The no buying cleaning products challenge

Kaz2904

Livingproof, I'm 33 and the only reason I have so many cleaning products is because my 64 year old MiL keeps buying them and giving them to me . She must think that I'm a right grotty mare but I tend to just use things like washing up liquid and bathroom toiletries for cleaning so end up with loads of stuff.
I find chemicals catch the back of my throat so I don't use them. I am a firm convert to stardrops though. I bought some to add to the laundry gloop when I made it and have been using it around the house. That and some sugar soap have cleaned my downstairs loo and utility in preparation for redecorating which I am doing as we speak. I've just finished for the night in fact . I made elderflower champagne last year and the first batch was lovely so I made a double batch (36 bottles) which was horrid. All vinegary. I took 3 bottles to my sisters which is where I found out it was awful . The other 33 bottles have kept my toilets and kettle sparkling clean and limescale free for the last year .
I used stardrops to clean the bathroom last week and it smells so nice, I shall use it again tomorrow when I clean it. I also used it to clean my windows when I last leaned them. Very impressed with the results. The thing which blew me away and has converted me to stardrops over washing up liquid is the top of my kitchen cupboards and the top of my cooker hood. They were filthy and greasy and last time I tried to clean the tops of the cupboards, I used an entire bottle of neat wul which only cleared the top of 1.5 cupboards. Last night I did some sorting and thought I'd better clean them again. Neat stardrops poured on and left to soak meant all the cupboards are shiny clean with very little elbow grease. I poured it onto my cooker hood and wiped it around with my gloved hand. When I went back to clean it off, I was amazed.
I am going to try working my way through all the chemically stuff because it's bought and disposing of it is wasteful so probably even more environmentaly damaging than using it but after that's gone, I shall be using laundry gloop, soap (for cleaning the leather sofa), sugar soap and stardrops. If I need anything else I will use that too. I always have vinegar in the cupboard. My Bil was after vinegar when we had a BBQ and I didn't have any in the food cupboard so I told him to get it out of the cleaning cupboard. Oh how he laughed .
I was very interested to hear about donkey bricks on radio 2 yesterday. Wonder where I could pick up one of them? My patio would look grand .
*confession* I do have a tumble drier as I would never get washing dry in my house without one. I try not to use it though and have used it more in the last 2 weeks than I had since the beginning of march. A clash of nights and bad weather unfortunately. DD actually walked in and said "Yay, crop tops and clean pants! " when I gave up and used the TD for a whites load last week. She was on her last pair .

Sue14

beemuzed wrote: »

I have a basket with various cleaners waiting to be used up out in the garage - put there when we had the new kitchen fitted last summer!

We had a new kitchen fitted over 2 years ago, and I still have a box in the shed with various cleaning products in it, and that's on top of what I have under the kitchen sink, lol!

I did a list yesterday of all the cleaning products I have, and amongst them are 6 different carpet cleaning products, 6 oven cleaners, and 5 cans of air freshener! I also found half a bottle of window cleaner (pink stuff, like windolene) which has a price label of 32½p, which shows how long I've had it, lol!

candygirl

Welcome newbies:j:j:j
I'm glad we're all singing from the same hymn sheet, and most of us haaaate cleaning:D:D
OH can't believe the flash bottle in the bathroom is actually filled with white vinegar, bicarb, and a drop of stardrops!!!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
Do you lot use fabric conditioner?I don't:o:o:obut OH has brought a few bottles from his place so it'd be rude not to:D;)
I too have a TD, which I try not to use much, but have to give in with weather like this:mad::mad:Haven't been seduced into buying those smelly TD sheets though:eek::eek:
Am also training OH into using less washing powder and WUL .He reads the instructions, and follows them to the letter:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
KAZ i also pour stardrops on my hob and leave it for a few hours, then all the grot wipes away easily:D:D

Kaz2904

I haven't used fabric conditioner for years. Unfortunately DD was having a paddy (on the Saturday night before going back to school) about washing her hair and got shampoo in her eye. She was so enraged that when she scrubbed at her eye with the nice crispy towel fresh from the line, she ended up with a big bruise .
I was eyeballing the stardrops for using on the oven actually. I have some of that *put the stuff in a bag and leave it for 3 weeks until all grime has gone* oven cleaner which I do need to use but I never know how to get a good result inside my oven. Now I know what to try . It's not that I dislike cleaning, I love having a sparkly clean nice smelling house. Unfortunately, it doesn't stay like that because I have grubby people living with me and I have bare walls upstairs in my house so have a building dust problem. Oh how I look forward to the day that I have carpet again. I am working my way through the house finishing bits off gradually. Could do with a bit more help from DH but you gotta work with what you're given haven't you?
I just don't like tons of chemicals. They're a waste of time and space imho. MiL bought me a carrier bag of shower gels once for 10p or 50p or something silly. I used them to clean my bathroom with for well over a year as I didn't like the smell .
Ok, off bum time and go finish painting so I can try to UU a bit more of that ghastly window cleaner.

candygirl

Kaz lol at the crispy towels.we have them here too:D:DOh and don't mention the D word[STRIKE]decorating[/STRIKE], as we're meant to be starting soon, and I just CBA:o:o:oAlso haaaaaaaate the smell of paint:D:D:DOh is all enthusiastic tho, so i'll let him boss me around and take charge;););)

Kaz2904

Hey candygirl, guess what? I've been painting! Loads more coats of white to do on the ceiling . Have lent my neighbour some stardrops to clean cat wee from her rug. She's very impressed.

candygirl

Kaz2904 wrote: »

Hey candygirl, guess what? I've been painting! Loads more coats of white to do on the ceiling . Have lent my neighbour some stardrops to clean cat wee from her rug. She's very impressed.

Why oh why can't they make paint sweet smelling?It gives me migraines:mad::mad::mad:We're starting next week supposedly;);)Glad your neighbour loved the stardrops, it rocks:j:j

Kaz2904

I'm using white paint which smells like gone off milk/vomit. There's a brown paint which smells ok and a green paint which smell like wee. Oh how much fun I'm having. Will try to get round to using some of the glass cleaner tonight but not holding my breath. Well, I might be if I get to use it

candygirl

Have just been naughty and spent £1.99 on Atonish washing liquid at home bargs:D:DThe persil tabs that OH brought round made the clothes sticky and white!!!:D:D
Hope you're all being good and frugal:D:D

quintwins

stupid question candy but did you try using half or 1/4 of what you were suppose to? that might help, still no cleaning products here and no i don't sue fabric conditioner (i'm am at the mo cause i got loads on dtd) i use decent smelly washing liquid, i also have a TD and use it quite abit for uniforms cause we only ahve 1 spare jumper between two 4 year olds, we were trying to save money when we were buying them but it cost us more in the long run, as a result i'ce bought them 6 fulls days worth each this year so hopefully we'll use the dryer alot less, we ahve 2 huge clothes horses and 3 lines strung in our utilty room so no reason to use it (however it is an eco A rated one )