Welcome Dearest Friends to Little Glorieta

Ammonia-good grease cutter, wax stripper, and window cleaner. NEVER MIX WITH BLEACH!!!

Bleach-great for whitening anything, removing molds and mildews, and general cleaning. Best used diluted with water. DO NOT MIX BLEACH WITH VINEGAR, TOILET BOWL CLEANER, OR AMMONIA. The combination of bleach with any of these substances produces a toxic gas which can be hazardous. We want to save money without jeopardizing our lives!

Baking Soda- Extremely versatile, baking soda is an all-purpose, non-toxic cleaner. It cleans, deodorizes, scours, polishes and removes stains. There are entire books out about the zillions of uses of baking soda, and the best thing about it is that it's cheap!

Borax:(sodium borate) It deodorizes, removes stains and boosts the cleaning power of soap. It also 
prevents mold and odors. Great alternative for those who do not want to use bleach.

Cornstarch: cleans and deodorizes carpets and rugs, you can use this to replace expensive "baby powders" also. 

Ketchup-great for cleaning copper

Lemon juice-great for whitening items, but vinegar is cheaper . It also cuts through grease and stains on aluminum and porcelain

Pure Soap: cleans just about anything and is mild 

Salt: believe it or not, regular table salt makes an abrasive, but gentle, scouring powder. Who would have known?

Washing Soda:(sodium carbonate) Cuts grease and disinfects. It will also increase the cleaning power 
of soap. 

White Vinegar -very cheap and versatile, great for whitening, also fantastic for cleaning hard surfaces, windows and shining up metal surfaces. Removes mildew, stains, grease and wax buildup. This is another natural cleaner that whole books have been written on!

 

All Purpose Cleaner (From Rodale's Book of Practical Formulas)

2 cups rubbing alcohol (70% isoprophyl)
1 tablespoon mild dishwashing liquid (for handwashing dishes, NOT dishwasher detergent-it contains bleach!)
1 tablespoon ammonia
2 quarts water

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl. Fill a CLEAN spray bottle (not recycled one) with cleaner and store the rest tightly sealed in a large bottle. Use with a cloth or sponge to clean the bathroom fixtures, kitchen fixtures, appliances, chrome, plastic countertops, and painted surfaces. Rinse with a clean cloth or sponge after cleaning.