October Challenge Week 2: Oct 13 - 19

I don't know about you, but I can not concentrate or focus in messes or clutter. So this week. We are tackling a very used area of the home.

YUCK, the laundry room! Did you know this room gets super linty and dusty, and why are there empty boxes of OxyClean in here! UGH.

I do not know how big or small your laundry area is. Ours is long, and has storage, although the storage areas have not been used well, and that door goes to the dog run.

I am going to work on organizing the reptile/snake items into plastic totes, go through my laundry soap container, throw away empties, figure out what is still in cardboard boxes (yes, I have not finished unpacking yet) and either donate the stuff or use it.

What you see is one of my washing machines (the top loading one), the orange pail is the diaper pail, the red bucket is for mopping but we put dirty kitchen towels in it, that oxyclean box is new, I found all of my kid's old glasses, the black pail has dirty diaper rags in it from cleaning up puppy pee. I have no idea what is in the giant storage cube, except the top right (oxyclean and laundry pods). And on top of that storage area you can see a spic and span bottle (filled with water, these are great spray bottles to reuse), dryer balls, a pink tie, poop baggies are in that box at the far end to clean up the dog run, some food storage buckets that are holding up a wedding bouquet for my cousin (it's drying, I will give it to her on her anniversary, or close to it, or maybe now). Not sure what else is up there,I am short, I will have to get the step ladder.

We have an entire week to clean the laundry room/area. Don't procrastinate, get it done.

Frugal Cleaning

Now I do not used distilled water, I don't have a distiller or I would!  But still these should be good...

A few items to keep on hand for FRUGAL and GREEN cleaning are:

• Distilled Water (when you clean you should start without stuff in your liquid)
• Vinegar (plain old cheapo white vinegar)
• Dishwashing liquid (I like Trader Joe’s)
• Borax
• Washing Soda
• Baking Soda
• Essential oil (optional)

So here are a few recipes to start:

Multi-Purpose Cleaner

1 teaspoon Washing Soda
1/2 teaspoon dishwashing liquid
4 cups hot distilled water (or fill your 32 to almost full)

Put the top on your sprayer and shake it up a bit. Use this for your regular cleaning in Kitchens, baths, etc. Don’t use it on stone or granite. I haven’t made one for that yet.

Window Cleaner

1/4 cup Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dishwashing liquid
4 cups distilled water (or fill your 32 to almost full)

Put the top on the sprayer. Give it a shake or two. Use on Windows and glass. You can also use it on ceramic tile. Use newspaper to wash your windows. I use a microfiber cloth to clean mirrors and tile.

Floor Cleaner (Not the Mop Bucket kind -Ok for sealed Wood, Ceramic Tile, Sealed Stone and Laminate)

1/3 Cup Vinegar (NO MORE)
Fill the remainder of the 32 with Distilled Water
Shake it up.

To use: Spray (don’t squirt) on dust mop for daily clean-up. For build up on Wood or laminate floors, spray the floor and use a microfiber mop or cloth to buff the floor.

Linen Spray *

1 1/2 oz Vodka
1/2 teaspoon Lavendar (or fragrance of your choice) essential oil
2 cups distilled water

I used a 16 oz spray bottle so a little was left. Place in spray bottle and shake well before using. Spray on your linens when you make the bed or use to iron with.

Oven Cleaner

Make a paste with Baking soda and water. Spread a bit on baked on gunk. Let sit a bit and then scrub off. Repeat if necessary. It also does a great job scrubbing grease off the inside of the oven window.

Soap Scum

Use a little baking soda with the Multi-Purpose Cleaner to scrub soap scum off shower doors and tubs.

Toilets

Use 1/4 cup of borax in the bowl. Swish it around some. Let sit in bowl about 30 minutes. Swish again and flush. I also put the same amount of Borax in the back of the toilet every so often to disinfect the whole thing.

* I have not used this one, I do not use febreeze either..