DIY Glass Cleaner

DIY Glass Cleaner   

The blue stuff.... ugh....
millions of gallons of the blue stuff are sold daily- all just because the mass market media says it's what you should use to clean your windows. But.... do you HAVE to use the blue stuff?
NO.
Did you know the blue stuff contains: Ammonia, 2 Hexoxyethanol, Ammonium Hydroxide, Mirapol Surf S-210, Viden EGM, Sodium C14-17 Sec-Alkyl Sulfonat, and Synthetic Fragrances.

Not green. Not safe. More like a toxic concoction of mess.
Don't know what some of these are? Neither does your body, or the earth, or your pets, or your family. Like I have explained before in posts- if an ingredient listed on an item is non-pronounceable, non-recognizable to you- it most likely is non recognizable to your body! Toxic chemicals, when sprayed, go into the air you breathe, and soak into your skin on your hands that you touch. They are either inhaled or soaked in, and are dangerous either way to your health. They leave a toxic chem-trail behind that can affect you.

Many things clean glass.
Many things clean glass well: and are safe, effective, non-toxic, and GREEN.

Like what might you ask?  I'll address the 2 most common, that you most likely already have on your shelves: Hydrogen peroxide, and or - Vinegar.

Hydrogen Peroxide -

Did you know the nozzle to a standard spray mist bottle will fit directly onto a peroxide bottle? So perfectly convenient-  no mess no fuss?

Hydrogen peroxide as a glass cleaner?
Oh yes! And much more!
Hydrogen peroxide is cheap! And not only does it save money, it is Antibacterial, Antifungal, Kills mold, Kills mildew. It is a natural  disinfectant!!!!! Kills house hold germs and prevents spreading of germs due to common colds and flu!  My first grab if someone has been sick.

You can clean far more than your windows with it!
You can clean glass, counter tops, sinks, and other hard surfaces. Use the three percent solution undiluted in a spray bottle and spray it on the surface to be cleaned. Allow it to stand for several minutes and then wipe it off.
Hard surfaces that can be cleaned with hydrogen peroxide are: counter tops, stove tops, appliances, mirrors, windows, showers, shower doors. bathtubs, sinks, toilets, garbage cans, walls, door frames, door knobs, etc etc.

My favorite use for a bottle of peroxide is in the kitchen. It is the perfect disinfectant for my cutting boards! Wash the cutting board off in the sink. Then Spray on Hydrogen Peroxide, wait 10 minutes, and wipe away. This eliminates all bacteria from meats & raw foods and disinfects your cutting board! No cross contamination! Yay!

Vinegar

White Vinegar is incredible.
For DIY Glass Cleaner:  A 50/50 solution of water and vinegar in a spray bottle is all you need for glass cleaning! Spray on, wipe dry. It works! No streaks! Removes dirt, finger prints, and other grime that can build up. All natural, no toxins.
If gunk is built up on the glass surface you can apply vinegar undiluted and remove nearly anything. (An example for me was the bird poop that was graciously left on my car window the other day- by the time I got to it, it was dry and permanently stuck on....ugh...until that is I applied the vinegar! Yay! Gone in seconds!)

Vinegar is the best household cleaner! It cleans, disinfects, is anti fungal, antibacterial, eliminates mold and mildew, kills most household germs, and it's cheap! Making it extremely frugal for house cleaning!

Make Homemade Wipes with vinegar- these will clean your glass, windows, tubs tiles, counter tops, stove tops sinks, walls, doors. door knobs, shower- (oh! in the shower! get rid of mold and mildew with vinegar too!)


You can mop with vinegar solution as well! Shine those tile or linoleum floors! Safe and effective!


Here is my mirror after vinegar- see no streaks! Just clean clear shine. Yay!







Between these 2 cleaners- you can nearly clean your entire house! Frugal, and very GREEN cleaning!





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Monday's "Find the House" Routine

"Find the House" 

... it's Monday. Even for me, this is a MONDAY!

After a weekend of everyone home, friends over, BBQ's, game time- what ever has occured... Monday is the time for me to "find the house". I try to take the weekends off too!  Doesn't work 100% of the time, but my normal cleaning routines are definitely disrupted! There's just something about getting the week started that can be a chore even for a SAHM like me. I am not certain about everyone, but the weekends are break time. Enjoying the family or friends and movies, outdoors, games, BBQ's, gardening,etc. Anything but cleaning the house!
And no matter what the reason- Mondays always seem to come back around. Haha!

Mondays, for my schedule, are usually filled with just trying to find my house after Hubby and the teens have relaxed all weekend too!

I used to be overwhelmed by it, until I discovered small baby steps go a long way.  Some of the simplist steps can make Monday a joy rather than a chore! My goal, as I say to my husband, is to "find the house" on Monday- not make it perfect pristine! Some may argue with me- but I consider it a step in the week- not a mountain to climb in one stretch! With Homeschooling my two boys, blogging, and writing; Baby steps are manageable and feel good at the end of each day.  They actually allow me to smile, rather than have a grudge against the day. So much nicer!  And the best part is having the smile when everyone else is a grump. They think I'm weird, but what's new. I can relax feeling accomplished tonight, and sleep well.
So, my baby steps are the a SD system I discovered by accident- I am a list maker, and when I'd write my liwt of things I wanted done in the day- I noticed quick I titled everything by S's or D's. LOL Just me- but here's how it kind of breaks down:

SD-DS,  break, SD- DS, break SD-DS!   Yay! 
What in the world does that mean? Okay:
__________
1. SD=Sheets/Dirty: This is laundry. In a nutshell. I start my day, everyday, by making the beds. On Monday mornings that means the full bed, I pull the sheets and pillowcases etc and get them to the laundry pile. Dirty: I have a dirty laundry basket in each bathroom that my boys and DH know to use- so I am never searching for dirty laundry. My simple house rule is: If it's not in the basket, it doesn't get washed. (They know full and well- there are no exceptions. It really Didn't take them long to figure that one out instead of arguing. If they didn't make it in time, they had to wash it themselves.) The major exception to this is the simple fact I have teens now, not little ones. When they were small I'd make a point of showing them, "Look dirty clothes go in the laundry basket". As they grew older and I'd slowly find less and less on the floor- they showed me when they were ready for it to be a golden rule by their actions of maturity. It worked, and it's been our rule for many years.
Sorry! Got sidetracked - so our beds are made, sheets and dirty laundry collected now-the key of "D" - dirty is start the laundry- I always have a load going before I sit down for coffee.

I hate nothing more than loads and loads of laundry piling up becoming a monster chore- this knocks the feet right out from under the potential monster chore and just get's it started. The hardest part of any chore is the start!

DS= Dump/Swipe: This is Trash and Bathrooms. DUMP: that's easy - all Trash- I gather all bags lining my trash cans in the entire house and take them all the way out to the trash. Easy, done, and gone! no questions- gone- outta here!  Hint: I keep an extra bag in the bottom of each can to replace the taken one- it's easy and right where I need it.   Swipe:  I walk in the bathroom, pour small amount of baking soda into sink and toilet and grab the toilet brush and swipe it clean. Then I take my scrub sponge (always have one under the sink) and swipe the sink clean. (Hint! A Mr. Clean magic eraser works wonders here!)  After rinsing, I swipe down the counter and check for any major disasters to swipe. Usually it's not too bad.  (Remember- Monday is "Find the House Day - my goal is to get it to a manageable spot- heavy cleaning happens in spurts during the rest of the week.)

NOW I take a break! House already is starting to come together! Coffee or glass of lemon water!
Before I start back in I run to the laundry, start next load, and get the dryer going.

2. SD=Soak/ Dishes: Whether you have a dishwasher, or do them by hand- this means Dishes. Stack and swish (rinse them) and get them in the dishwasher and turn it on; or stack, soak and wash those dishes to drying. Nothing feels better to a Mom who needs to be in control of her house than a clean and shining sink! If you really think about it- it does not take that long to do, it is usually more of a grudge chore if they have sat too long and piled up. Get it done. Drain the sink. I always pour a dab of baking soda in the bottom, and as an added bonus, I drop a few drops of lemon juice on it to paste up and I swipe the sink shiny- smells fantastic as I'm doing it and benefits the drain as well- no lingering smells.

DS=Dust/ Sweep (or Swiffer). Let's get up the sneezes! Grab your swiffer, or your cloth and polish, and Dust the important areas! Living room, tables , desks, entertainment center, whatever- just dust! get it gone! That's all you are doing right this minute- just dust!
 Sweep= All floors in whole house that are hard - linoleum, tile, wood- usually entry, kitchen and bathrooms.  Whether I sweep or swiffer -I judge this by the day- if it's been an outdoor weekend and a lot of yard got trudged into my house- like dirt, mud, lawn, grass- I sweep AND swiffer.  I have a lot of hard wood floors in my house and I can see a film easily if the dust dirt has accumulated- I do both. Either way- the floor looks better after this! :) Yay!


NOW I take a break! The House REALLY is starting to come together! And starting to Shine! Hmmmm smell... YAY! Almost there! And it's still morning!
Before I start back in I run to the laundry, start next load and get the dryer going.

3. SD= Square up! This, simply, is Finshing the laundry. S=Square up means folding - pulling from the dryer and folding. square corners, and with this I never ever put clean laundry back into dirty hamper- I take it straight to the room it belongs to- the boys clothes gets stacked at the foot of their beds for them to put away. I put away my own in my room of course- but everyone's clean squared up laundry is in the right room and looks good. Squared away- under control. And D= Dinner- What's for dinner tonight? If you menu plan, take time to look at what you have and design the list for the week. If you don't , decide at least what's for tonight and either pull it to thaw if frozen, or start what needs to happen if it's a slow cook meal. Like, for example: Stick a roast in the slow cooker- and get it going. (I love slow cooker meals on a Monday! Awesome set and forget it for a while slow cooker meals are wonderful on the one day of the week that might feel more hectic or crazy- they usually end up being a comfort food meal everyone enjoys!)

 DS=Dents/ Smell:   Dents or  i.e. Vacuum marks. My son noticed them when he was little, and I had to agree. Early on when my boys were little I cleaned the church we went to. My son pointed out one day, "When you see the dents you know it's clean!" and I had to agree. I vacuum purposely backwards in each room, always ending at the door, just because of this now. I want to see the "dents". I want my family, or visitors, to walk in to the fresh room and realize no one has walked in since it was cleaned. It's a nice thing ...subtle, but true.   
Smell- This is a joy, smell. Your house will already smell better by now- no trash, no old dishes, no teenage dirty socks, etc. But if there is anything remaining- for example- the cat box, do it now. Smells be gone! LOL Whatever they are! Finish off with lighting a candle, or getting your aromatherapy diffuser going, or set some cinnamon and orange peels in a pot on the stove to simmer- create the smell, and enjoy-


4. YAY! You "found your house!" Smile! :)
       Smile :D     -Done :)  Yay!

This may not seem like a "frugal" routine, but once you get the hang of it it is a wonderful time saver for the week- getting a grip on the house, and finding what is manageable for you, allows you to schedule more and not have monster grudge pileups of laundry or dishes that make it harder for you later. 
Hope this helps!

Static! Eliminate Dryer Sheets!

Static! UGH!!!!

  Do you hate static from the dryer? I certainly do! I seem to always live in areas prone to static! UGH! Haha! :)
I have an aversion to dryer sheets. The smell alone from the chemical scents of commercial dryer sheets drives my allergies batty! The chemicals alone are what I am trying to avoid anyway, as I learn more about green cleaning. There are a few easy easy remedies that do not cost much at all! (Yay! Green and Frugal! Double bonus!)

1.  First, and foremost, to address the static alone- use aluminum foil. I take a square of my kitchen foil, loosely ball it in my hand and throw it in to the dryer with my wet clothes. When the load is finished, (I have never had anything from it come off on the clothes) and it removes the static build up. The balls are always in a tightly compacted ball when they come out- but it works! No noxious smell, no chemical residue, no STATIC!!!!!!! Win win! Easy, simple, frugal, and green. Yay!

 2. The second remedy is Vinegar. To add 1/2 cup white vinegar to your rinse cycle. It acts like a fabric softener. The best part is: it does it naturally, and the smell of vinegar evaporates off. Wonderful!  Your clothes come out softer, and you have done it naturally! Safer for environment - no toxic waste water, and better for your family and budget! Yay!

My Mix Laundry Soap

My Mix Laundry Soap. Yay!!
  Okay, it’s not homemade in the sense I got lye soap, a cauldron and bubbled and burbled my own concoction- haha!  but it’s my MIX, and it’s really good, lasts longer, and is a fraction of the cost of name brand laundry soaps! It’s more natural in ingredients than most name brands, and less offensive on the perfumey chemical trail. Plus, I do not have any allergic reaction to it! YAY!

  I have found I can make: 1 trip to the grocery store, spend about $39, use up about an hour of prep and mixing, and in the end, have an effective, and extremely good smelling laundry soap that is amazingly only a fraction of the cost of my old store bought brand.

You will need:

Ingredients:
1 (4 lb) 20 Mule Team Borax
3 (1lb) boxes of Baking soda  (for homemade Washing soda***) or 1(3 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (***make your own, as I  did; directions at the end- by using 3 boxes of Baking Soda)
1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean
2 (14 oz) Bars of Zote Soap
4 (1 lb) Boxes of Baking Soda
3 (28 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener (100% optional!) There are 3 scents offered by Purex Crystals, use whichever one you prefer- or leave this out to eliminate the fragrance altogether.

Supplies: 1 large bucket, clean, dry inside, with lid; 1 cheese grater and old mixing bowl, wood spoon, and 1baking sheet if making washing soda.

Step 1: 

 Grate the soap! Grate into a large mixing bowl. The grated Zote soap dissolves just fine, even in cold water;  but,  the finer the pieces- the faster it dissolves, so using a small grater is best. When you finish grating, the hardest part is over – now it’s just time to mix.

 

Step 2: Mix in the bucket!

I used a large bucket and poured the ingredients in segments. I took a small amount of each and layered it on top of each other, then I grabbed a large wood mixing spoon, and mixed it together each time.  My husband helped with this, I poured -while he mixed. We do this outside on the back porch, as it does pouf clouds of powder easily as you pour and mix. Go slow and less pouf will occur.  Pouring it in in segments just made it easier to completely mix.

To USE: 

 You only need 1-2 Tablespoons per load depending on the size! I just recycled/reused the Oxy Clean container. I had it available after all was poured in,  and it's so easy to refill as needed!   I just scoop my mixture right back into the now empty tub, and wahh-lahh, my detergent has a perfect container! YAY!!!! The Oxy clean scoop says 1,2,3,4, right on the side! Perfect to sit on your laundry room shelf! I have found the scoop filled to the line 2 is enough for my large capacity load! The Purex crystal bottles work great, too, especially if you are sharing! 

Note: because this laundry mix is low suds, it IS safe for HE washers.

Try to keep the remaining bucket mixture in a dry/cool location. To store the remaining mix,   I recycled one of my husband's 5 gal buckets from the garage, cleaned it out, and now store the remaining laundry soap in it! Sits perfect in the dry storage area in the garage, ready for refills.

 

  As with  most of these DIY posts, I am not the originator. Although all words & pictures are mine, the original recipe and concept was not.  I originally found this DIY Laundry Soap mix recipe by author Jen, from DIY Diaries. On this site: http://www.howdoesshe.com/cheaper-and-better-diy-laundry-detergent/

.

**Washing Soda
The original recipe I found for this detergent, called for Super Washing Soda- and I couldn’t find it in the area I live in. :( Ugh. However, I did some more research and found you can actually make Washing Soda- DIY -at home, on your own.

It turns out Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda is Sodium Carbonate.which you can easily change from Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) using one key item- HEAT. The heat evaporates off the "Bi" of bicarbonate creating Sodium Carbonate.
 
So, Heat your oven up to 400-475° F. Pour the 4 boxes of Baking soda onto cooking sheets and bake for at least 1 hour. Each time you check it, stir it a bit to ensure all is changing. When I did, I noticed a "poof" of what appeared to be steam rising off the baking soda. After one hour, the “steam” was gone. (The ‘poof like steam’ is the water and carbon dioxide evaporating off)

Take it out of the oven, and let it completely cool. Once cooled, it’s ready to use in the laundry mix. (Note: Although Baking Soda is naturally safe to eat- sodium carbonate (Washing Soda) is NOT safe to consume- so take care in the kitchen to not spill, or wipe away from any surfaces that might touch your food later. And clearly label any jars or canisters you use when storing it. It's a fantastic cleaner! Just don't store it beside your regular baking soda.)

When making my laundry soap, I set the baking soda in the oven first, then went outside and started grating the Zote Soap. By the time I finished grating, dealing with the kids, taking a bathroom break, etc… about an hour was over, and all I had to do was let it cool while I gathered the supplies, bucket, and prepared to mix.

Done! Homemade laundry soap that cleans bright, doesn’t fade my colors, and smells fantastic! All for $39. For me this recipe lasts about 7-8 months- sometimes longer. Saving me mega amounts on my budget.  (Well over $100!) Super frugal, super smart and great results! It is worth the time taken once every 7-8 months.








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DIY All Purpose Cleaner

DIY All-Purpose Cleaner

I got left with a mess when my boys decided to cook, so I am using my homemade all purpose cleaner to wipe it away! This stuff is fantastic and smells too good! I am such a fan of lemon essential oil, not only does it smell bright and full of energy, I understand it's anti bacterial too! It is now a vital part of my cleaning!

I was left with this:



Before
I used my DIY all-purpose cleaner, and now I am cooking on this! Nice! (Starting a small batch of applesauce and using the peelings to make pectin for jelly later, ;) Yay! )

After: 

All Purpose DIY Lemon Cleaner 

1 tsp washing soda
2 tsp Borax
1/2 tsp liquid soap (Castile soap or dish soap)
2 c hot water
10-20 drops lemon essential oil
pour into recycled spray bottle, cap and shake until dissolved. spray on surface and wipe away!* Works wonders on stoves, and counter tops!

No extra chemicals, no noxious fumes, works fantastic and leaves my kitchen or whatever I clean smelling lemon fresh! I do not recommend it on painted surfaces as washing soda can remove paint- however, works like a charm on my kitchen counters, stove, oven, sink,  dishwasher and refrigerator surfaces, and in the bathroom sinks, tub and toilet! Great stuff and so easy to make! One batch cleans the house plus some!





Notes:
*Use a marker and be sure to CLEARLY label your bottle.  Do not swallow or leave within reach of little ones.Although this is safer than most commercial brands with no fumes involved, borax and washing soda are not edible items and still pose a danger to young ones.
** Use at your own risk. Recipe for DIY cleaner can be found on various internet DIY sites as a greener alternate to industrial strength cleaners. I do not claim sole ownership of recipe, or any rights there of. I am Simply sharing a useful recipe that can help others turn to greener clean.









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Disclaimer: Affiliate Links in no way affect your end price, there is no increase for you. But, they do help to support the cost of the blog. Thank you.