Nifty Thrifty Week: Day #2 with Ruth Soukup
Welcome to day two of our Nifty Thrifty week featuring ideas, stories, recipes and GIVEAWAYS from five frugal guests.
(And it all started with my devotion entitled The Boomerang of Blessing. You can click here to read it but be sure to come back!)
Up today is my new friend Ruth from the chock-full-of-ideas website Living Well, Spending Less .
I met Ruth at our recent Proverbs 31 She Speaks Intensive conference and we became fast friends. A shopaholic turned money-saving expert, she has learned over the years that a life well lived is not so much about what we have, but who we are. On her website Ruth shares her adventure of finding the Good Life {on a budget}. Living Well Spending Less includes recipes, couponing & budget advice, DIY projects, and household tips as well as reflections on faith, parenting, and homeschooling. She lives in Florida with her husband Chuck and their two daughters, “Princess” (age 6) and “Trouble” (age 3).
Ruth’s post today is on making homemade cleaners and her generous giveaway is a $50 Amazon card to use to stock up on cleaning supplies.
Now, roll up your sleeves, get ready to clean and meet Ruth:
I can think of many compelling arguments to keep my house tidy. It looks better. I can find things. It helps me be more productive and more hospitable. It lets me be more creative. It makes for a smoother-running household, kids who play better, and a husband who isn’t afraid to come home at night. It even helps me sleep better.
A clean house also saves money. That alone might be reason enough.
Taking care of my home and my things means I am less likely to need to replace something that gets lost or broken. Furthermore, when my house is messy, I want only to escape the clutter. This often means shopping, mindlessly filling a cart with even more stuff I don’t need or finding some other costly way to pass the time.
Re-gaining control of a mess house can be a little overwhelming at first, especially when life never stops moving. It can be hard to know even where to begin. Luckily spring is a great time for new beginnings, and if you are ready for a cleaner house, here are a few tips to get you started.
- Clear the Clutter. For most of us, the problem of a messy house doesn’t come down to too much dirt but too much stuff. We’re drowning in it. To steal a line from Karen, it is time to Let. It. Go. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret: De-cluttering begets more de-cluttering. Once you start, it is SO much easier to keep going! {Get more de-cluttering tips here}
Go Green & Thrifty. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that buying more cleaning supplies will somehow magically make your house cleaner. It won’t. (Believe me, I’ve tried that!) Over the years I’ve discovered that just ten simple household ingredients—vinegar, baking soda, salt, olive oil, liquid dish soap, lemon juice, borax, washing soda, Ivory bar soap, and essential oils—can be combined in ten different ways to clean every single surface in my house. This not only saves time, space, and money, but is better on the environment too. {Get all ten homemade cleaning recipes here}- Clean From Top to Bottom. For a really deep clean, start high—with the ledges, ceiling fans, and light fixtures—then slowly work your way down, ending with the floor and baseboards, cleaning everything in between except the kitchen. Save that for last. {Get a printable top-to-bottom cleaning checklist here}
- Conquer Your Kitchen. Once the rest of your house is clean and (relatively) clutter free, you will be free to focus on the space that haunts us from behind closed cabinet doors. Luckily those closed doors mean we don’t have to do it all at once. Split this task into manageable chunks, one section at a time, over the course of a few days or weeks, and before you know it the kitchen you once feared will be a joy to work in. {Get a printable kitchen cleaning checklist here}
Homemade laundry soap.
There are plenty of times when my own home falls into disarray. Life gets hectic and I can’t keep up. I almost always notice it in my wallet first, and that’s when I know it is time to take a step back and put things back in order. When all is said and done, a clean house just lets me breathe a little easier.
Okay–to be entered in my giveaway here on Karen’s blog, tell me what products do you use to clean your house? Have you ever tried making homemade cleaners? I’d love to hear!
I make my own Clorox bleach wipes by mixing up a homemade bleach solution of bleach and water. I cut a roll of paper towels in half, place them in a tall container with a lid, pour the bleach solution over the paper towels, and let it soak all the way through. It is much less expensive than purchasing Clorox wipes and since I’m potty training my toddler right now they have been a life saver!
I’ve tried the Dawn and vinegar mix for cleaning the bathrooms and was thrilled that it worked well! I like the thought of trying a few more of these. Thanks for the tips!
I am finishing up the cleaning products I have in my cupboard, and plan to switch to homemade mixes when I use these up. I must admit that Clorox wipes are handy to clean up my sinks quickly, though!
I make my own powder laundry detergent. When I first tried it I wasn’t expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised how good it works. I plan to make several more home mixes.
I love using the “babyganics” line I find at toys r us. Because it is safe for kiddos, my little one gets to help!
I use Mrs. Meyer’s cleaning day products…but I would love to try the 10 homemade products you refer to…I cannot find Borax at my local store..perhaps online?? Thanks for the giveaway!! God bless!
Thanks for the great post! I would love to be entered in the giveaway. I really appreciate the homemade cleaner recipes. I’ve been doing that for about 4 years now and it’s all an experiment. One of my favs… Sprinkle baking soda generously over the tub. Splash it with vinegar and a hefty squirt of dish soap. I do this in the morning and then let my boys scrub it before they take showers in the two different baths. You won’t believe the glow after that sits on the tub all day. Then, it’s only a 1 min. commitment on my part. It really helps it clean without a lot of elbow grease. I love your philosophy of “you only need these things.” Thank you for that!! God bless…
I make homemade laundry detergent. I’ve made both the dry version and the liquid version. I like the liquid version better because I get alot more out of it for the money. I love the idea of making homemade cleaners and plan to make more!
I recently had a conversation with a member of my church. who makes dish washing liquid to sell. I was telling her how great it would be if she could teach the single ladies group I belong to how to make it, as part of our skill acquisition programme for the year.
I am also going to college soon and looking for ways to be as thrifty as possible bearing in mind that there is life after college. Therefore this is a very helpful post and series in general. Thank you very much Karen, Ruth and other contributors. God bless you.
I have a question, please is there any problem of dark clothes fading with homemade detergent and whites not being bright enough?
Thank you :)
I have never tried to make cleaning products. I usually get cleaning products with coupons. I DO need help decluttering. We have too much stuff.
I like to make window cleaner, soft soap and will be making laundry soap for the first time this week. My husband says these home made ones don’t work well and he does most of the cleaning. I still keep trying. I hate the caustic fumes of some he uses
I’ve always wanted to try making my own laundry soap. Seems like a great way to save money too. But it scares me. Hopefully I’ll be able to get up some courage to try some of these reciepes. Thanks for sharing!
I make my own laundry soap and love Flylady’s microfiber cloths! I do use regular toilet bowl cleaner, but am intrigued to try the homemade one shared today! Thank you for this series! I love it!
I use vinegar and baking soda for my tubs and sinks before. And I’m still using some products from the store to clean my windows and furniture. Thanks for all the cleaning tips and recipes that you shared. God bless you as you are blessing us women with your very helpful, innovative creations!
I love using homemade cleaners- partly b/c I’m frugal, mostly b/c I hate all the junk & fumes in commercial cleaners, esp with kids around. My favorite items are Vinegar & baking soda. My favorite tub cleaner is a mixture of Dawn liquid soap, Vinegar, a little time and some elbow grease.
Mr. Clean sponges!!
Again, THANK YOU for this post. It couldn’t have come at better time for my family. I have wanted to make my own cleaning supplies…now I have some to follow and use. What a great way to get started with this gift card prize. May you have a blessed day!
Smiles,
Robin :)
LOVE the list of homemade cleaners! Sounds like something fun for my (grown) daughters and me to get together and make! :) Thanks for sharing these great ideas!!
Honestly, I use bleach and lysol. I would like to make time to embrace greener cleaning supplies. I just have yet to do it. Thanks for the recipes!
I use Clorox Wipes for just about all of the cleaning around my house. However, I am interested in learning more about homemade cleaners.
I use this homemade laundry soap, but I need to make sure… and these other reciepes sound great too!
I make my own laundry soap and I also use the Dawn & vinegar combo to clean my shower.
Thanks for the tips!!!
I usually use homemade cleaners – vinegar, baking soda, olive oil and lemon juice many. I also love my Norwex antibacterial cleaning cloths :)
I have never tried to make my own cleaners. Honestly, I was afraid they wouldn’t work. I can’t wait to try out one of your “recipes”.