Budget Friendly Cleaning Ideas!

Recently I helped my friend move into her new apartment. She is a very organized person so the actual process of moving was a hassle free experience. I watched in awe as every thing was given a place as it was clearly labelled. Of course everywhere needed to be clean and here too she had everything under control as she paraded her cleaning supplies for me.

I asked her how she had afforded so many brand name products but she replied that the products were not the same as the labels on the bottles. In order to save money she had concocted her own brew of cleaning supplies.

The after effect of her cleaning certainly made a believer out of me as the apartment was sparkly clean.

Here are a few home made budget friendly cleaning solutions for you to try.

Homemade cleaning Solutions

To keep bacteria from taking up permanent residence in your kitchen sponges, rinse them with water at the end of each day, squeeze, then put in the microwave for three minutes. Let cool before touching. Do the same with your cutting boards, if they are microwaveable.

Do you want to polish tarnished copper? Forget about expensive polish creams just use  a solution of white vinegar and 3 tablespoons of salt. Spray on the copper, let sit briefly, then rub clean.

Do you see those bowl refreshers for sale? Why not make your own!  You can freshen the toilet bowl with effervescent tablets (denture or antacid) in between scourings.

Drop two in the water, let soak for at least 20 minutes, then brush and flush. A can of cola dumped in for one hour also does the trick. The phosphoric acid in this mixture removes rust rings and other mineral deposits.

It is also possible to get rid of lime buildup on sinks by soaking an old rag in vinegar, then wrapping it around the faucet and clasping with a hair clip. Let sit for an hour, then take off rag and dry faucet.

If you need to remove mold and mildew on tiles and shower curtains spread a paste of equal parts lemon juice and baking powder, leave for two hours, then rinse.

Ready to clean those chandeliers? Try using a blow-dryer (set on low) or a feather duster. For tougher jobs, fill a spray bottle with one part vodka to five parts water, spritz on fixtures and blow-dry.

These are just some tips to keep your home clean. Most of the items vinegar and salt for example are likely already in your cupboard.

So how do you keep your home clean on a budget?

Let me hear from you!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley
Gleaner online writer

Tags: budget friendly cleaning