Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Hilary Homer on September 11, 2009 at 2:54pm

Here's my arsenal:

Distilled white vinegar. Yes, the smell is strong, but it soon fades when the vinegar evaporates. It should be diluted with water--a good ratio is 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water. Vinegar's forte is dissolving anything greasy or waxy, and it's particularly good on windows and mirrors. Plastic, vinyl, melamine, and washable painted finishes can also be made squeaky clean with vinegar. Do NOT use it on natural stone (especially marble) because it will etch the surface. Same for concrete and porcelain. I have used it to clean my wood floors and it works very well, but it's important not to use too much of the solution because the wood fibers will swell if doused with water.

Chlorine bleach. When you're more worried about germs than dirt, this is the stuff. It absolutely must be diluted according to the instructions on the bottle. You can use it to wipe down most kitchen and bathroom surfaces for a quick disinfecting that doesn't involve antibacterial chemical assault. Patio furniture, cat litter boxes, and diaper pails are also great places to employ bleach.

Ammonia. Surfaces that do not tolerate bleach can sometimes handle ammonia. It's another good disinfectant. NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES USE BLEACH AND AMMONIA TOGETHER. They react to produce chlorine gas and you could die.

Borax. This is the stuff for cleaning your stainless steel sinks, your porcelain bath fixtures, or any other nonporous surface that needs scrubbed but not scratched. There are a million other uses for it too, according to the box. Knock yourself out.

Baking soda. The great odor killer, this works magic on drapes, upholstery, and carpets. Sprinkle it on, let it sit for 15 minutes, then vacuum it up. Very good for cleaning up puke--it absorbs the liquid, neutralizes the acid, you get the picture. Like borax, it has a huge number of other fascinating uses as well.

Ivory dishwashing liquid. Sometimes what you need is plain soapy warm water. Ivory is a pretty bare-bones liquid detergent compared to most other brands, it has no offensive "fragrance," and it's inexpensive.

Microfiber dustcloths. Use one for dusting and you won't need Pledge or any other dust wipey stuff.

Doby "Chore Boy" Scrubbing Pads. They're like sponges surrounded by this coarse nylon netting and scrub very well without leaving little bits of themselves behind.

Rubber "hair eraser". They sell these in pet stores. They look like blocks of pound cake but they're some kind of foam rubber, and they work like an eraser on surfaces covered with pet fur. Usually they are the ONLY thing that can clean up after my sheddy cat.

Clorox Easy Wipes. Because I'm too lazy to clean up small messes properly. If I spill something or track something in or smudge something, or if my cats spit up hairballs, it's Easy Wipe time.

Permalink Reply by Anthony Fasolo on September 11, 2009 at 3:18pm

Hi Hilary!

You are absolutely right about this! It's easy to spend hundreds of dollars a year on cleaning products that are meant for this or for that. I've come to realize that most of it is gimicks and marketing to get us to spend needlessly for stuff that is not often healthy to have about that house any way.

I am a distilled white vinegar convert as well! I use it for most household cleaning. I pour a spray bottle almost full, drop a few drops of Murphy's Oil soap or even plain dish soap in it and use it to clean just about everything. It doesn't streak and the vinegar is a disinfectant that even deters ants! Sometimes, I add a little lavender essential oil, because I really like it.

Also, distilled white vinegar is a terrific substitute for liquid fabric softener as well! I use about a 1/4 in my fabric softener dispenser and my clothes come out just as soft, but without all the grunge that builds up on the fabric with repeated use of commercial softeners. If you do use it, you will find that you have to use it a few times before the commercial fabric softener grunge completely washes out.

I also discovered that you can use it in place of the Wet/Dry streak preventing liquid in my dishwasher. I've heard this works best with more current dish washers (ours is just a year old). I swear it works better than the Wet/Dry. I even went back to use the Wet/Dry a month ago just to compare and found that I prefer the vinegar. I have flow adjuster on the dispenser in my dishwasher and cranked it to allow maximum flow during the the rinse cycle. I have to refill it more often, but at pennies a refill it's wonderful!

The great part is that you can find a gallon of distilled white vinegar at Price Right for under $2.00!

Permalink Reply by Mark Sweetland on October 24, 2009 at 2:41am

Hey all, try a pail of water and some ammonia for washing windows. Use a rag. Then wipe dry with crumpled up newspaper. Works great, a trick my mom always used. (Does anyone else get the Newspaper anymore?)

Permalink Reply by Cheryl Bertou on October 21, 2009 at 11:48am

I'll have to try the vinegar as a fabric softner substitue and jet dry substitute. Thanks.
I just ran out of toilet bowl cleaner and refuse to buy more. It seems so unnecessary. Any suggestions as to what to use? I was thinking of just dumping a little vinegar in there.

Permalink Reply by Anthony Fasolo on October 21, 2009 at 12:50pm

I have to admit, I haven't yet gotten away from ajax or comet when it comes to that. I've heard people say a can of coke thrown in the bowl and left over night cleans it well. I have some left over from a party a year ago and I think I'm going to give it a try and post results.

Permalink Reply by Mark Sweetland on October 24, 2009 at 2:52am

You have got to be kidding me. I think most people can afford $4 for cleaner. However, if someone comes up with something better, let us all know.