Tip Tuesday – Clean On The Cheap

Spring Cleanfest 2012

Guess what I’m doing (in spurts) this week and probably over the next few weeks too?  Yes ma’am, that time of year has rolled around again.  It’s time to start clearing out the winter yuck and freshening up my southern castle for the warm weather months.   Spring CleanFest 2012 has arrived!

 Don’t You Love It….NOT!

Honest show of hands.  Who likes to clean, especially spring clean?  Ahh!  I didn’t think so.  No, I’m not raising my hand either.  Honestly, there are many other things I would rather do.  But I know me well enough to know that I need it clean around here for my own sanity, for my family to stay healthy and for us to be able to really relax and enjoy our space and our work within that space.  I’ve learned and know that the deep floor to ceiling, nook and cranny cleaning throughout the house at least once a year makes it easier to keep the house clean in shorter amounts of time every other day of the year. 

Save Time & Money

With a busy schedule, little spare time available and the rising cost of everything, including traditional harsh chemical cleaning products, it can be difficult and expensive to keep a home clean.  Like most of you, I have (and want) to save time and money.  Over the years, I’ve found ways of cleaning and disinfecting easier, quicker, greener and much cheaper on my wallet.  

Introducing Tip Tuesday

As part of the new Tip Tuesday feature here at Neos Creations- A Luxuriously Handcrafted Blog, I’ll be sharing several of my Cheap Clean tips and recipes with you for a few weeks.  Hopefully, you’ll love ’em and find them helpful. I invite you to pass this article on to others who may love it too.

Your Cheap Clean Shopping List

You only need to keep some inexpensive (and BTW, non-toxic) items on hand to clean and disinfect your entire home.  They are very effective, green and will save you a bundle of money.  

1. White Vinegar (acts as a degreaser, deodorizer and anti-bacterial)
2. Baking Soda (mild abrasive & deodorizer)
3. Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol (disinfects & sanitizes, speeds drying time)
4. Distilled Water (doesn’t contain minerals that leave water marks like tap water)
5. Olive Oil (wood moisturizer & conditioner)
6. Effervescent Denture Cleansing Tablets OR Citric Acid (stain figher, ph adjuster & and dirt lifter – contact me to purchase citric acid if you are unable to get it)
7. Fels Naphtha Laundry Soap Bars – finely grated, stored in airtight container (removes dirt, grime, grease, fights stains & smells great)
8. Orange and/or Lemon Essential Oil (optional, can choose another favorite essential oil but I recommend these because they have grease and dirt cutting abilities)
9. Lemons (acidic, dirt lifter & degreaser, odor remover)
10. Cotton or flannel cloth diapers – standard, old fashioned style (soft & non-linty cloths that are durable, washable/reuseable)
11. Heavy Duty Sprayer Bottles (quart sized recommended)
12. Nylon Bath Puffs (gentle, washable scrubby that will not harbor bacteria or fungus)
13. Denture Toothbrush (for grout lines, nooks, crannies & detailed scrubbing)
14. Tub of inexpensive baby wipes (for swish & swipe quick clean convenience)

NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF – MY CHEAP CLEAN RECIPES

Yeah…fun!  I say that with tongue in cheek.  Anyways…..Here’s a few of my favorite cheap clean recipes for the kitchen and bathroom to start y’all off on your own Spring Cleanfest 2012.  

General Purpose Disinfecting Spray Cleanser

¼  cup white vinegar

¼  cup isopropyl alcohol

Distilled water

5-15 drops of orange or lemon essential oil (optional)

Pour vinegar, alcohol, and essential oil into sprayer bottle.  Fill with distilled water. Shake to mix well.  Use this spray for cleaning countertops, tub, shower and toilet exteriors, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, shower doors, appliance exteriors, inside your microwave, oven, refrigerator, light switches, telephones, door knobs and practically every hard, non-wood surface in the house.  I recommend the cloth diapers for this and using a dry diaper for buffing if desired.

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Sudsy Scouring Paste

1 cup baking soda

1 TBSP grated Fels Naphtha soap

6-8 TBSP isopropyl alcohol

Enough distilled water to create a paste the thickness of pancake batter

5-15 drops of orange or lemon essential oil (optional)

Mix ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup using an old spoon or wooden craft stick to stir until smooth.  Pour into a bottle with a cap if desired. Use this sudsy scouring paste to clean tubs, showers, bathroom tile and sinks throughout the house, glass stove tops, etc., pouring small amounts directly onto cloth diapers or onto a nylon bath puff for extra scrubbiness.  Rinse well and buff with clean, dry cloth diaper if desired.

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Foaming Toilet Bowl Cleaner

½ cup citric acid

1 cup baking soda

3 TBSP grated Fels Naphtha soap

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into toilet bowl water. This will fizz and foam up. Pour ½ cup of isopropyl alcohol into bowl for disinfecting.  Scrub inside bowl with a toilet brush, swirling the foamy solution on all the surfaces, even under the rim.  Allow to sit for 15-25 minutes.  Flush to rinse.

NOTE: You can also use denture cleansing tablets for cleaning toilets.  Add 2-5 tablets to a cup of warm water.  Allow to dissolve. Pour into toilet bowl.  Add ½ cup of isopropyl alcohol.  Scrub inside bowl with toilet brush as directed above. Allow to sit 20-30 minutes. Flush to rinse.

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Drain Cleaner/Freshener

1 cup baking soda

20-30 drops Essential oil (optional)

2 cups vinegar

Mix essential oil into baking soda.  Pour dry mixture down drains.  Pour vinegar down drain.  After foaming reaction stops, rinse with water.

TIP: Use this same cleaner to clean and freshen the inside of your dishwasher.  Pour double amount of baking soda with essential oil into powder reservoirs and on the dishwasher floor.  Pour double the vinegar into the bottom of the dishwasher over the soda.  After fizzing stops, run the washer through a full cycle on the hottest water setting.

BONUS TIP:  Use this same cleaner recipe, at 2x-3x the amounts, to clean the inside of your washing machine. Just fill the washer with hot water, add baking soda, vinegar and essential oil (optional). Allow it to soak for 30 minutes, wipe down surfaces that the water doesn’t reach with a cloth diaper that’s saturated with the water solution in the washer tub, then run washer through a heavy duty setting cycle.

This is a good start to your adventure in cleaning on the cheap.  Are you excited to try these and save some serious money? I’d love to hear from you when do.  

Happy Cleanfest, Y’all!

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