Best Kitchen Tips Ever

Want to reduce your household expenses, avoid the use of toxic substances and reduce waste at the landfill?

I am not a big fan of giving  money to Proctor and Gamble ( any other similar manufactures for that matter) and prefer to use more natural products on my body and in my home.

If you look under your sinks and count the number of containers of cleaning supplies and multiple that number by 4 (the average cost these days is about  $3.00 - $4.00 per container)  you will have an idea of how much you spend on supplies for your home and personal use items.   You can eliminate the expense and the clutter by using more natural and inexpensive supplies which you may already  have in your home.

Please see the suggestions below and decide which ones you can incorporate  into your life.


Food
Flour and corn meal:  prevent bugs by freezing  new bags for 48 hours before placing them in the cabinet

Lemons.and limes:   freeze whole after washing well, to use grate while still frozen and add them to recipes (makes delicious salad dressings and sauces)

Bananas:  wrap in foil and freeze after starting to turn brown and use in smoothies, snacks, and baking after slightly thawing.

Coffee:  freeze left over coffee in an ice tray to make iced coffee and coffee flavored shakes

Chicken broth:  freeze broth in an ice tray, after frozen store in plastic bags and use cubes as needed
                        vegetables cooked in chicken broth decreases the need for salt and fats for great flavor

Coconut milk:   freeze in an ice tray, after frozen store in plastic bags and use cubes as needed.

Fresh Herbs:  chop and place in ice tray, cover with water or olive oil, after frozen store in freezer, add to recipes as needed

Cleaning fruits and vegetables:  soak in mixture of white vinegar and water before use

Personal Use
Tea bags:  freeze used tea bags and  place on eyes for 10-15 minutes to reduce puffiness and dark circles

Fingernails:  harden nails by adding fresh crushed garlic to clear nail polish.  Let stand for a week and use often.  It takes several minutes after polishing for the garlic smell to subside.

Smooth skin:  apply olive oil and leave on for 20 minutes before washing away
                      apply virgin coconut oil to skin after cleansing and
                      exfoliate skin on the face with baking soda combined with lotion, water, coconut oil or soap        
                      use coconut oil to remove eye makeup
                      use coconut oil as facial moisturizer
                      use coconut oil as soap

Hand Scrub:  mix olive oil with course salt, gently scrub and rinse

Body Scrub:  mix yellow corn meal with body lotion, gentle scrub  entire body while in the shower and then wash

Clean teeth and gums:  brush teeth and then swish 1 tsp coconut oil around teeth and gums for 20 minutes (oil pulling) and spit.

Toothpaste:  combine baking soda, salt, coconut oil and a drop of peppermint, brush as usual

Deodorant:  apply baking soda to underarms with a cotton ball, sprinkle baking soda in shoes, garbage cans, etc.

Cleaning                                  
Glass top stove:  clean with baking soda and water paste after each use, buff glass for shine,  keep a scrapper handy to scrap away spills after each use.

Garbage disposal:  add baking soda and white  vinegar for a deodorizing clean  or use lemon juice and baking soda.

Marble: clean with lemon juice and baking soda

Stainless steel counter tops:  clean with baking soda and lemon juice

Stuck on food in stainless steel pans:  boil water in pan until stuck on food comes off easily or sprinkle stuck on food with baking soda and let sit until ready to clean

Clean hardwood, wood laminate, tile floors:  mix  white vinegar and water,  1/2 cup vinegar to a gallon of warm water

Stainless steel appliances:  wipe with coconut oil applied to a soft cloth to remove prints and streaks

Windows: clean with vinegar and water or make your own all purpose cleaner:
                 1 cup ammonia (purchase at a Dollar Store)
                 1 pint alcohol
                 1/2 teaspoon dish washing liquid
                 1 gallon of water (use hot water for really greasy, soiled areas)

Fabric softener:  add 3/4 cup baking soda to rinse cycle

Stain remover:  combine baking soda, salt, and hydrogen peroxide and apply to stains


Send me your favorites, I would love to know what they are.

Be well!

Clean Fruits and Vegetables, It Is Easy

You can get fruits and vegetables sparkling clean without a lot of expense by adding a little vinegar (a mild acid)  to water and allow the fruit and vegetables to soak for a few minutes and then rinse well.   Removing dirt and residue from food will be greatly appreciated by your liver.  You can use food grade hydrogen peroxide also but vinegar is a lot less expense.

                   
                                                     
     







Other uses for Vinegar

Stainless steel:  Clean stainless steel sinks, (did you know manufactures say never use bleach on stainless steel?) Garbage disposal:  Add baking soda and vinegar to clean and deodorize. Glass: Clean mirrors and windows with a soft cloth.  Add to dishwasher rinse dispenser or just pour small amount in the bottom of the dishwasher for squeaky clean dishes. Wood:  Use to remove wax buildup.   Floors: Mix couple tablespoons with water and damp mop. Hair Rinse:  Combine 1/4 cup vinegar mixed with cup of warm water and apply to hair after shampooing, It will leave a squeaky clean feeling and a  beautiful shine. Ants:  Gives ants the boot when you  wipe down cabinets where ants have been.   They don't like the stuff at all.

Inexpensive All Purpose Cleaner

I love saving money and whenever I come up with a good way to do that I like to  share the idea.

Below is a recipe for an all purpose cleaner I use almost every day.    

It is perfect for cleaning  tile floors with a damp sponge mop because it dries almost instantly.   Having wet floors are a risk for falls!


The solution cleans  windows,  mirrors,  and bathroom fixtures, leaving a nice shine.  


If you are cleaning really dirty outside windows,  add hot water instead of cold and it will cut the grime more easily. 

Glass and All Purpose Cleaner Recipe  

      Cost: approx   $1.50/gal

Mix one cup of ammonia
One pint of rubbing alcohol
One and one half  teaspoons of hand dishwashing liquid 

Top off  with enough water to make 1 gallon. 

     Be careful not to add too much soap to the mixture because it will cause streaking. 

I mix everything up in a plastic gallon milk carton and fill my spray bottle as needed.  Place the recipe on the bottle  and you will always have the recipe at your finger tips and will know the the bottle's contents.   

   

Pour some of the mixture into a spray bottle and you're all set.  Use your old Windex bottle and congratulate yourself for being so smart and for keeping your money in your pocket.               
                                                                 

Cleaning House and Saving Money

Your best and least expensive cleaners are  already in your kitchen.  Watch your cleaning supply  bill reduce drastically by using these tips.   When you buy "brands" you are paying
 for packaging and marketing.  Manufactures are the ones who are really cleaning up.                                                                                        

:

VINEGAR:  Contains  acidic acid,  tartaric acid and citric acid.  It cleans and disinfects. 

Stainless steel:  Clean stainless steel sinks, (did you know manufactures say never use bleach on stainless steel?) Garbage disposal:  Add baking soda and vinegar to clean and deodorize. Glass: Cleans mirrors and windows with a soft cloth. Wood:  Use to remove wax buildup.   Floors: Mix couple tablespoons with water and damp mop. Hair Rinse:  Combine 1/4 cup vinegar mixed with cup of warm water and apply to hair after shampooing, It will leave a squeaky clean feeling and a  beautiful shine. Ants:  Gives ants the boot when you  wipe down cabinets where ants have been.   They don't like the stuff at all.  I had ants coming in through the electrical outlet behind the  microwave so I placed  a little vinegar in a cup inside the microwave.  No more ants! BAKING SODA: (sodium bicarb)  It has disinfectant  and antiseptic properties and it may be an effective fungicide against some organisms.  It is used in baking where it reacts with other components to release carbon dioxide and causes batter and dough to rise.   Ancient Egyptians used baking soda as soap.

  

Skin exfoliate:  Mix with facial cleaner and gently scrub.  It works as good as any you can buy.  Deodorant:  Apply under arms  with a cotton ball Shampoo: Use alone or along with your usual shampoo to remove hair product residual.  Also great as a dry shampoo if you have oily hair.  Mouth wash:  Mix with water to use as a mouth wash.  Combine with a small amount  of peroxide to soak dentures  Teeth stains:  Mix with hydrogen peroxide to remove stains from teeth.  Skin Softner:   Add a few tablespoons to your bath water for softer skin.  Soft scrub:  Mix with water to make a paste  to clean and scrub  sinks, counter tops, etc. Laundry:  Add one half cup to the wash cycle to  boost your  laundry detergent.  Grout:   Mix with hydrogen peroxide and scrub grout with small brush  to restore whiteness. Garbage disposal:  Put a couple of tablespoons in the garbage disposal and add one half cup vinegar.  A nice foamy reaction occurs which will clean and deodorize. Repeat as desired. Deodorizer:  Sprinkle in or on  trash cans, garbage disposals, carpets, shoes, musty books,  etc,  to neutralize odors.  Keep a box in the refrigerator and freezer also.  Fire: Sprinkle on grease fires. Silver:  Make a paste with water and scrub. Floors:  Mix one half a cup with water and damp mop tile and no wax floors. Oven:  Sprinkle in the bottom of the oven, spray with water, let sit over night and then remove grease and grime.  Cloths  softener:  Add one half  one cup to the rinse cycle as a replacement for softener and also to remove odors Stains:  Removes heavy tea and coffee stains from cups.   Medicinal:  Mix with water to form a paste and apply to  insect bites. ALCOHOL   Floors: Mix a couple tablespoons with water to damp mop tile and no wax floors.  Glass: Clean  windows,  mirror, and eyeglasses

You will save a  bundle of money by  using these tried and true products and contribute to a "green"  environment.   Buy these products from the Dollar Store and save more $$$$$!