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.

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.)