Frugal & Green Household Cleaning
I try to keep this as non toxic as possible and have managed to save a lot of money
by simply not using all those commercial cleaning products. I use vinegar for most
things from cleaning floors to bathrooms to kitchen counters and windows. Dilute
one tablespoon of vinegar and one teaspoon salt to about 4L hot water, this is great
for cleaning most things. I buy a 5L container of vinegar, it is cheap and best of
all
non toxic. For windows put some undiluted vinegar in a spray blottle instead
on
‘windowlene’. If you need a scourer use bicarbonate of soda. Vinegar and borax
make a great mildew remover – but be careful borax is poisonous if ingested, keep
away from little ones and pets.
In the Kitchen
Dishes
I use really hot water for most and only use dish liquid for the really greasy
stuff.
Lemon and bicarbonate of soda work pretty well too as a grease cutter and
are brilliant
for burnt on pots (something I have often) just sprinkle some bicarbonate
add a
teaspoon of lemon and cover with 5mm water. Soak over night. Salt is anti bacterial
as is tea tree oil, either added to hot water will kill any bacteria – specially
useful if
you have been preparing meat.
Oven
Bicarbonate of soda sprinkled on and sprayed
with vinegar, leave for 20 minutes and
wipe off. Any stubborn patches can be scrubbed
with extra bicarbonate.
In the Laundry
Along with your soapnuts, you can use:
Borax ~ great for removing acid stains like
red wine, curry, coffee, cocoa and chocolate.
It also works well as a fabric whitener.
Simply add ¼ cup of Borax to your wash, or
for particularly stubborn stains, make
a paste and leave on stain for 30 minutes
before washing.
Cream of tartar ~ great for removing stains like ink and grease, make a paste and
leave on stain for at least 30 minutes before washing.
Use half a cup of vinegar instead
of fabric softener.
Air Freshners
Spin-
oil to the inside of the cardboard toilet tissue roll. With each turn, fragrance
is released
into the room. Make a Lemon and baking soda spray -
hot water, add lemon juice, pour into spray bottle, spray into air as air
freshener.
Bicarbonate of soda placed into an open container will freshen any area,
works great
in the fridge. If your carpets are smelly, bicarbonate sprinkled over
and left for 20
minutes before vacuuming is fantastic.
General Cleaning
Cream of Tartar:
· Removes rust marks off baths, basins and toilets.
Bicarbonate of soda:
· Use a paste to polish silverware, an old toothbrush is great for getting into grooves
and difficult to clean areas.
· A mixture of bicarbonate and vinegar will remove rust from cast-
This will also quickly loosen grease, dirt and grime from your braai grill.
· A thin paste of bicarbonate and water can be used to safely remove crayon marks
from most surfaces.
· Deodorize bottles, by putting 1tsp of bicarbonate in and filling up with warm water,
give it a good shake and let stand for a few minutes. This is specially good for
baby bottles that tend to have a sour milk smell after a while. Baby’s teats can
be deodorized and cleaned by making up a solution of 5tsp’s bicarbonate to
500ml
water, let nipples soak overnight in this.
· Sprinkling some bicarbonate in the bottom of the nappy pail is a great way to
control
odours.
· Bicarbonate of Soda and dry Table Salt are mild abrasives and can be used as an
alternative to chlorine scouring powders. Simply put either baking soda or salt on
a sponge or the surface, scour and rinse.
· Bicarbonate of Soda and Vinegar toilet cleaner. Sprinkle baking soda into the bowl,
then squirt with vinegar and scour with a toilet brush. Cleans and deodorizes.
· To clean tile grouting, put 3 cups bicarbonate into a medium-
1 cup warm water. Mix into a smooth paste and scrub into grout with a sponge
or toothbrush.
Rinse thoroughly and dispose of leftover paste when finished.
· To clean stainless steel, chrome, fiberglass, ceramic, porcelain or enamel fixtures,
dissolve 2 tbsp baking soda in 1 qt of water. Wipe on fixtures then rinse.
Vinegar
· Vinegar and Paper Towels. Hard lime deposits around faucets can be softened for
easy removal by covering the deposits with vinegar-
the
paper towels on for about one hour before cleaning. Leaves chrome clean
and shiny.
· Kitchen and bathroom tiles – vinegar removes most dirt without scrubbing and
doesn't
leave a film. Use 1/4 cup vinegar to 3 Liters of water.
· Metal Shower Heads – To remove deposits which may be clogging your metal
shower
head, combine 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1 liter of water. Then completely
submerge
the shower head and boil 15 minutes.
Plastic Shower Heads – Combine equal amounts
of vinegar and hot water.
Completely submerge the shower head and soak for about
a couple of hours.
· Rust Stain and Hard Water Deposit Remover – Apply full-
stand until spot disappears, rinse. Repeat if necessary.
· Mildew Remover – Dissolve half-
warm
water. Soak the item overnight, or if using on tiles apply and leave
overnight before
rinsing.
Drain Cleaner
For slow drains, use this drain cleaner once a week to keep drains fresh
and clog-
1/2 to 1 cup baking soda
1 cup white vinegar
3 liters boiling water
Pour
baking soda down drain, followed by vinegar. Allow the mixture to foam for
several
minutes before flushing the drain with boiling water.
Multipurpose cleaner (specially useful for removing odours – like cat smells)
2L Bottle – I recycle the bottles I buy vinegar in
1L Vinegar
½ cup ammonia
20 drops tea-
20 drops other essential oil (I usually use a strong scented one like Geranium)
½ cup Salt
Mix all the ingredients together in your bottle, use 50ml of this instead of tile
cleaner for floors, and instead of bathroom cleaner etc. Works for most non-
surfaces and can also be used on carpets, furniture etc (check for color fastness
on
a non-
Insects
Borax ~ mix equal parts icing sugar and borax, sprinkle where ants and cockroaches
are a problem, but be careful borax is poisonous if ingested, keep away from
little
ones and pets.
Most of these are fairly simple tips that can make not only a lot of difference to
the monthly budget, but also a huge difference to the environment.