20 Tips for Cleaning on the Cheap

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Ever since that wrinkle spray came out on the market I've been in heaven. But I've found a cheaper solution. Mix water and liquid fabric softener (maybe 20%) in a spray bottle and mist the garment, then gently pull on it. You will see the wrinkles dissappear before your eyes. Wait until it's dry to see the full results -- 5-10 minutes.
Who needs creases any way? :-)
This mixture works great for odors too, like Febreze. I'm not sure if the unscented (free) would work this way though. It's worth a try.

Cheap Geek of WA 10:19PM September 04, 2010

My best secret for getting the black out from between the tiles is to soak pieces of paper towel in 100% bleach, roll them into snakes and ring them out, then stick them to the caulking. Let them sit for 2 hours - overnight -- however long it takes. Apply new wet "snakes" as they dry if the stain isn't gone yet. They will be glowing white.
It's never failed me, but do treat the bleaching process as if you were dying your hair or using paint. Any drops on the floor can be tracked on the carpet if you step in it. Remove the bath mats from the floor first. I accidentally bleach something every time and it pisses me off! :)

considering comleess of WA 10:07PM September 04, 2010

My step monster, I mean mother, used to make me scrub the bathroom with Ajax or baking soda when I was a kid. Now that I'm grown I splurge on the Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner. Seriously, who needs to drench themselves in sweat scrubbing a tub when you can practically wipe it off with this stuff? It does help to add a little Ajax or baking soda to the tub before cleaning off the Bubbles though.
I have found that, even though you're using more, it helps to spray another coat over the tub after the 10 minute soak. The soap scum will wipe right off after 3 minutes soaking but the bacteria needs 10 minutes to die. However, 10 minutes is too long for the scum because it dries a little and hardens again, thus the extra Ajax. Annoying, but dammit, I want a clean tub, and I don't wan to sweat. I guess you could try spraying pure vinegar after the 10 minute soak but I don't know how the chemicals mix, and if this would produce a toxic gas or not. Would this really save a lot of money anyway?

Cheap Geek of WA 9:54PM September 04, 2010

Um, wouldn't boiling the water eat up any money saved on a good kitchen spray cleaner? Especially with recent energy and water costs.
I just soak my stove in a good layer of kitchen spray (Windex and 409 have them) and rinse off with the scrubby side of a sponge. Just remember to turn off the water in between sponge rinses. Water is my most expensive utility now. Unbelievable.
You can do this same thing with a previous poster's spray bottle mix of vinegar, and a few drops of dish soap or dish washer soap I suppose. (I hate ammonia and won't use it!) Oh, maybe a bit of Borax would work in this mix?

Cheap Geek of WA 9:37PM September 04, 2010

For really stubborn body odor on clothes alcohol did not work for me. But it's worth a try if the item is delicate because my trick will probably ruin it. After trying EVERYTHING I finally found this trick on my own:
SCRUB IT WITH A BAR OF DIAL SOAP. Keep it next to the washer for convenience, and while the machine is filling up use the water and Dial to scrub the armpits, or whatever area, out a bit. Don't bother rinsing. Just let the wash cycle do the rest. I normally don't even need to scrub well, just rub it in good. If it's really stubborn scrub more. I wouldn't leave the Dial on more than a couple of items per load. It produces sticky soap scum and can stick to the rest of your clothes. Rinse it out first if you have a lot of items.
How to tell if it worked: Before drying, when you take the clothes out of the machine, smell it. If there is any slight odor at all scrub with Dial and rinse again. Wet fabric releases the smell better, but nothing compared to hot armpits, so a slight smell = a strong smell after wearing for an hour. It will come out though, just scrub 2 or 3 times if you have to. I got the smell out of items where the smell was hard-set in after washing and drying many times.
This works because: 1. The Dial is a soap, providing a slippery surface to allow the pheromones and bacteria to scrub off. 2. Dial is especially for body odor. 3. Dial is anti-bacterial.
For your armpits: Spray with vinegar/water mixture after your shower and let it dry before your normal deodorant routine. Gets rid of the embedded bacteria in the pores. I use this every day and it makes a difference when I don't. Mixture doesn't have to be strong 10-50% is plenty.

Cheap Geek of WA 9:22PM September 04, 2010

My make-up kit fell on the carpet, I tried to clean it by rubbing and the carpet got stained. How do I remove the stain?

Janine 1:09AM August 20, 2010

To Della of TX: the onion idea sounds plausible, after recently learning that onions collect bacteria; it would follow, if you remove the bacteria, the odor goes away. I would think that soaking up the spot first, and cleaning it with something would be a good idea.
To Elaine of AZ: soaking your carpet with anything is not the best idea. Each time you do, you break down the padding. I would recommend blotting up the spot with paper towels & spraying 100% white vinegar and blotting completely a couple of times (maybe 3 or 4 if needed). This removes the stain and the odor, and repels the pet(s) from returning to the area.

Marilyn of IN 3:42PM August 19, 2010

If you were living in the 50's use the vinegar with newspaper trick. Lets get to the modern age where window cleaning is easy to do with a squeegee and some dishwater. My proof is my house cleaners. How many of you use paper towels to clean windows along with Windex http://www.windex.com? They look clean for a day or so then the dirt comes back in the pattern of how you wiped your windows. Usually in a circular pattern my windows show the dirt. When you wipe something on the surface you are not removing all of it . You tend to spread it around. When you use a squeegee you remove all the liquid with the dirt- http://www.paneintheglass.com/paneintheglass/Blog/Blog.html. Your windows will look cleaner longer. The only problem is that there is some skill involved using a squeegee in order to get your windows perfectly cleaned with out streaks. Call a window cleaning professional http://www.paneintheglass.com and start enjoying your view!
Mark Simitz professional window cleaner in Walnut Creek, California since 1979.

Mark Simitz of CA 11:44AM August 16, 2010

lay a slice of yellow onion on the area for a couple of hours

Della of TX 8:24AM August 16, 2010

Soak the area in 50/50 white vinager and water for about 10 mintutes. Then sprinkle with baking soda, let that set a while then soak it up with a towel. Next make a mixture of peroxide and water 50/50, and a few drops of dish soap. Pour that on the area and scrub. Soak that up with a towel and then use another wet towel to sort of rinse it. Remeber at each drying step to really soak up the liquid, it shouldn't be soaking wet. I did this with my carpet and I couldn't believe how well it worked. You can also dry it with a hair dryer if your worried about it being too wet. I did this when my puppy went on the floor and it worked so well she hasn't gone back to mess on the same spot (she's house trained now though)

Elaine of AZ 3:13PM August 15, 2010