Clean Cheap

I am not crazy about cleaning, but what I really hate is spending a bundle on cleaning products, and all the different smells that go with them.

On cleaning days I arm myself with a spray bottle of water with a couple tablespoons of bleach, another with diluted vinegar, a box of baking soda, some rags, and my off-brand Magic Eraser.

In the bathroom I spray surfaces with the bleach - be sure it doesn't come in contact with towels, rugs or other surfaces that might be damaged. All the faucets get a rinse and polish so the bleach doesn't damage the finish. The mirror gets a squirt of vinegar, and everything gets wiped and polished with soft cotton rags. The toilet gets its own glug of bleach straight form the bottle and a quick brush.

The kitchen gets a similar treatment, with an extra rub of the stainless sink with the eraser. It really shines it up. The glass top stove gets rubbed with baking soda and a damp rag, as do the refrigerator shelves. The counters get a bleach spray and wipe. And the toaster shines from the eraser. I never do a complete cleaning of the cabinet doors because when I clean the kitchen each night I just wipe off two or three of them so they all get cleaned every couple of weeks.

Pots with burned on food get baking soda soak and scrub. Any pots with water spots or rainbows from the dishwasher get the vinegar treatment.

I have 400 square feet of peel and stick vinyl flooring in my kitchen level that I myself peeled and stuck. I do a hands and knees scrub of it as needed, but in between I like to run the Swiffer over it. The floor is so big that I used three or four of the swiffers wipes every time and decided that was wasteful. Now I spray the vinegar solution on any noticeable spot. Then I use an old dish towels that I rinse at intervals. Folded in half it fits well, then goes into the wash. Just as easy as the Swiffer but without the expense.

My windows get washed with vinegar solution and newspaper. The paper polishes the glass and leaves no lint. Just be aware that you could leave nasty black fingerprints on adjacent surfaces if you are not careful.

Throughout the house I dust with a rag lightly sprayed with vinegar solution to help pick up the dust, and I wipe any marks on walls with the eraser. I spray a different rag with bleach to wipe all the light switches and door knobs to try to cut down on germ sharing.

When I'm done the rags go in the trash or the wash. The house smells fresh from the bleach and everything shines. And it costs next to nothing. I hope you share your favorite cleaning tips because I'm always looking for more ideas.