Saving money... While Cleaning!

So, I thought I would share some thrifty tips on keeping your home clean.

1. put lemon peels in your garbage disposal to keep it smelling fresh. I found this out by accident by dumping my lemon water down the drain and the peels just happened to fall in the disposal. So, I turned it on and, behold, the disposal didn't have that smell any more.

2. Clean with vinegar. I do not like the smell of vinegar while it is drying (you can't smell it once it has dried), so you can add lemon/lime/orange peels (all pulp removed) to a jar of vinegar and let it sit for a few weeks. Give it a shake about once a day. When the vinegar smell has faded to a nice citrus smell, your vinegar is ready to use. Another advantage is that lemon is a natural disinfectant.

3. Add a tablespoon of Borax to your laundry, to aid as a laundry booster.

4. Have dingy whites or stubborn stains on your whites, hang them out in the sun to dry. The sun will bleach your whites to a nice crisp bright white. Hanging cloth diapers out in the sun is a free way to disinfect your diapers (and the sun will bleach these, too) If you are having problems with yeast, hanging your garments in the sun will kill the yeast.

5. Baking soda is a great way to absorb oders. Sprinkle it on your carpets to absorb oders. Wait about 30 minutes to an hour and vacuum up. You will have fresh smelling carpets.

6. Use vinegar instead of fabric softener. Use the citrus vinegar mentioned above to give your clothes a light, pleasant smell.

7. Have a problem with mosquitoes around your house, plant Citronella plants outdoors. Cedar chips around your house are another great way to keep bugs away. As is cedar oil and lavender oil.

8. Collect rain water to water your garden and plants.

9. Vinegar and old newspaper is a great way to clean windows.Simply spray the windows with the vinegar and wipe with the newspapers.

10. Use club soda to clean and polish stainless steal. Its a great way to polish your stainless steal sinks, too.

I hope these tips will be a help to you. Not only are they frugal and thrifty, but they are safe to use around your home without exposing your family to harsh chemicals.