There are a lot of safe, easy ways I've found to save on cleaning supplies.

BBQ grill? When you're done cooking, lay a piece of aluminum foil on the grill, shiney side down, fire it up to high, close the lid for about 8-10 minutes and the grill will have self-cleaned with NO chemicals at all.

For most cleaning jobs in the house (burned spots on pans, the grates on the burners, stains on formica, stainless steel, etc)--I reach first for the baking soda. It's cheap, non-toxic, antibacterial, doesn't scratch surfaces, and most importantly is much more effective than a lot of pricy cleaners are.

Rubbing alcohol is the only glass cleaner I use.

For laundry, I use about 1/4 the amount recommended on the box, cold or warm water, and the shortest cycle on my washer--and my clothes come out CLEANER than when I was using more soap and longer washing cycles. No detergent build-up, and if you wash for a shorter length of time, the dirt doesn't have time to be redeposited on the clothes. And since I dry most things in the dryer, no need to use hot water to kill germs--the dryer heat is plenty for that. No fabric softener--mainly because we have allergies, but my clothes come out of the dryer plenty soft.

Thanks for the excellent suggestions.

I use white vinegar (bought in the largest available jug) for shining chrome fixtures. Unfortunately, not everyone likes the smell :) and you need multiple, prolonged applications for "water" stains.

In case anyone doesn't know what "soda crystals" are, here's some information:

Here is a link that might be useful: Soda crystals

- Place a glass marble in the bottom of the kettle to help prevent a build up of mineral deposits once you've gotten it clean. Use solution of equal parts of water and white vinegar, bring it to a boil and let it sit overnight, to clean the kettle.

- A spritz bottle of equal parts of water and rubbing alcohol makes a great bathroom cleaner, including chrome. I spritz all flat surfaces and wipe them dry (daily).

- If you empty the water from the toilet bowl before you clean it (I dump 1/4 bucket of water - usually leftover from another task - to flush out the water), you will only need a small amount of cleaner (of choice) on the brush. The entire bowl doesn't need covering with cleaner....

- I keep a spritz bottle of 1 quart water and 1 teaspoon liquid bleach in the kitchen - it's the ultimate sanitizer for all kitchen surfaces. And don't forget to keep rags for these cleaning tasks, rather than paper towels, and wash and dry them for reuse.

-Grainlady

Silly question from the youngin'. So it sounds like I can start replacing all my cleaning supplies with Bleach, rubbing alcohol and vinegar. My question is, when do you use vinegar and when do you use alcohol?

And I thought this thread was going to be about cheap housekeepers....

rushmom3 - I use white vinegar in the rinse water in my laundry (about 1/4 c. in the softener dispenser, instead of high-priced softener). Once dried, the clothes DO NOT smell like vinegar. I've tried to remove as many products that have a fregrence in them as possible, because I think they can be dangerous to the environment and people.

Vinegar is a good grease-cutter, so is an excellent cleanser for floors. No-wax floors can be cleaned with a solution of 1 cup vinegar per gallon of water for a shinier surface.

In the Bathroom...

To remove corrosion or mineral build-up from showerheads, soak in vinegar overnight.

Remove stains from the toilet bowl by spraying with vinegar and spraying.

To remove soap build-up from faucets, clean with a mixture of 1 part salt to four parts vinegar.

Spray shower walls and shower curtain with vinegar to help prevent mildew.

Alcohol is an excellent and inexpensive disinfectant. I use it to wipe off things like the phone, door knobs, faucets, keyboards, etc. If your no-wax bathroom flooring suffers from hairspray residue, a spritz of alcohol will easily remove it. CAUTION: Alcohol is flammable, so keep it away from open flames.

What's in Toxic Cleaning Products - glycol ether, acids, caustics, borine, chlorine, ammonia, petroleum solvents, butyl, phosphate, MEA, EDTA, nonyl phenol, sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate, known carcinogens, artificial fragrance, colors or preservatives.

-Grainlady

I use rubbing alcohol to clean paint brushes. Even dried oil based paint will soften after the brushes soak overnight.

Let any cleaner soak on the surface before wiping it away. Apply the cleaner, walk away for a few minutes, do someting else, when you come back the goo will be dissolved.

Alcohol is an excellent and inexpensive disinfectant. I use it to wipe off things like the phone, door knobs, faucets, keyboards, etc.

Be careful using alcohol on plastic items: it can remove screened-on labels and soften plastic into a sticky dirt-attracting mess.

Ditto on what steve_o said. I ruined a toilet seat by using rubbing alcohol on it and I also ruined a phone.

Rubbing alcohol works great on ceramic in kitchen and bath and on chrome.

I'm having to take physical therapy at a local hospital twice a week,my therapist spilled my coke. When he cleaned it up he spreyed it with a plain spritz bottle. I asked him what it was. He answered....Alcohal. So-o-o we're not alone in cheap cleaning. LOL
oakleif

I put rubbing alcohol in a small spritz bottle and use that to clean my glasses. I learned this from an optometrist who cleaned my glasses this way in his office.

White Vinegar is also good for cleaning mirrors, windows, shower screens and to remove limescale from draining boards.
Another great cheap and 'greener' cleaning product which i seem to use for everything is washing Soda Crystals. I get a 1kg bag from Sainsbury's for about 70p. I use them for everything from cleaning grease from the grill, washing the kitchen floor, cleaning the bathroom and unblocking sinks.
The link is great for cleaning tips using Vinegar and Soda Crystals.

Here is a link that might be useful: Soda Crystals Cleaning tips