Frugal Cleaning Tips

If you know me at all then you know that I am an avid fan of the work at home company, ChaCha. While we work hard, Guides will often share tips and advice as well as deals that we find online in between answering all those questions. I was lucky enough to come across this list of cleaning tips posted by Cindy, one of the veteran, and best, ChaCha Guides. I have heard of and use a few of these tips myself but some were brand new to me, I’m going to have to make something with tomato sauce just so I can see it not stain the plastic!

Cleaning Tips That Are Quite Frugal! (I’ve copied it directly)

For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dish washing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps.
They won’t refreeze. (wish I had known this for the last 40 years!)
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To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for
a few hours. Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside down. The
wax will fall out.
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Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped
in baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!).
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Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt
BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.
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Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of
scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw
away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would
be much more economical. Now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely!
In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get ‘sharpened” this way!
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Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen
peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood.. Works
every time! (Now, where to put the body?) LOL
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Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal
for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks.
Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don’t wash windows
on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.
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Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell
freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linen.
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Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3
hours prior to burning.
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To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the
flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt
and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!
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To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap
and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove top.

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Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring
in tomato based sauces and there won’t be any stains.

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Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

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When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the
corn’s natural sweetness
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Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your
forehead. The throbbing will go away.
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Don’t throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future
use in casseroles and sauces ……. Left over wine? What’s that?
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To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area
and you will experience instant relief.
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Ants, ants, ants everywhere … Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So,
get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.
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Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still,
leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
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When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to
tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, and
then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.
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Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer…….. Clean a toilet.
Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush.
The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China
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Clean a vase.
To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water
and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.
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Polish jewelry.
Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the
jewelry for two minutes.
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Clean a thermos bottle.
Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak
for an hour (or longer, if necessary).
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Unclog a drain.
Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the
drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar.. Wait a few minutes,
and then run the hot water.

Do you have any more frugal cleaning tips that you would like to share?

Read more tips and articles in our Natural Cleaning section!