For years, I bought every new product for keeping the house clean, sweet smelling and sanitary. Every now and then, while checking out the latest Family Circle or Woman’s Day magazine, I ran across an article for homemade cleaning items and immediately dismissed them as something to fill a page.
Retirement brought more time for everything, including testing those DIY cleaners. Imagine my surprise when I discovered three items, if kept in stock, provided all I needed to have a sparkling home that smelled cleaner than clean! I also discovered I could afford buying huge quantities of these items instead of expensive small quantities of name brand cleaners, cleaners that might or might not do the job I needed.
For instance, if I bought the bathroom cleaner, the kitchen cleaner, the window cleaner, clothes cleaner, dish cleaner, floor cleaner, etc., the cost of the average 24 to 32 ounce bottle ran from a low of $2.50 to a high of $5.99. Since I managed to purchase at least two a month, too much of my grocery budget went to non-food items. However, if I bought from the big box stores, my three clean-it-all products ran $6.59 for a 13.5 pound box of baking soda, $3.98 for two 1-gallon jugs of vinegar and $10.99 for 75 ounces of borax. What one wouldn’t do, either a combination or one of the others would and they lasted much longer than the smaller bottles. For a total of less than twenty-one dollars for a year, I received better results than if I spent approximately $8.00 a month on name brands.
The magic items, vinegar, baking soda and borax, handle just about any household problem with ease in mixing and ease in the pocketbook.
One lovely woman, Heloise, wrote books about all of these products. I highly recommend spending a couple of dollars and getting them. They are worth their weight in gold!
For instance, to make a dandy spray spot remover, fill a spray bottle, found at just about any low cost store, with five parts water to 1 part vinegar. Take a second bottle and fill with 1 part non-sudsy ammonia and five parts water. (Ammonia is another giant in the cleaning business.)
Use the vinegar solution to saturate the stain. Wait a few minutes, blot thoroughly with a dry cloth. Repeat the process with the ammonia solution. Repeat until the stain is gone.
Ever thought about using vinegar to clean your fireplace? Neither had I. One cup of vinegar in a gallon of water with a clean cloth dipped in the solution, squeezed out and wiped over the bricks makes the brick look new!
I own a white leather sofa and love seat. With a newly acquired dog that makes one arm its throne, I soon discovered keeping white leather clean is a daunting process. Then I ran across a recipe of equal parts vinegar and boiled linseed oil. After shaking it and spraying it on the sofa, it not only removes grunge, but also brings back the original luster of the leather once the excess is removed.
A common product used with vinegar is baking soda. It is great for cooking and takes a backseat to no toothpaste when used regularly. That, however, is nothing compared to the job it does relaxing burned on foods from the bottom of a pan. Simply put a quarter cup of baking soda into about an inch of water in the pan. Let it boil until the burned food releases. That beats scrubbing pans and destroying my new manicure any day.
Are bad smells coming from your sink? Have no fear, baking soda and vinegar are here. Using a funnel, pour about ½ cup of baking soda down the drain. Add one cup of vinegar. It will bubble like a witch’s cauldron. When the bubbling dies down, flush with hot tap water. Wait a few minutes and flush with cold water. All of those nasty smelling bacteria will disappear along with the foul smell.
Baking soda and a stiff brush cleans the outdoor grill. Once it is clean, rinse. Do not forget your laundry. A cup of baking soda cleans and makes clothing and linens smell fresh, almost as though they dried on outdoor lines.
Grease fire? No problem if you have baking soda handy. Rugs where your fur babies have been resting need only to have baking soda sprinkled over them. Let it set from 15-30 minutes before vacuuming. No more pet odor. Try the same with pet beds and add a healthy quantity to kitty’s litter box to keep the smell down.
The third item, borax, is equally versatile. Use it in craft projects or to clean the house. Check out the Borax website for ideas on preserving flowers, creating candles with borax or making crystalline formations as decorations for your home.
When it comes to cleaning, borax is even safe to use on baby clothes to remove stains and odors.
With a brother who gardens and is constantly fighting ants, I found this tip online to rid him of the pests. Make ant bait traps with borax, a little sugar and enough water to make a paste. Spread on plastic lids and place around the garden; scout ants eat the mixture and take it back to the colony and the queen. A slow acting mixture, it gives the scouts time to poison the entire colony before they die. The mixture entices the ants to leave the garden alone and work on the sweet paste instead of the vegetables.
There are hundreds more uses for these products and not enough space to print them here. Its worthwhile checking sites online to get the full scope of their handiness around the house.