Frugal Living: Cleaners

I have found that the basic ingredients in my favorite cleaners are basically ammonia, an acid, and a form of baking soda.

If you look at cleaners the way you would cooking and wanting to make something from scratch, that's what you have to also do with cleaners.

So what I've done is stick to those three ingredients of ammonia, vinegar (or lemon juice) and baking soda. All three of those can be bought in gallon sizes for under a dollar! Well, not lemon juice, of course, but vinegar certainly can! And you can get ammonia lemon-scented now!

I was thinking of trying to add some essential oil to my spray bottle of ammonia to see if that would add a pleasant scent. Anyone try that yet?

Really, though, aside from the basic really yucky smell of ammonia (and sometimes the burning), ammonia is the absolute best cleaner I have found for the kitchen! I have virtually found nothing that cuts the grease like it can. I have a little spray bottle that I dedicate to my ammonia and then spray and wipe away!

As for vinegar... well, I think vinegar is one of those "miracle" liquids! It disinfects as it cleans, can be drunk for a number of ailments, and makes the house smell FRESH (not perfumey, which I hate). It will also take the green out of blonde hair from cholorinated swimming pools, soften your hair, and (for me) gets rid of whatever allergens are bothering me at the moment! Oh, and don't forget the laundry -- it's a great additive for not only cleaning, but disinfecting and softening your clothes!

A miracle, I say!

I use a large spray bottle for my vinegar for wiping off counters, the bathroom, door knobs, spraying down the shower (kills mildew!), etc. Although I'm not a window washer, I hear that vinegar with newspapers cleans glass better than Windex! Windex is basically alcohol, by the way. So alcohol could be another one to add to your list of cleaners. I use alcohol to clean my computer -- keyboard, mouse, monitor and mirrors.

For your drains, use some vinegar and baking soda. Cleans them up and makes them smell fresh! Baking soda made with a paste of vinegar is also a pretty good cleanser for your sinks, too -- without the abrasiveness like the commercial cleansers.

So basically buying cleaners off the shelf is like buying a TV dinner or a prepackaged meal already made up. Buy the ingredients!