I used to do this, but recently bought a Shark Steam mop (the cheapest one, because my sis says she never uses her attachments). The pads are washable, so no cost to replace those until they wear out. No cleaning solutions are used, so it's healthier and low cost! It makes the laminate floors look really good, too! I do this, too!
Got any great, inexpensive ideas for cleaning stainless appliances and granite countertops? The house we are renting has both, and I've had to buy expensive cleaners for them, because I don't know what else to use. I tyically just use those cleaners like once every two weeks to get everything back to sparkling. The rest of the time, I just wipe them down with soapy water.
Six....I use 25% vinegar solution on my stainless steel. I refuse to buy the expensive stuff, b/c it's SOOOOO expensive. It does just as good a job at keeping it shiny, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper!!!! Also, I have not tried this, but a friend of mine does this. Instead of buying dryer sheets. She uses the cheapy Walmart wash cloths and puts a DAB of liquid fabric softener in the center of it, crumples it up and throws it in the dryer. She SAYS this works. She said she sometimes pre prepares the clothes and lets them sit on her dryer so she just has to toss it in!!!! OH! And I use full strength white vinegar in my "Jet Dry" section in my dishwasher instead of buying the Jet Dry stuff. It works BETTER and it's pennies to fill it up!!!
Going to try the vinegar for the stainless. We bought stainless-look for our last house, because I know how hard it is to keep stainless clean. (I worked in a commercial refrigerator factory during summers in college.) Oh, and I second vinegar instead of Jet Dry. It works way better than Jet Dry. For those that use bleach, instead of buying the premade bleach cleaner sprays, I just put a small amount of bleach into a spray bottle and fill with water. I use it for cleaning around the bottom of my toilets, where my not-so-little boys make a mess. For ceramic stovetops-- make a very liquid mixture of baking soda and water and let it sit for a few minutes on the stovetop. I think this works better than the store bought stuff.
A good green general purpose cleaner is to spray the surface you're cleaning with neat vinegar and wipe with a damp sponge/cloth that's been dipped in baking soda. It fizzes which helps to lift dirt out of the texture of whatever your cleaning, the baking soda is a mild abrasive and the vinegar kills most mold/bacteria/germs.
Speaking of cutting things in half.....I also cut the green scouring pads in half or thirds. I even cut make-up remover clothes in about 2 inch squares.
SEEEE thats why I keep telling my husband I don't want stailess steel appliances....... I think all the little finger prints and stuff would be terrible. I have a glass top stove, I just use glass cleaner (I guess you can make home made) and a scrapper.
I would never put stainless in myself. The house we are renting was a Katrina-destroyed flip. The owner put too much money in it (granite countertops/stainless appliances) and can't sell it. It's beautiful, but not practical for a family with lots of kids. I'd rather have my old stainless-look!
We got so sick of paying high fuel oil bills we went with a wood heater about two years ago. We only used the furnace in very cold weather last year. This year so far we have had a milder winter and have not used the furnace even once. Cutting wood is a lot of work but we have a wood splitter so that cuts the work way down. Freddy loves having the wood heater and we got it for $100.00 from a man who wanted to get it out of his basement. We found one online just like it for over $400.00. Wood heat isn't an option for everyone but it sure has helped us out a lot. Canning our garden veggies and making jelly and apple butter helps too.
We just got done cleaning the garage so we can hang clothes up in the opening and let them dry. I honestly tink that if it was just me and the boys we would get along fine without a tv, but hubby could NOT live without one, so we have a huge bill for cable, dvr, and so on. The boys and I might watch 1 hour of tv from 6am to 3pm when dad gets home, and usually they don't even watch the whole 30 minute show. Jackie, I cut my dryer sheets in half as well!! I'm also just starting to buy homemade laundry soap, and with buying it and shipping it's still way cheaper than store bought. I'm hoping it will help with Paddy's sensitive skin. We get Wal*Mart sacks from my parents house and use them as trashbags for our small trashcan's so we don't waste the big trash bags for the kitchen bag.
We also buy soft apples and make a ton of apple sauce and freeze it. Apples, a little sugar and some red hots, just enough to make it pink. You barely taste the sinnamon from teh reshots, but it makes them more sweet and very delicious!!! (sometimes I add pears too if there are a few softening).
Undiluted. I was having a preggy brain attack and couldn't spell it:lol: Bulk cookie recipe 1 cup of sugar 500g margarine 1 tin condensed milk 5 cups of self raising flour Preheat oven to 180*C. Mix margearine and sugar in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Add condensed milk and flour to the bowl and mix well. Add any extra ingredients and stir until well combined. Place teaspoon-sized balls of mixture onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake until golden brown (about 10-15minutes). I added blackstrap molasses and oats this afternoon. The kids love them I'm freezing 2/3 of them for later.
I have a stainless steel fridge (cause our fridge died on a Saturday evening and we bought what was on clearance and we could take home with us right then! LOL) I just use windex on it.
Oh...another thing I do...I keep glass jars for storing things. I love pyrex storage stuff, and asked for some for Christmas last year. BUT....I also discovered I love the cheap Bass canning jars for storing stuff even better!!!! I make my own small batch iced tea just for me - I do it that way so I don't drink too much during the day. I always use an old spagetti sauce jar to make it! I store candy, dried goods, nuts, chocolate chips, etc. in cleaned out spaghetti sauce jars too. If I'd bought REAL containers for this purpose it would have been expensive!!!!
I've started that, too, Krista. A neighbor gave me some empty plastic protein powder containers. VERY big, and they stack!!! I've got macaroni in one, and what-not. Since I've learned to can, I've been given lots of canning jars. I don't use the quart-size ones much, so I've put rice and quinoa and stuff like that in them. It's much easier to store that way!
I also reuse glass jars. I'm currently in love with some 2 quart glass canning jars I found at a garage sale. I found you aren't supposed to can that size for safety reasons anymore, so now they house my flour, sugar, honey, etc. since I don't like to store things in plastic. I also started looking at all the other things I tear in half besides scouring pads and make-up remover.....diaper wipes, acne pads....we also switched to the "choose a size" paper towels so we can take smaller pieces.
I talk on the phone a lot, especially internationally, so i use Skype to save some money. Also i make my own homemade gifts instead of buying stuffs from the store.
Something that I learned from a lady who had five boys is to buy meat in bulk, cook it in bulk and freeze it in meal size freezer bags that are labeled. She would have ground beef seasoned a few different ways like for tacos, soups, spaghetti, etc. We cook with more chicken so I season and cook it, then freeze it. I pull out what I need to make tacos, chicken salad, add to soup, or whatever. This saves $ and time.
I buy spices in bulk. I also mix my spices to make taco seasoning and other seasonings. I make my own laundry detergent and other cleaners, with the exception of tub cleaner. I recently started using cheap shampoo to clean the tub instead of Scrubbing Bubbles. I can get four bottles for the cost of Scrubbing Bubbles. I make my own "shampoo" and conditioner. I do not buy makeup remover or face cleanser and I do not buy face lotion. I mix up my own stuff and it works great. I also mix together my own dishwasher "detergent". I bake my own bread and it is cheaper than buying it. I also make my own baked goods if I make them, which isn't often. I do not buy processed foods unless it is a rare treat.
