Top Ten Frugal Cleaning Tips That Work
And you’ll be surprised how easy they are to do
There are times in our lives when we all have to be a bit more careful with our money and expensive cleaning products can be out of reach.
Plus, maybe you’ve promised yourself you’re going to be a bit greener and use more natural things to clean your home.
Well, tantararaaaaa (that was a fanfare in case you missed it), here are ten great tips that are not only frugal but are greener too.
Tips 1 and 2 — dealing with smells
1. Get rid of kitchen pongs by boiling orange peel and cloves together. Not only will that nasty niff disappear, but will be replaced with a gorgeous scent.
2. Make your own air freshener by simmering some vanilla pods on the stove. The scent will make your house smell lovely. For a spicier scent, add a stick of cinnamon.
Both of these use natural scents that will not fill you home with nasty chemicals.
Tip 3 — keeping your kitchen cupboards clean
This tip is so simple, I don’t know why I haven’t done it before. Place baking/grease-proof paper on top of kitchen cabinets to keep them clean and free from dust and grease. Replace every few months.
Tip 4 — getting pet hair of soft furnishings and carpets
This one really works. It’s very effective in removing hair. Use a squeegee and brush pet hair off your sofa, chairs and your carpet (especially those hard to clean areas like your stairs).
Tip 5 — removing superficial scores from wooden furniture
Remove light scratches on furniture with toothpaste. Rub a pea sized piece of toothpaste on the scratch and then buff it out with a clean cloth.
Tip 6 — removing water marks from wooden furniture
If you have water marks on your wooden furniture, dab on some petroleum jelly, leave for 24 hours and then wipe off and buff up. That should remove the water marks leaving your furniture looking great.
Tip 7 — how to polish copper
If you have any copper items in your home, use tomato ketchup to polish it. Just put a little on a dry cloth, add a bit of salt and then rub the mixture on to your item. Repeat until the item is covered and then rinse off. Voila! A perfectly polished copper object.
Tip 8 — home-made floor cleaner
Mix together some hot water, vinegar, liquid soap and an essential oil of your choice to produce your own (and very cheap) floor cleaner.
Tip 9 — home-made colour fast
Mix one-part vinegar to one-part water in a bucket. Soak clothes in mixture for 15 minutes to colour fast. No more accidental dying of clothes in the wash.
Tip 10 — get the last out of your toothpaste tube
Toothpaste running low? Get the very last drop out of the tube by rolling the tube up and squeezing or use a plastic bag clip to squeeze the remaining toothpaste out or cut the bottom of the tube off to get at the remnants. You’ll be surprised how much extra comes out. It might not seem like much, but every little thing adds up.
And here’s a bonus tip for those of you who like to get the most out of your money. If you’re at the end of your shampoo or conditioner bottle, pour a little warm water into the bottle, give it a shake and use on your hair. You’ll get at least one other wash and condition out of them.
If you liked this article, see my frugal living blog The Canny Lass (canny is Scottish for frugal) https://thecannylass.home.blog/