Cleaning on a budget

I had a nice request from a reader who wanted more information on cleaning supplies that can be made at a lower cost than store bought items. There are many different recipes that I use around the house but here are a few you might find useful.

Windows- I use a recycled spray bottle and fill with equal parts white vinegar and water. I normally use either newspaper of a cotton cloth to clean. No need to waste paper towels for this job.

General Cleaning- You can mix 2 tbsp ammonia, a shot of dish liquid, and water. I put mine in a larger spray bottle.

Tile- I mix baking soda and bleach to make a paste and scrub with a toothbrush.

Toilets-The best toilet cleaner I have found is also the most inexpensive. It is called The Works. I can get it on sale at my local Wal-Mart for around a dollar. I know it store bought but it's the best I've found, especially for hard water and iron stains.

A stinky room- After you have removed the problem causing the stink, take a cotton ball and go into your kitchen cabinet and find what ever extract you have and put it on the cotton ball. Then go put the cotton ball in a spot where it can't be seen. Instant room refresher!

If you love Febreeze, which I do, save yourself some money and buy a large bottle of off brand fabric softener. Take the Febreeze bottle, add equal parts fabric softener and water. No one will be the wiser.

Shower- I clean the glass door with vinegar and throw the liner in the washer with 3/4 cup of bleach. The bleach gets rid of the mildew. Before you do this though always have a new one ready because sometimes they don't make it through the wash. I can normally wash mine around 5 times before it rips.

Blinds- I hang in the shower and give a good wash. Let drip dry and hang back in the window.

Floors- I use vinegar, dish soap, and water.

That's all I can think of at the moment but I'll add more to the list later when my brain is in better working order.

Working Together

I have posted before about my belief in gardening. My family lives very close so we basically do community gardening. We have one large garden that everyone works. Yesterday afternoon, we worked on corn. We have rows and rows of corn so my Dad and my brother went and picked it. Then we all shucked and silked it. Then my Mom and I cooked and froze lots on the cob and we cut of and made creamed corn out of the rest. We only picked three rows and we had about thirty bags (with 6-8 ears in each bag) of corn on the cob and about twenty quart bags of creamed corn. There are still about 6 rows that need picked.

I know that sounds like a ton of corn but we have several freezers and with three households it will go faster than you would expect. So far our tomatoes aren't doing that great but we have canned about twenty quarts of tomato juice. Great for soups and sauces!

I wonder how much $ we saved? But it's more than money. we all worked together. It's like family therapy! And believe my family could use a little of that.