The thing is, in this day of materialism and consumerism, a lot of companies like to make you believe that their products are not only better than the ones you've been using but they will also save you time ... and I would like to call ... FALSE!
For a long time, I thought "those people" who used baking soda and vinegar and such to clean their homes were environmentally friendly hippies - I was under the impression that unless you used products with bleach, you didn't get a proper clean.
Well, now that I have been cleaning for various clients for a while now, I have proven myself wrong. I have done some experiments and have come to determine that I had fallen into the consumerism trap and that there are so many home ingredients you can use to clean your home that are even more efficient - and CHEAPER (my favourite word!). Read below to find out how to clean some of the toughest parts of your house with ingredients you may already have!
1. YOUR TUB
Life can be busy - you go to work, you come home, bring your kids to practice, get back home, make a quick supper, put your kids to bed, hop in the bath, and then crawl into bed falling asleep before your head even hits the pillow. You do this day in and day out and then all of a sudden, as you're about to step into your tub on a wonderful - unusually quiet Friday night - you notice a faint grey ring around your tub. Huh, you think, you'd never noticed that before. You take out the spray that's been sitting under your sink for about three years and spray it but it doesn't come off. Curious, you start to scrub at it with a towel, but it still doesn't come off. You start to panic - is this now the colour of your tub? Did you do something wrong?
Have no fear! Dawn, Baking Soda, and Vinegar are here!
Here's what you do:
1. Take a bottle of Dawn dish soap and drizzle all over the bottom of the tub.
2. Plug the tub
3. Sprinkle baking soda all over the bottom of the tub
4. Pour some vinegar
5. Let sit for 2-3 hours (seems like a long time, but the longer you let it sit, the better - go do your groceries while you wait!)
6. Wipe. Don't run the water - just grab a cloth and start wiping. Use a little elbow grease and scrub.
7. Turn on the water and scrub while the water starts to fill the tub.
Within minutes, you will see all the dirt, grime, and whatever else has created its home on your tub just disappear! It's amazing!
2. MAKE IT SHINE
Stainless Steel can be one of the most beautiful pieces you have - or the most annoying! It's easy to get finger prints, it's easy to streak if you don't clean it right, but it can be the difference between making your room look completed and..well....not.
Don't waste your money on stainless steel wipes or cleaners, and please don't use glass cleaner on it - it's not the same thing!
Here's what you do:
1. Take a dry cloth - it has to be dry (so does the items you're about to shine) - and drizzle some vinegar on the cloth.
2. Buff the appliance in a circular motion from one corner to the other.
3. Voila! No fingerprints, no streaks - just gorgeous shine!
3. GREASE
Grease is one of the most annoying things on the planet - you never notice grease is piling up on your cabinets beside your stove until it's too late, and if you have wood cabinets, it's almost impossible to get it off.
Dawn dish soap is one of the best cleaning products for grease, soap scum and so much more. Here's what you do:
1. Take a dry cloth and drizzle some Dawn soap in a small puddle on the cloth
2. Rub the cloth together to mix the soap into the cloth but don't wet the cloth
3. Rub the cloth/soap in a circular motion on the grease making sure to get as much soap on it as possible - don't wipe it up.
4. Let the soap sit for a little while - the more grease there is, the more soap you should put on it, and the longer you need to let it sit (but if it's real wood, you need to be careful. I suggest cleaning the rest of the kitchen, but not to leave the room so you don't forget about it).
5. After a while, take a warm, damp cloth and wipe the soap away. If there is some resistance when you're wiping, it still needs to sit longer. If the cloth slides easily, keep wiping and then use another, completely dry cloth, to get rid of the rest.
These are tried and tested things I have used to help clean my client's homes, and use every time to ensure the home stays looking fresh, clean, and beautiful.
Stay tuned for more "Cleaning Hacks" as I discover them - you can never have too many "hacks" that make your life easier, more efficient, and less stressful. Spend less time on cleaning and more time with your family!
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