Let’s Get Cleaning, (cheaply). Review on General Tips on Household Cleaners

I hate to waste money on anything. Who likes throwing their money away? If you do, email me, you can throw some my way. (Just kidding, just kidding.)

Coming Clean

Whether you are watching television or reading a magazine, you are bombarded with add after add for this cleaning product and that cleaning product. To someone who has worked for a cleaning service when they were a teenager these adds blow over my head and I seldom give them a second glance. Reason? Well, you see I learned while working for a service back before attending school that many times one cleaner can safely be used for a variety of cleaning jobs. That, and the power of good old plain baking soda.

My product list

There are only a few products that I have to keep in stock to clean my home with. All of these products do double duty, some clean places you would never imagine.

1. SOS soap pads - These are steal wool pads that come with detergent already on them for breaking up grease and cooked on residue such as that found on my glass oven door.

What I use them for.

I use these little jewels to clean my entire confection oven. I however, do not use them to clean my Microwave because they may scratch the door and such of the microwave. But they work wonderful on the stainless steal interior of the convection oven and clean the glass door wonderfully. I also use these pads while applying light pressure to clean any stains on the bottoms of my cookware. They are also wonderful to clean the stove top, oven hood and things along this nature. Just be sure not to apply to much pressure, if you will watch the amount of pressure you apply while cleaning you can even clean plastic with these without damaging it.

1. Easy Off Unscented Oven Cleaner - You’re basic oven cleaner but without the smell.

I am allergic to the smell that is found in most oven cleaners, therefore I choose this one, but you can choose whatever one you like. I use this to clean my fiberglass shower stalls and tubs. Yep, you read that right. I do not clean my oven with it, I clean my oven with the SOS pads, and the shower with the oven cleaner. It is wonderful if you have soap scum, hard water stains or any of those other hard to clean problems around the bath. Just make sure to test a place before using. I know it works great on fiberglass, but are not sure about other surfaces.

To clean a fiberglass shower stall, tub or glass door, simply spray it on and allow it to stand a while, then wipe off and rinse.

1. Baking Soda - Soda bicarbonate

Okay, here’s the fun one! I use baking soda to add to my laundry as water softener, clean the inside of the microwave, kitchen sink, refrigerator, countertops, bathroom tile, fish tank, coffee maker (outside), in the bathtub to soften your water, outside of my bread machine as well as the window in it. Just be sure that wherever you use it, that you also rinse it well.

1. Tarnex

Believe it or not this product that is made to clean metal of all kinds easily and gently does work wonderful around the house for a few other things besides polishing my silver. I use this product to clean hard water stains off my faucets in the kitchen and bath rooms. It is the quickest and easiest way to make them look new again.

1. Scotts Liquid Gold

Do not just scatter dust. Around my house, I spray the feather duster with this wonderfully scented product and then dust. It will remove the dust but not use much of the product while still leaving my antiques looking beautifully polished. Stubborn places may require you to spray your cleaning cloth, but otherwise just spray a dab on your feather duster. This prevents waste of product, money and time as you do not have to keep rubbing to remove any excess.

So, there you have it, my advice on what you can find in my pantry for cleaning. One thing I should note here, however, you should not mix any two cleaning products together as this may produce a deadly or flammable gas.

Quick bit of truth

Years ago I woke up to a horrible smell and a nose bleed. I do not suffer from nose bleeds and could not figure out what the horrible smell was. Come to find out, my son had mixed Dawn Dish detergent and ammonia together along with who knows what else in an effort to clean something. Not only was this gas causing my nose bleed, but could have caused my house to ignite from the pilot light that was not ten feet from where he was. It took a long time to get the smell out of the house, thankfully, no one suffered permanent damage from the ordeal, but I do not keep ammonia in the house anymore. So just be careful and follow the directions on the products regarding mixing them with any other products as well as any precautionary statements that might be found on them.