Every spring most people still honor the tradition of Spring Cleaning (for those of you down under its Fall Cleaning!) In most homes there are all those chores like scrubbing woodwork most of us (yes -- I know wash your woodwork more often Mom) do only s few times a year. Besides dreading the task, part of what slows the process is buying all the cleaning materials people feel they need to have. But you can Spring clean for less than ten dollars! In addition to dreading the job, I can’t be around many new fangled cleaning products as they give me migraine headaches. So besides being cheap the cleaning products I’ll describe are safer and more ecological!
Soft Scrubber
The cheapest scrubber for jobs that require grit is plain old baking soda –right put of the box. It provides mild grit -- and helps kill germs by being alkaline in ph. Just sprinkle it on hard jobs and rub away. It great for formica, sinks, tubs, and counter tops. It will get the tough spots off floors. And it won’t harm many surfaces unlike the smelly new chemical solvent cleaners.
Pan and Floor Scrubbers
The plastic net bags that onions and fruit come in make great pot and floor scrubbers for the hard baked on grease. They also help remove tough spots from laundry. Just use as is, or sew a strand of dental floss through them with big stitches and draw in to make the rounded type scrubby.
Floor Cleaners
The cheapest easiest floor cleaner is vinegar in water. The acid kills germs and the smell quickly evaporates. If you need a stronger cleaner you can put washing soda (from the laundry section) in a bucket and scrub the floors down. This has more dissolving power than plain vinegar and disinfects by being alkaline. Rinse with vinegar or lemon juice water to neutralize. I’ve never needed more than this and I have a dog with constantly muddy feet.
Window Cleaner
I’ve never needed anything but vinegar and water blotted off with old newpapers. Some people who have windows treated with silicon products might have to a add a squirt of dish detergent to the vinegar and water mix. Put in a spray bottle, spray and wipe the dirt away.
To get more cheap natural cleaning ideas check out:
The Eco-Cleaning Page
http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/home/175
Vinegar Page
http://www.versatilevinegar.org/
The Baking Soda Page
http://www.armhammer.com/
For more ideas Check out these Frugal Living Books!
Complete Tightwad Gazzette
The Complete Tightwad Gazzette
Declare Your Finanacial Independence
Declare Your Financial Independence
Complete Cheapskate
Mary Hunt's Complete Cheapskate
Miserly Moms
Miserly Moms
You Can Afford to Stay Home With your Kids
You can Afford to stay Home WIth your Kids
