix in a sprayer bottle: 1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol, 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon white vinegar
f. For floors, add 1 cup vinegar to 1 gallon hot water and mop away!
9. To keep the corners of your windowsills free of dust and moisture, rub a white candle into each corner of the sill.
10. If you keep your silver jewelry in a zip lock or air tight container, it will keep it from oxidizing.
11. Switch to store brands instead of expensive name brands.
12. Buy a few lightbulbs at a time until you have switch them out to fluorescent. Fluorescents run 10 times longer and use 2/3 less energy.
13. Invest in entrance mats to cut down on dirt that is tracked into your house.
14. Putting orange or lemon peels along with a little baking soda down the garbage disposal leaves a fresh scent in your drain.
15. Set your dishwasher to run at night while you are sleeping when the electricity rates are lower.
10 comments:
Good tips--now, how do I get motivated to actually get off my duff and clean? BTW, don't forget my Silly Sunday Sweepstakes tomorrow--I've got a pretty funny snap this week!
Fantastic tips. I've thumbed you up on Stumbleupon.
Another tip to add: you can make your own powdered laundry detergent with very little work, at a savings of 80-90%. 2 parts grated soap to 1 part each borax and washing soda (also sold as soda ash or, in the pool section, PH+.) Use about 2 Tbsp per load.
Great info. Now, can you fly to Philly and clean my house? :)
Simple solutions are always the best. Thanks for the information. :)
Love the post. I do the same thing with the cleaning products, looking for the one thing that'll make it all easier to clean and keep it clean longer. These are great tips, some I knew but most I didn't. My line in the sand though? The using old socks for cleaning. Call me neurotic but I know they've at some point in their lives been on my kids' stinky feet! ;-)
Melissa - If you find the recipe for motivation I would like that too!
Christina - I am allergic to soap so that is one thing I don't usually experiment with.
Wyatt - Have you seen the price of a plane ticket?
RT - You are very welcome!
Willow - Hubby says socks do great for washing the car and the tires!
Good tips D! I'm going to use some of them :-) Of course, since I'm a guy, I 'know' I'll never get it clean enough...LOL
Amen on No. 4 ... cleaning supplies are always cheaper at the dollar store.
I have rugs but the floor is too slippery...they move!
Great tips AGAIN. I'm still remembering to shake out my clothes before putting them in the dryer. Love the boiling water with vanilla idea. I'm doing that tomorrow morning before we have people come over.
I have my dishwasher and clothes dryer run during the evenings. Thankfully we sleep at the other end of the house so it doesn't bother us.
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