Cleaning – Reader Mailbag

As we have been getting a few great tips from readers I have occasionally been posting a “Reader Mailbag”.  Well just this past week I received a great tip  from Annette in Connecticut that I want to share with you.

Annette writes that she has stumbled upon a great tip for using vinegar while cleaning.

All you need to do is put your lemon, orange, grapefruit or other citrus peels into a large container of vinegar.

The citrus peels improves the cleaning, and cuts back on the vinegar scent quite a bit.

Not only is it a safe and yummy smelling way to clean, but it is also a great way to recycle the peelings.

Laundry Whitener – Reader Mailbag

Another dear reader, Kerri from Washington State, sent us a great recipe for laundry whitener.  Just look at my before and ofter shots and you will not doubt how fantastic this cleaner truly is.

I have been sold on this even though I had to purchase brand name dishwasher detergent and not go with my cheap in-store brand…  (the trick is in the Cascade brand – no I am not getting anything from them for saying this, though if any readers out there work for cascade, I would be happy to take some free DW soap.)

As a side note… no spots on my glasses…

Anyways, here it is, in all of its simpleness.

• 1/2 Cup Cascade Dishwashing Soap (granular)
• 1 1/2 Cup Liquid Clorox Bleach

*Do not use color safe bleach, the trick is to whiten your items.

Directions:

1. Fill the tub of your washing machine half way with hot water.
2. Add the two ingredients from above and allow time to dissolve.
3. Add 10-20 items that you want whitened (the trick is not to add too many).
4. Let the articles soak approximately 20 minutes.
5. Run your washing machine agitation and spin cycle.
6. Run the items through a regular wash with laundry detergent.
7. Dry using your preferred drying method.

As a side note, if you have a colored article of clothing that is stained, this may be a great way to revive it.  I know for my part I will not wear stained clothing out too much (though I do we wear it around the house).  Sometimes the items have tons of wear left and I am distressed that the stain appeared.

Generally because one of my kids spilled on me.

Anyways, try the whitener, it may come out lighter than it was originally but if the stain is removed and the article is now wearable you are to the advantage.

Good luck, and let me know how it works for you.

Useful link – Homemade Laundry Detergent

No matter how good or bad of a cook you are there is one thing that you cannot avoid… greasy dish cleanup.  Admit it, we all have them.  In the past my fix was always to save the gross dishes to the end, wash them as good as I could get them, drain all the water and then refill the sinks and wash them again.  Then hopefully they were good enough to run through the dishwasher if it was empty enough for them or else I would just finish them off drying in the dish rack.

Well now I can wash them all in the original water and not have a problem.  Here is my trick.

To cut grease and odor on greasy grimy dishes when doing kitchen cleaning, add a tablespoon of vinegar to your hot soapy water.

I hate purchasing dishwasher detergent about as much as I hate purchasing laundry detergent.  It is every bit as expensive and you have those empty bottles to throw into the landfill.  So what did I do?  I found a method for homemade dishwasher detergent.

Dishwasher soap is easy to make, and cost effective. I mix up a batch in an empty canister, and pour it in the dishwasher as needed.

Mix and use per dishwasher load:

• 1 Tablespoon Borax
• 1 Tablespoon Baking soda

OR

• Equal parts Borax & Baking Soda
• Add 2 Tablespoons per load.

If you want to ensure a super shine on the dishes put vinegar in the jet dry spot. (Plus if you use Apple Cider Vinegar your house smells so good afterward.)

For your convenience we have added all of the ingredients to make your own homemade dishwasher detergent to our convenience store.  Click here to be taken there.

Tips and Tricks:

If you have hard water increase the proportion of the baking soda (note: Use baking soda not washing soda.  Washing soda leaves spots and does not clean the dishes as well.  Please do not think that because it does not clean dishes as well that it works better in clothes too.  that is not the case.  Washing soda for clothes, baking soda for dishes.)

Laundry soap is a necessity that every family needs and a cost that no one enjoys paying.  What if I told you that you never have to rely on store bought laundry soap again that that you could make ten times the laundry soap at a fraction of the cost, would you do it?

Well you can, and it is simple.

Here is what you need:

1. 1/3 bar Fels Naptha (or other type of soap, as listed below)
2. ½ cup washing soda
3. ½ cup borax powder
4. Water
5. (optional) 2 to 3 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice
6. ~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~

or if you want to make one large batch to use the entire bar of Fels Naptha here it is.

1. 1 bar Fels Naptha (or other type of soap, as listed below)
2. 1 ½ cup washing soda
3. 1 ½ cup borax powder
4. Water
5. (optional) 2 to 3 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice
6. ~You will also need a bucket, about 5 to 6 gallon size~

The Soap Ingredient: The best soap to use is Fels Naptha.  It is an old-fashioned type of soap usually found in the laundry aisle.  I have placed it in our convenience store for you, however not that I located Fels Naptha at a cost as low as $1.59 per bar at Fred Meyer.  You can also locate it in bulk for $1.29 per bar at BuyTheCase.com.  If you absolutely can not find it anywhere or want the convenience of purchasing it here I have provided it but the cost is not as low as these other costs.  If you want to use an alternative soap try Ivory or another brand called, Zote.   If you use Ivory or Zote you need the entire bar for the first recipe and would need three bars for bulk recipe.   You can also use any homemade bar soap that you make.  Ivory and Zote are also located in our convenience store.

Washing Soda: The first thing to note is that washing soda is not the same thing as baking soda.  It is often hard to find locally however if you can find it, it will be located in the laundry isle of your local shopping center or I have provided it in our convenience store for you.

Borax: Borax is a naturally occurring mineral: Sodium Borate.  It’s purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer. The brand to look for is 20 Mule Team.  It comes in a 76 oz. box.  You should be able to locate this in the laundry detergent aisle.  Again as with the Washing Soda and Fels Naptha I have included it in our convenience store.

DIRECTIONS:

• Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan.
• Add 6 cups  (18 if making larger batch) water and heat it until the soap melts.
• Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved.
• Remove from heat.
• Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of (4 gallons 2 cups water to your bucket.
• Now add your soap mixture and stir.
• Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel.
• You use ½ cup per load.

You should know that the finished product is a watery gel.

In addition, the soap is low sudsing so it will not bubble up.

The laundry detergent is scentless.

Optional:  Some people add 1/2 cup of Oxyclean to their recipe (1 1/2 cup to the bulk recipe) however I do not.

Optional: If you want your soap to be scented you can add ½ to 1 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice.  My favorite scent is lavender essential oil.

Cost Breakdown:

I did a bit of a cost breakdown.  First the comparison:

• Tide – Powder – 80 loads $16.19 ($0.20 per load)
• Tide – Liquid – 78 loads $18.99 ($0.24 per load)
• Cheer – 52 loads $16.67 ($0.32 per load)
• All – 96 loads $12.99 ($0.14 per load)

The cost of my ingredients:

1. Fels Naptha 1 bar $1.59
2. 55 ounce box Washing Soda $2.89 per box, I need 1 1/2 cups for a cost of  $0.64
3. 76 ounce box Borax $3.99 per box, I need 1 1/2 cups for a cost of  $0.76

Total cost $2.99 for 192 loads (each load is 1/2 cup) or $0.02 per load.

So even going with the cheapest laundry detergent that is a savings of $0.12 per load.  Counting all of the towels, bed linens, clothes and everything that we wash with two young boys I do about 10 loads of laundry per week.  That is a savings of $1.20 per week or $62.40 per year.  Do that for a few years and you can really achieve some savings.