"NEW! IMPROVED! WITH THE CLEANING ACTION
OF BLEACH AND THE FRESH SCENT OF BAKED APPLES, IT'S....." Ah, the miracle
cleaners!
If you look at the coupon sections of your Sunday paper, cleaners are big
business. There are always plenty of coupons for cleaners, all claiming to
miraculously clean everything. We often see products advertised now that
brag about how they have the scent of a rose and the "added power of baking
soda" (or other basic cleaners, like bleach). Why not just use the baking
soda? Why buy something expensive, over hyped and prepackaged when the baking
soda is sitting in your kitchen cabinet?
Take a look at your favorite cleaners - what's in them that makes them really
work well? I had to hit myself over the head for this one! My favorite cleaner
is Clorox Cleanup with Bleach. Why am I not just trying the bleach by itself?
Why do I still feel like I need the miracle cleaner? Sometimes it is hard
to change when we are conditioned by commercials. They tell us we need these
miracle cleaners that are strong enough to kill microbes on Mars but still
have a "lemony fresh scent." I think the key to any change is to make the
transition gradually. In this case, you do that by replacing your store bought
cleaners as they run out and ignoring those commercials!
The whole topic of natural cleaners, homemade cleaners and natural homemaking
has been the topic of many books. I cannot claim to be an expert, as I too
am slowly replacing my commercial cleaners (bought with double coupons and
free after rebate!) with homemade cleaners. What I found while researching
this article is that there is a ton of information out there!
Here are some homemade solutions and uses for things you may already have
in your home. I have tried some of them. Not all of them will work
"miraculously", but they will probably get the job done. Please let me know
how the homemade cleaners you try work out for you! And be sure to send in
your favorite homemade formulas that I may have left out.
Some safety tips
1.NEVER MIX BLEACH AND AMMONIA TOGETHER! This combination is deadly! Also,
never mix products together that contain bleach with products that contain
ammonia. This includes dishwasher detergent (contains bleach). I would even
go as far as storing them in different places just as a precaution.
2.ALWAYS check labels on products before combining ANYTHING. It's not worth
making these cleaners if you wind up in the hospital or the morgue, so PLEASE
BE CAREFUL!
3.KEEP ALL CLEANERS AWAY FROM KIDS - even though these are environmentally
friendly, they are still not safe for children , so please keep these away
from your kids.
General Uses For:
Ammonia - good
grease cutter, wax stripper, and window cleaner. NEVER MIX WITH BLEACH!
Lemon juice - great for whitening
items, but vinegar is cheaper . It also cuts through grease and stains on
aluminum and porcelain
White Vinegar - very cheap and
versatile, great for whitening, also fantastic for cleaning hard surfaces,
windows and shining up metal surfaces. Removes mildew, stains, grease and
wax buildup. This is another natural cleaner that whole books have been written
on!
Bleach - great
for whitening anything, removing molds and mildews, and general cleaning.
Best used diluted with water. DO NOT MIX BLEACH WITH VINEGAR, TOILET BOWL
CLEANER, OR AMMONIA. The combination of bleach with any of these substances
produces a toxic gas which can be hazardous. We want to save money without
jeopardizing our lives!
Borax - (sodium borate) It
deodorizes, removes stains and boosts the cleaning power of soap. It also
prevents mold and odors. Great alternative for those who do not want to use
bleach.
Baking Soda -
Extremely versatile, baking soda is an all-purpose, non-toxic cleaner. It
cleans, deodorizes, scours, polishes and removes stains. There are entire
books out about the zillions of uses of baking soda, and the best thing about
it is that it's cheap!
Washing Soda - (sodium carbonate)
Cuts grease and disinfects. It will also increase the cleaning power of soap.
Ketchup - great for cleaning
copper
Cornstarch -
cleans and deodorizes carpets and rugs, you can use this to replace expensive
"baby powders" also.
Pure Soap - cleans just about
anything and is mild
Salt - believe it or not, regular
table salt makes an abrasive, but gentle, scouring powder. Who would have
known?
Some helpful hints:
1.Make your cleaners ahead of time.
2. Organize them according to location they are used in, keeping out of reach
of children. I like to keep all kitchen items under the (baby-proofed) sink,
in a caddy (recycle a detergent box or milk jug for this) so they are handy.
I make extras of items for the upstairs and downstairs bathrooms.
3.Buy your ingredients in bulk. This way, you save money twice! You save
by buying in bulk (on sale of course!) and you save because you have what
you need on hand, avoiding a trip to the store!
4.Store your ingredients in reusable airtight containers. I like to purchase
spray bottles in bulk for this purpose, since it is not safe to reuse bottles
that had commercial cleaners or chemicals in them. Milk jugs are great to
use too.
5.Make large batches of several cleaners and store them in recycled milk
jugs.
6.Wear rubber gloves when you clean to avoid skin irritation (and chapping
in my case!)
About the Author:
Kim Tilley is the mother of three boys, ages 8,5 and 1. She is also a tightwad at heart. Her interests include cooking, crafts, gardening, computers, and saving money! When not typing away at the computer, she entertains herself by chasing kids and finding ways to create something out of nothing!
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"NEW! IMPROVED! WITH THE CLEANING ACTION
OF BLEACH AND THE FRESH SCENT OF BAKED APPLES, IT'S....." Ah, the miracle
cleaners! 
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