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Cleaning Up:  Your Favorite Cleaning "Recipes"  |
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TeresaJ25
True Blue Farmgirl
975 Posts
Teresa
Medford
NY
USA
975 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 14 2011 : 3:45:19 PM
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We just started a new Chapter..and as a welcome for new members we wanted to put together a basket filled with homemade cleansers. I have my own favorites, but I was curious to see what I might be missing! I would love it if you all could share some of your favorites!
We are also crocheting dishcloths to put in there as well!
~Teresa
Farmgirl Sister #1348
*Anyone can criticize and complain and predict doom and gloom.
Be the person who fills the room with sunshine! |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Apr 14 2011 : 8:59:31 PM
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Baking soda, lemon juice, white vinegar, salt, borax, washing soda, corn starch...
I use the white vinegar to wash counters, floors ect, salt as a abrasive as well as the baking soda.....White vinegar down the sinks to keep them clean & in the dish rinse water...lemon juice I use on the wood cutting boards, clean grease off the stove...mixed with water for the windows...vinegar good for this as well....borax, baking soda & washing soda I use in the laundry...use baking soda &/or corn starch on the carpets & baking soda in the litter boxes as well.....I always keep an old toothbrush under the kitchen sink & bathroom sink to use. :) Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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SusanScarlet
True Blue Farmgirl
317 Posts
317 Posts |
Posted - Apr 18 2011 : 6:02:33 PM
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| I'm loving my grapefruit fragrance vinegar that I use for cleaning. Packed a quart canning jar FULL of grapefruit peel, filled with vinegar, Texas sun for 3 days. Strained through coffee filter. Smells great! |
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melody
True Blue Farmgirl
3324 Posts
Melody
The Great North Woods in the Land of Hiawatha
USA
3324 Posts |
Posted - Apr 18 2011 : 7:06:07 PM
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I use a lot of vinegar. Kids hate the smell but it is a wonderful natural cleaner and after a few minutes the "pickle" smell goes away!
Melody
Farmgirl #525 |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Apr 19 2011 : 03:55:23 AM
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I second vinegar and baking soda!
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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TeresaJ25
True Blue Farmgirl
975 Posts
Teresa
Medford
NY
USA
975 Posts |
Posted - Apr 19 2011 : 05:25:16 AM
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Thanks so much everyone! I use a lot of vinegar myself, but my family does NOT like the way it smells! My husband will walk in the kitchen with this "face" and ask "Did you spill salad dressing?"
Everytime.
I am going to try SusanScarlet's recipe for grapefruit vinegar...I won't have the Texas sun, I'll have to use Long Island sun! Although with this weather, it's a wonder if I'll get any sun at all!
~Teresa
Farmgirl Sister #1348
*Anyone can criticize and complain and predict doom and gloom.
Be the person who fills the room with sunshine! |
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SusanScarlet
True Blue Farmgirl
317 Posts
317 Posts |
Posted - Apr 19 2011 : 11:57:59 AM
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| TeresaJ25 - hope you like the scented vinegar. Any citrus should work the same way. Really pack in it though, not just a little. As soon as my basil plants fill out, I'm going to try basil scented vinegar using the same method. I'll let ya'll know how it works. |
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debtea2
True Blue Farmgirl
1853 Posts
deborah
nutley
nj
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - Apr 19 2011 : 5:11:13 PM
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i use sugar as a scrub too
and pack white vinegar in a jar with lavender
i love lavender and use it ground up with baking soda
to refresh rugs ..i also put in the litter box
i grow it so theres plenty.
and a room freshener with distilled water and EO lavender
work great for ironing and pillows..
just a thought
inch by inch we find our way
jersey farmgirl
#1330
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4745 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4745 Posts |
Posted - Apr 20 2011 : 2:06:25 PM
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I buy white vinegar by the gallon every other week. I use tons of it for cleaning mixed with water for glass, mirrors and windows. I add tea tree oil to it for the bathroom cleaning.
I make my own laundry soap, spot cleaner, and produce spray too. Have fun with your new chapter and coming up with some great recipes and ideas!
Dawn in IL |
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rebekahj
True Blue Farmgirl
128 Posts
Rebekah
Santa Cruz
CA
USA
128 Posts |
Posted - Apr 26 2011 : 08:25:09 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by debtea2
i use sugar as a scrub too
and pack white vinegar in a jar with lavender
i love lavender and use it ground up with baking soda
to refresh rugs ..i also put in the litter box
i grow it so theres plenty.
and a room freshener with distilled water and EO lavender
work great for ironing and pillows..
just a thought
inch by inch we find our way
jersey farmgirl
#1330
Do you have to dry the lavender or do you use it fresh?
Urban-Farmgirl Sister #2173
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Edited by - rebekahj on May 09 2011 09:39:55 AM |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - May 08 2011 : 3:42:40 PM
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| I hope it isn't too late to add *my* favorite. It's a combo: white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. Both are amazingly cheap, and in spray bottles, you can use them together to give countertops and other surfaces the most hygienic cleaning around. Some university lab somewhere published a study that give this combination a higher score than bleach or Lysol for disinfecting. Hydrogen peroxide comes in a quart-sized brown vinyl bottle (it breaks down rapidly if exposed to light) that you can fit a sprayer thing into -- just buy two spray bottles and switch one of the the sprayers for the cap on the hydrogen peroxide bottle. |
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rebekahj
True Blue Farmgirl
128 Posts
Rebekah
Santa Cruz
CA
USA
128 Posts |
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countrymommy85
True Blue Farmgirl
898 Posts
Krystle
MT
USA
898 Posts |
Posted - May 10 2011 : 1:25:50 PM
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Vinegar and baking soda are by far my favorite household cleaners! I love how baking soda literally powers away the grease in the sink left over from my mechanic husband washing his hands in the sink. Of all the cleaners I have tried so I wouldn't have to scrub my arms off to get the grease spots gone baking soda sure does the trick! I never thought about using hydrogen peroxide as a cleaner. Great tip Mara!!!
~We can make the world a better place for our kids and future generations by what we do today!~
http://countryrenaissance.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SunflowersAndHoney |
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TeresaJ25
True Blue Farmgirl
975 Posts
Teresa
Medford
NY
USA
975 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2011 : 03:35:39 AM
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It's never too late to add your favorite Mara!
Thanks girls for all the wonderful tips! I have copied everything down and giving the books to our new chapter sisters tomorrow!
~Teresa
Farmgirl Sister #1348
*Anyone can criticize and complain and predict doom and gloom.
Be the person who fills the room with sunshine! |
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adnama
True Blue Farmgirl
171 Posts
inge
fargo
north dakota
USA
171 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2011 : 12:12:17 PM
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| Peroxide is a great cleaner for the bathroom, once I am done the handle and the toliet seat get a spray and then air dried. One thing that you should be aware of, is it will bleach the color out of fabrics, not as quickly as bleach, but it does eventually, always have the bottle sitting on a rag to absorb any drips from your sprayer, and I think they all drip. I use a combination of dish soap,any kind, and peroxide to get the orangy color out of the grouting in the shower and around the stall on the floor, the soap makes it stick to the tile better and you can watch the peroxide bubble once it sticks and kills the orange mildew, or what ever it is. |
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Woodswoman
True Blue Farmgirl
512 Posts
Jennifer
Altamont
NY
USA
512 Posts |
Posted - May 15 2011 : 5:53:12 PM
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My favorite thing for general cleaning is a few squirts of plain soap in a bucket of warm water, with about 4 drops each of lemon and lavender essential oils. Smells heavenly and is a great general cleaner.
Jennifer
Farmgirl Sister #104
"Nature brings to every time and season some beauties of its own".
-Charles Dickens |
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22angel
True Blue Farmgirl
498 Posts
Pam
Manitoba
Canada
498 Posts |
Posted - Jul 07 2011 : 7:32:36 PM
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My favorite cleaning solution that works on seriously everything is 50% water, 30% vinegar & 20% lemon juice. So for example, for 4 cups cleaning solution it would be 2 cups water, 1 1/4 cups vinegar & 3/4 cups lemon juice. I put it in a spray bottle & use it on everything - windows, sticky spots, counter spills, bathroom...everything!
Life isn't about finding yourself. It's about creating yourself. |
Edited by - 22angel on Jul 07 2011 7:33:29 PM |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Jul 08 2011 : 5:19:49 PM
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I use lemon infused vinegar! Just put lemon peels (or I guess squeeze the lemon juice in the vinegar then put the peels in) seal up the mason jar, and let it sit. After it turns a nice shade of yellow I strain it into my spray bottle and go to town!
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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janiee
True Blue Farmgirl
820 Posts
Janie
Shawnee
Oklahoma
USA
820 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2011 : 08:43:29 AM
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what about cleaning the oven? anything "natural" you can do with that?
janiee
farmgirl #390 |
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knit-together
Farmgirl at Heart
6 Posts
Dori
Medinah
IL
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2011 : 2:21:36 PM
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| My favorite all-around cleaner is: 1 part distilled water, 1 part hydrogen peroxide. Add 2-3 drops of essential oil of choice for every ounce. Great for glass, countertops, toilets, all hard surfaces. All essenial oils are naturally antibacterial. I've given this out to some friends for gifts. I mix the oils to create the scent I feel fits them. |
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22angel
True Blue Farmgirl
498 Posts
Pam
Manitoba
Canada
498 Posts |
Posted - Aug 12 2011 : 8:18:32 PM
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Janiee - I read somewhere that if you sprinkle baking soda in the oven, then leave it sit overnight, & scrub it in the morning (or whenever), it works really good. Found it from here: http://www.naturalfreshmom.com/cleaning/easiest-oven-cleaning-ever/ Hope it works for you!
Life isn't about finding yourself. It's about creating yourself.
"When I grow up, I want to be dirt." seen on a box through construction in Wyoming 2010 |
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Roseann
Farmgirl in Training
17 Posts
Roseann
Pittsgrove
NJ
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2011 : 07:05:38 AM
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I currently am trying (for the first time) Distilled white vinegar in a big mason jar with lemon& orange peels thrown in. It has been sitting for about 2 weeks. Everytime we use another lemon or orange, I have the family throw the peels in. I am excited to clean with this. My mothers used to just use straight vinegar and newspaper to clean the windows but I can not stand the smell of plain vinegar.
I am also using magic erasers to remove soap scum from my shower doors. I just keep one in the shower and everyday when I am in there having my shower I spray the doors down and go to town.
- Roseann
Farm girl Sister #3382 |
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Cleaning Up: Your Favorite Cleaning "Recipes" |
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Your Favorite Cleaning "Recipes"
