I see the sun! AKA: Living in the PNW is a good reason NOT to clean your windows.

Oh the sun!  We don't see the sun quite nearly as much as we should in the Pacific Northwest during the winter.  Now I know why.  It helps us from seeing how disgusting our windows are. 

 

I'm sitting in bed, sick with whatever I picked up at the ER with my youngest, longing to be in the glorious sun light with the beautiful, healthy people.  Then I notice something.  "What is that all over my windows?"  Hand prints, streaks, & film.  Yuck.

 

I had to clean it.  It was mocking me.  Mocking me.  I went to the cabinet, no glass cleaner.  Gasp.  I went to the pantry, NADA.  A choice word or two went through my mind.  I started this "No Spend January" group, so I knew I could not run out to the store to get a bottle.  Enter Google.  I found a great recipe, actually a couple from CrunchyBetty.com.  I like this one the best.  It doesn't leave a film on the windows.  BUT, you should spray & wipe the windows at least twice to make sure you get all the dirt off and wipe all the liquid off the windows otherwise there WILL BE streaks.  It also helps to use newspaper too.  The black & white pages not the colored pages.  It leaves no particles  on the glass like paper towels do.

 

 

Mix: 1/2C of rubbing alcohol, 1/2C water & 1 Tbsp vinegar.  I sterilized my water by boiling it.  The recipe won't fill up the entire bottle, but you can double or triple the batch.  Yes, I reused the old Windex bottle with my new environmentally friendly cleaner.  The batch I made probably cost me about .50.  Try it out.  I'm sure you are going to love it. 

Homemade & Cheap Dishwasher Soap

New year, new ways for me to save!  I joined a group called Living Well Spending Less & January is a "No Spending Month".  And guess what I just ran out of in my stockpile?  Dishwasher soap.  ACK!

 

I couldn't spend unless it was a need.  This is a need, but I remembered I had posted sometime ago about homemade dishwasher soap. I haven't used the recipe because I had enough premade soap in my pantry.  I read the reviews on line & couldn't justify buying it.  I made some & love it.  So I ended up making 192 loads of dishwasher soap for $3.25 in less than 2 minutes!  That comes out to $0.017 a load.  I use equal amounts of Borax & Washing Soda.  I can get 8 cups total into a half gallon canning jar.  I use 2 tsp. for each wash. It seems like I do at least a load of dishes a day, especially when the kids are out of school.  This will last me until June or July.  I figured I save at least $17 + my time.  Easy & natural ~ can't bet that!

 

 

 

 

Hydrogen Peroxide is FABULOUS stain remover!

My children are active.  That's the best way to say it.  They climb, run, and jump.  They never sit still.  They're kids; that's what they are suppose to do.  There are many times that they fall & get scrapped up.  Most of the time they get blood on their clothes.

 

This is from our current ouchie:

 

 

Pour the hydrogen peroxide directly on the blood stain.  Let it foam.  Repeat if necessary.  Wash with cold water and pour hp again.  There will be less foam each time you use hp.



This pair of sweats washed once.  The stain is gone!  No scrubbing & no harsh chemicals.

 

 

 

I have even done this on dried blood stains.  Do the same steps.  The stain still comes out.  If for some reason you wash & dry your clothes & you missed the stain, repeat the steps.  It will still foam, but I would add some stain remover.  I just love hydrogen peroxide!  A chemical free miracle!

 

Homemade bleach

I read somewhere that bleach was used as a method of chemical warfare during WWI.  Most households didn't have bleach they used hydrogen peroxide, which is safer for the environment.  This recipe isn't too harsh & doesn't have that "bleach" smell.

1 C hydrogen peroxide
3 T lemon juice
12 C water

Mix all ingredients.  That's it.  Use it in the wash, counter tops, where ever you need to use bleach.  Store in a cool place.  Use within 6 months.

Homemade Furniture Oil

Most of us have hand-me-down furniture & I'm no exception.  I have this old square oak table that has been beaten to a pulp over the years.  Since I'm trying to go more natural with my cleaning products due to health concerns I researched furniture oil.  This is easy!

• 1 C olive oil
• 1/2 C lemon juice

My table was so dry it sucked up all the oil, but it looks much, much better.  It didn't cost that much either, I got a cheap bottle of olive oil at the Dollar Store!  I still have some left over.  Can't beat the price about $1.00 for everything! 

Before

After

Homemade tub cleaner

This handy recipe comes from my Titus 2 class.  I love this class!  I love the ladies!  They are so informative!

Difficulty: Easy

1/2 C liquid soap blend

1 tsp borax

2 tsp baking soda

1 3/4C very warm water

Pour water int stainless bowl.  Add soap blend & stir well.  Add other ingedients & stir until grainy.  Store in a squeeze top conatiner (use an old ketchup bottle).  Shake before using.  Keeps about 4 months

*** LIQUID SOAP BLEND ***

1/4 C finely grated glycerine or castile bar soap

3/4 C boiling water

Mix flakes with water until dissolved.  If hardens, warm it up & add water.

Keeps 4-6 months.

I don't do windows.

I don't do windows.  I have this crazy idea that if you clean your windows they should be clean, with no streaks, lines, or film.  With children & a dog in the house, I seem to clean the windows weekly.  Thank goodness for winter, the rainy dreary days make the likelihood of me noticing the window smudges next to impossible.  But I do have a way, taught to me by my step father, to help me with my window OCD & it's thrifty too. 

Crumple up a sheet of newspaper & use it with your window cleaner.  You save money on paper towels.  Everyone can find some kind of newspaper, they're everywhere.  It makes your hands a mess, but who cares you're going to wash them anyway. 

I use this with mirrors, windows & even car windows.

Yes I am using the name brand stuff.  I got it cheap.  Once I am finish with this bottle I am going to find a homemade version, but that will be in another post.

Homemade Carpet Cleaner

When I started this blog it was just a quick way to get my thrifty ideas to my friends who were interested in saving money.  I wanted this blog to be a sounding board, where people share their ideas & give their comments on my posts.  Here is one thrifty recipe from my high school friend, Wendy.  With Christmas just around the corner & family coming up my carpets are looking a bit dingy so I'm going to try this:

This recipe sounds a little weird, but we swear by it. My husbands aunt gave us the recipe and we tried it on the carpets of our old van which were horrible from toting toddlers and their food around. The carpet looked almost new afterwards. I use it as a pre-treater too. I just put it in a spray bottle and spray on the bigger stains and let it sit for awhile.

1 cup Ammonia
1/2 cup Wisk liquid detergent (I use Purex HE and it works good too)
1 capful liquid fabric softener

Mix it all together until it is a uniform consistency and then use it in your cleaner.
My carpet cleaner is a Hoover that the soap goes in a holder on the side, I assume if you put it in one that the soap goes in with the water you would just pour the same amount as you would the regular soap.

Super Cheap Household Cleaner Part Deux - The Orange Scented Edition

In Part one of my post about cheap household cleaner the ingredients were simple:

Put in 1 bottle:
1/2 white vinegar
1/2 water


That's it. Nothing else.  Although I would suggest to boil your water first & let it cool.  Then again if you don't the vinegar should kill anything in the water.

PS Be sure to label your bottle so you know what it is.

In Part Deux, I was commented to my husband that everytime I clean with my homemade cleaner my house smells like vinegar.  The smell was ok, but not great.  Guess what I found out!  You can add used orange or lemon peels to your jar and the oils from the rinds infuses with the vinegar & smells WONDERFUL!  This is what I do:

Add orange peels & vinegar solution into a jar.  I'm reusing an old speghetti sauce jar.  Place it in a dark place like a pantry & wait a few weeks.  Honestly mine started to smell like oranges in a couple of days, just keep it out of direct sunlight.

Super Cheap Household Antibacterial Cleaner

Wait for it, wait for it . . .

Put in 1 bottle:
1/2 white vinegar
1/2 water


That's it. Nothing else.  Although I would suggest to boil your water first & let it cool.  Then again if you don't the vinegar should kill anything in the water.

PS Be sure to label your bottle so you know what it is.

Household Cleaner Just Like Grandma Used to Make

Homemade 409


2T Distilled Vinegar
1T Borax
1/8C Dawn (or whatever soap you have on hand)
1C HOT water
1 trigger spray bottle


Pour vinegar, borax, hot water into bottle.  Fill with cold water.  Add Dawn (or whatever soap you have on hand).

PS Be sure to label your bottle so you know what it is.

Super cheap tub cleanser

Here's another simple recipe, this time for your tub.

Plastic spray bottle
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 T dish soap

Put everything into the spray bottle.

Go to your bathroom and spread about 1/4 cup of baking soda over the floor of the tub. Spray the contents of your spray bottle into the tub until the baking soda is saturated.

Using a soft scrub brush or sponge, scrub your bathtub until it is clean. Rinse the contents down the drain when you are finished.

Hey I can make my own dishwasher soap!

I was asked in one of my couponing classes if I knew how to make dish washer soap.  I didn't, but I'd look into it.  Guess what!  I have all the ingredients in my pantry, thanks to my laundry soap recipe.  It is free of harsh chemicals.

Difficulty: Easy                 Costs: $0.75 for 40 loads/1T .02 per load or 20  loads/2T .04 per load

Ingredients:

1 C Washing soda

1 C Borax

Vinegar (as a rinsing agent)

Mix Borax and Washing soda in a jar. Washing soda is similar to baking soda but better suited for cutting through grease and grime.

Break apart any clumps in the mixture as you mix it. Screw the lid tightly on the jar during storage.

Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the homemade dish soap in the soap cup of your dishwasher. Run the dishwasher as usual.

If desired, place vinegar in the rinse agent dispenser. Vinegar cuts through water spots and is particularly useful when washing glass ware.

 

You too can make fabric softener at home!

I have been couponing for a while now & I have a few bottle of fabric softener that I got SUPER  SUPER CHEAP or FREE, but I do want to try this out.  If you can get the conditioner for free or cheap, it's worth a try.

Difficulty: I could do it in my sleep                                  Cost: Free to $1.00
Time: 2 Minutes

Ingredients:
6 C Hot water
3 C White Vinegar
2 C Sauve Conditioner or whatever you have laying around

Mix conditioner & water well until dissolved.  Mix in vinegar.  Put in a used, clean dispenser (like the old fabric softener bottle)

WHAT?!? You make your own laundry soap? Why yes, I do!

I got this recipe from my wonderful MoPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group.  When I heard about it, I thought they were CRAZY!  Why would anyone make laundry soap when you can go to the store & buy it?  Fast forward a few years, I've become one of those crazy ladies.  This is so cheap & easy.  Yes, you do see my laundry soap in a Cool Whip container, remember people the name of the blog is The Thrifty Housewife!  Not pretty, but who cares!  The liquid version I can fill up an entire laundry bucket from Costco, for next to nothing!

 

Difficulty: Easy peasy                                    Cost: about $1.50

Time: Less than 10 minutes

Ingredients for Dry Laundry Soap:

1 Bar Fels Natha Soap or Ivory

3/4 C WASHING Soda (not Baking soda)

3/4 C Borax

5-10 drops of essential oil for fragrance (if desired, I don't but you might)

Cut soap bar into 3 pieces & grate up in blender or food processor.  Add washing soda & blend again.  Add Borax & blend again.  Use 1 T for normal laundry or more for you dirtier laundry.  Makes 40T.

Ingredients for Liquid Laundry Soap:

4 C Hot water

1 Bar Fels Natha Soap or Ivory

1 C WASHING Soda (not Baking soda)

1/2 C Borax

10-15 drops of essential oil for fragrance per 2 gallons (if desired, I don't but you might)

Grate bar of soap & add to saucepan with water.  Stir continually over med-low heat until melted.

Fill 5 gallon bucket 1/2 full with hot tap water.  Add melted soap, washing soda, & Borax.  Stir well until dissolved.  Fill to top with hot tap water.  Let cool overnight.  Makes 10 gallons.

Fill a used, clean laundry dispenser with 1/2 soap & 1/2 water.  Shake before each use.  Use 5/8 C, I just reuse the scooper from the Costco container.