Cleaning for Less

Did you know that you can do a lot of household cleaning using just baking soda or vinegar or a combo of both? I was looking online for a homemade dishwasher detergent, that would also be eco-friendly. I found that you can use half Borax and half baking soda, and put 2 T. of the mix in your dishwasher, and voila! Wow! How easy is that? They also suggested putting vinegar in the area you would put a rinse aid.

So, in case you would like to investigate these very cheap cleaning options, here is one site that was helpful (it throws in lemon juice as another inexpensive cleaning wonder):

• http://housekeeping.about.com/od/environment/a/vinbaklemons.htm
• A similar page, with links about cleaning with vinegar:
  http://frugalliving.about.com/od/cleaningtipsandrecipes/a/Clean_Vinegar.htm
  

The other thing I like about this is that it is safe for people with allergies, who have trouble with the fumes of many chemical cleaners.

And, I found out that you can use Borax to dry flowers! Check this out:

Make your own dried flowers

Give your homemade dried flowers the look of a professional job. Mix 1 cup borax with 2 cups cornmeal. Place a 3/4-inch (2-centimeter) coating of the mixture in the bottom of an airtight container, like a large flat plastic food storage container. Cut the stems off the flowers you want to dry, then lay them on top of the powder, and lightly sprinkle more of the mixture on top of the flowers (be careful not to bend or crush the petals or other flower parts). Cover the container, and leave it alone for 7-10 days. Then remove the flowers and brush off any excess powder with a soft brush.

Fruit and Veggie Wash

And you can save by using this recipe (just water and vinegar, folks!) for a fruit and veggie wash - I saw on article (I think in Consumer Reports) showing it was more effective to use vinegar than a commercial spray!

Car Cleaning

I won't use these probably, because my car has no finish anymore to maintain, but you might like to see some easy and very cheap ways to maintain your car exterior:

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/affordabletransportation/tp/Car_Cleaner_Recipes.htm

I hope these are some helpful links and ideas for you!