Save Zillions On Cleaning Products
598 replies
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20 posts
Official MSE Insert:
Thanks to Rachelle for starting this legendary thread, which includes everything from cleaning your loo with cola to washing clothes with white vinegar. Scroll down for tons more tips.
If you haven't already, join the forum.
Back to the original post...
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Forget about buying all those expensive cleaners they keep advertising on the telly ---- there are LOTS of ways to achieve the same results for relatively little outlay of cash.
For instance, I have been using white vinegar for all sorts of things, from room deodoriser to laundry conditioner. And believe me, the stuff really works! (The vinegar smell evaporates after 5-10 minutes)
To give you some examples:
Laundry Products
White Vinegar. Eliminate soap residue by adding 1 cup of white vinegar to the washer's final rinse. Vinegar is
too mild to harm fabrics but strong enough to dissolve
alkalies in soaps and detergents. Vinegar also breaks down uric acid, so adding 1 cup vinegar to the rinse water is especially good for babies' clothes.
To get wool and cotton blankets soft and fluffy as new, add 2 cups white vinegar to a full tub of rinsewater. DO NOT USE VINEGAR IF YOU ADD CHLORINE BLEACH TO YOUR RINSEWATER. IT WILL PRODUCE HARMFUL VAPORS.
Baking Soda. 1/4 to 1/2 cup baking soda per wash load
makes clothes feel soft and smell fresh.
Baking Soda. You can cut the amount of chlorine bleach
used in your wash by half when you add 1/2 cup baking soda to top loading machines or 1/4 cup to front loaders.
Vinegar. To remove smoky odor from clothes, fill your
bathtub with hot water. Add 1 cup white vinegar. Hang
garments above the steaming bath water.
Cornstarch. For homemade laundry starch, dissolve 1
tablespoon cornstarch in 1 pint cold water. Place in a
spray bottle. Shake before using. Clearly label the
contents of the spray bottle.
Lime And Mineral Deposit Remover
Vinegar and Paper Towels. Hard lime deposits around
faucets can be softened for easy removal by covering the deposits with vinegar-soaked paper towels. Leave the paper towels on for about one hour before cleaning. Leaves chrome clean and shiny.
For Plastic and Metal Showerheads: Vinegar. To remove deposits which may be clogging your metal shower head, combine 1/2 cup white vinegar and one quart water. Then completely submerge the showerhead and boil 15 minutes. If you have a plastic showerhead, combine 1 pint white vinegar and 1 pint hot water. Then completely submerge the showerhead and soak for about one hour.
***********
Anyway, as I said earlier, I am quite happy with the results and it has certainly saved this household ££££!
(Bet this is where the 'How Clean is Your House' gang get their tips.)
[purplesignup][/purplesignup]
Thanks to Rachelle for starting this legendary thread, which includes everything from cleaning your loo with cola to washing clothes with white vinegar. Scroll down for tons more tips.
If you haven't already, join the forum.
Back to the original post...
----
Forget about buying all those expensive cleaners they keep advertising on the telly ---- there are LOTS of ways to achieve the same results for relatively little outlay of cash.
For instance, I have been using white vinegar for all sorts of things, from room deodoriser to laundry conditioner. And believe me, the stuff really works! (The vinegar smell evaporates after 5-10 minutes)
To give you some examples:
Laundry Products
White Vinegar. Eliminate soap residue by adding 1 cup of white vinegar to the washer's final rinse. Vinegar is
too mild to harm fabrics but strong enough to dissolve
alkalies in soaps and detergents. Vinegar also breaks down uric acid, so adding 1 cup vinegar to the rinse water is especially good for babies' clothes.
To get wool and cotton blankets soft and fluffy as new, add 2 cups white vinegar to a full tub of rinsewater. DO NOT USE VINEGAR IF YOU ADD CHLORINE BLEACH TO YOUR RINSEWATER. IT WILL PRODUCE HARMFUL VAPORS.
Baking Soda. 1/4 to 1/2 cup baking soda per wash load
makes clothes feel soft and smell fresh.
Baking Soda. You can cut the amount of chlorine bleach
used in your wash by half when you add 1/2 cup baking soda to top loading machines or 1/4 cup to front loaders.
Vinegar. To remove smoky odor from clothes, fill your
bathtub with hot water. Add 1 cup white vinegar. Hang
garments above the steaming bath water.
Cornstarch. For homemade laundry starch, dissolve 1
tablespoon cornstarch in 1 pint cold water. Place in a
spray bottle. Shake before using. Clearly label the
contents of the spray bottle.
Lime And Mineral Deposit Remover
Vinegar and Paper Towels. Hard lime deposits around
faucets can be softened for easy removal by covering the deposits with vinegar-soaked paper towels. Leave the paper towels on for about one hour before cleaning. Leaves chrome clean and shiny.
For Plastic and Metal Showerheads: Vinegar. To remove deposits which may be clogging your metal shower head, combine 1/2 cup white vinegar and one quart water. Then completely submerge the showerhead and boil 15 minutes. If you have a plastic showerhead, combine 1 pint white vinegar and 1 pint hot water. Then completely submerge the showerhead and soak for about one hour.
***********
Anyway, as I said earlier, I am quite happy with the results and it has certainly saved this household ££££!
(Bet this is where the 'How Clean is Your House' gang get their tips.)
[purplesignup][/purplesignup]
0
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Replies
I invested in a steam cleaner which I love and the use of vinegar with this is great.
I am getting to the stage where I need to get a cleaner due to my the fact my back is giving up with 5 damaged disks but I do like a clean house and I am a man ! lol
Any ideas re the Vinegar source would be helpfull
For example. A litre of Turtle Wax Car Shampoo was £3.49 recently . In halfords , a 300ml bottle was the same price.
I pop in regular and every so often they have quality products at mega cheap prices. Often with foreign instructions , but hey if it saves a small fortune the who am I to complain
I also do not know where to buy large quantities of the stuff so I usually restock at ASDA. Anyway, even buying a half dozen bottles there ends up being much, much cheaper than the equivalent amount of cleaning products.
What I find amazing is the vinegar's ability to absorb odor. As my mother is disabled (from a stroke) she has a commode in her room and as you can imagine, it can tend to smell quite unpleasant. I spent ages trying this and that, but every commercial deodoriser I bought gave her a headache. That's when I found out about the vinegar method and tried it, even though I was sceptical at first. To my utter surprise, it worked!Her room is now odourless. The only thing is it will take ten minutes or so, for the smell of vinegar to dissipate before it starts taking effect. (I'll take the smell of vinegar over pee-pee anyday!)
Hey, if any of you find vinegar/bicarbonate of soda etc in large quantities --- let me know. It may be worth our while to join up to split the cost of a couple of cases between us?
I think you can get large boxes of american baking soda from the web (uk based store), but haven't yet checked the prices.
The deposit will eventually come off with time though if you've already made this mistake!
mini
I heard that denture cleaning tablets were good for cleaning teapots but i can never manage to nick my mum's when she visits, im sure she hides them!
I have done reading too!
To avoid all evil, to do good,
to purify the mind- that is the
teaching of the Buddhas.
I shall look forward to your nappies thread, disposable v's washable?
mini
Loads of good advice for saving money!