White Vinegar and Lemon Juice--the cheap girl's cleaner!

Where I live, hard water is a fact of life.  It corrodes everything.  The sinks, the dishwasher, the refrigerator water dispenser tray, faucets-well, you get the picture.  Hard water cleaners, though, can be quite costly to buy and use.  Some of the cleaners cost between $4 and $5 for one bottle.  Yikes!  Too much for this frugal gal. 

About 2 years ago, while watching an episode of "How Clean is your House" (you can find them on youtube based out of the UK), Aggie and Kim, the two cleaners, shared their cleaning secrets.  White vinegar and lemon juice.  That's it.  So I bought myself a sprayer and began to use it.  And I have to say , it works better than any commercial cleaner you could ever purchase. 

A large gallon bottle of white vinegar is about 3 dollars.  A large bottle of lemon juice is about the same price unless you get it at the dollar store like I did! You do the math.(Yeah, math was not my thing).

Everyday Cleaner/degreaser:

 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon Dawn liquid soap original (I only use Dawn --it has tons of uses itself), 1 tablespoon lemon juice.  Mix and use.

This is the formula that has worked best for me but play with it and make your own formula that works for you and your family. I use it on everything--kitchen, bathroom, and even the floors.  (Check with your manufacturer to see if it is safe for your floors or test it in an innocuous spot). I have even used it to clean spots on carpets but again, test it before you use it. You can also use vinegar in dishwashers to take off water spots.  Again, check with the manufacturer to make sure it doesn't hurt your appliance. 

This morning I used vinegar to take off burnt spots on a pot.  I poured straight vinegar on the pan, let it soak about 30 minutes, and then scrubbed. The burnt on food came right off. 

White vinegar--the cheap girl's perfume!