Maintaining a home can be expensive. Homeowners will need to regularly invest in cleaning supplies to keep their homes sparkly clean, but that can get rather pricey overtime. If you're looking to save money, there are alternatives you can turn to so that you don't have to keep running to the store to buy those expensive products. Here are five quick and easy cleaning tips you can serve as cheap solutions for everyday cleaning problems. Save some money every month with these useful hacks:
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#1 Discover the power of vinegar
A little vinegar can go a long way. As a natural disinfectant, vinegar can be used to clean a variety of things around your house. Before you run to the store to buy a bottle of chemically-made general cleaner, try mixing equal parts of water and vinegar first. You can use it to clean a food-ridden microwave, dirty blinds, cloudy glassware, your stovetop and even the buildup on a showerhead. You can also follow up with a lemon-based water spray to help neutralize the vinegar smell.
#2 Lemons and salt: a natural solution
Some people turn to bleach to disinfect their cutting boards, but that can be both risky and expensive. A good alternative is to use lemons and salt—the lemon juice will act as an antibacterial, while the salt can be used as a somewhat "exfoliant" that scrubs away all of the small particles of stuck-on food that may still be present. For most cleans, half a lemon and a sprinkle of salt should suffice. You can use the other half of the lemon to scrub your faucets as well.
#3 A good use for... stale bread and rice?
Don't throw away those stale pieces of bread just yet, especially if you're a coffee drinker. You can actually use them to clean your coffee grinder! For a blade grinder, you can place some stale bread inside to absorb the coffee smell. For a burr grinder (or burr mill), the bread won't work, but using uncooked, dry rice will. Just be cautious with the latter method: uncooked rice can sometimes be harder in texture than coffee beans, so using too much of it might damage your grinder's motor.
#4 Furniture polish and stainless steel
Did you know furniture polish can really bring out the shine in your stainless steel appliances? Say goodbye to those pesky fingerprints and grease stains. First, clean off any grime from the surfaces of your stainless steel appliances. Next, spray a tiny bit of furniture polish and wipe thoroughly with a dry cloth. You'll see the difference almost immediately! Just make sure to apply it evenly. You're going to want to use a lemon oil furniture polish for the best results.
#5 The versatility of dryer sheets
Dryer sheets are used to make your clothes and other things smell nice, but did you know they can also be used as an effective cleaner for baseboards? If you run a dryer sheet along your baseboards, you can remove the existing dirt that has accumulated on the surface, as well as repel any extra dust that may be in the air. Of course, they can also help make your room smell temporarily fresher as well, which is a nice added bonus.