Mom’s Money

Spring Cleaning Without Breaking The Budget

After a long winter of furnaces running and windows closed up tight, folks like you and me are sticking our noses in the wind hoping to catch that first breath of fresh spring air.  It’s out there, somewhere.  We can’t wait to fling those windows open and air out the house! 

If spring is your time of the year to renew your home, you’ve probably been eyeing up all the fancy cleaning products that promise to make your house sparkle and shine.  They are all very tempting, but also very expensive.  My budget can’t really survive if I stock up on all those potions, as wonderful as they all appear.  Sorry!  But, I have a plan.

My Grandmother and Mother were penny pinchers.  Thankfully, their behavior has rubbed off on me, especially now that my budget has become so tight.  A lot of the products that I grew up with have been making a comeback in this economy.  One product that was, and is again, front and center in my home is good ol’ distilled white vinegar. 

White vinegar has always been my favorite window cleaner.  If you’re a regular spring cleaning fan, you’ve probably already tried this.  But, you may not have given white vinegar much more of a chance.  Let’s just review a couple other spring cleaning ideas using white vinegar.

Consider your tile floors or countertops.  The grout is normally a challenge.  Soak your tile with full-strength vinegar, doing a small patch at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed with the chore, or the odor.  Let it soak in good, then take a bucket of hot water and an old toothbrush and give the grout a scrub. Wipe down your entire floor with a solution of one cup of vinegar in a gallon of warm water and you’ll have a squeaky clean floor.  Now, you’re going to see some shine!

Take a look at your walls.  Has the winter left a dusty or dull look to them?  You can brighten your walls and remove scuff marks by wiping them down with a solution of one cup of white vinegar in a gallon of warm water.  Using a clean, white rag, dunk rag in solution, squeeze out excess water, then give your walls a wipe down from top to bottom.  Don’t soak your walls.  Use just a damp rag so you do not damage your paint or wallpaper.

Freshening up your house after winter usually involves deodorizing, degreasing, and disinfecting, too.  Wipe down your refrigerator and oven, inside and out, to remove odors and grease.  Pour undiluted vinegar down your drains to deodorize and degrease.  Wipe your tub, shower, counters, toilet, floors, and walls down with a white vinegar and water solution and you’ll not only get a fresh smelling and shiny bathroom, but a disinfected bathroom, too.  Don’t forget to give all your doors and window frames a fresh new start by wiping them down, as well.

These are just a few of the many uses for white vinegar as you move through your house spring cleaning.  Considering that a gallon of white vinegar usually costs less than $3.00, you may want to grab a case and get ready for spring!