Isopropyl Alcohol: Top Five Uses

Posted on April 11, 2012 by carolyn_wootton

Share your cleaning tips using isopropyl / rubbing alcohol

Thought:

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.

~James Allen~

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Isopropyl alcohol, also known as rubbing alcohol, is a flammable chemical which we certainly associate the smell with hospitals and doctors’ offices. It is used for its antibacterial and disinfectant properties as a first aid cleanser. It also has numerous household uses.

The children brought home a nasty intestinal bug from school! Isopropyl alcohol was the first line of defense to kill the germs that could be lurking everywhere the children have touched!

1. Spray and wipe down all door handles: Use isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) to spray and wipe on all areas your sick ones might touch. A few of the areas we might forget about where many germs can be spread: door handles and doorknobs, kitchen cabinet handles, refrigerator, kitchen counters, dishwasher handle, toys, and all areas with items that are constantly used.

2. Sanitize Cell Phones: For a quick and easy way to disinfect your cell phone at home or the office, simply wipe down with isopropyl alcohol. Simply pour a small amount of isopropyl alcohol on a soft cloth and wipe off all dirt, grime, and germs

3. Disinfect Bathroom Fixtures: Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol kills germs around your house but it is also a fantastic simple cleaner. Alcohol removes grime from household fixtures, give your door knobs a quick antiseptic clean with a cloth dampened with alcohol. Pour some rubbing alcohol straight from the bottle onto a soft, absorbent cloth and wipe down the fixtures. There is no need to rinse. The alcohol evaporates, leaving chrome sparkling and free of germs.

4. Clean CDs and DVDs: Cleaning the CDs and DVDs is so easy. Those grimy fingerprints are so easy to clean with a soft cloth and a small amount of isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). You will be amazed how simple and shiny clean the discs will be. Another added benefit, they will play great!

5. Clean Computer Mouse and Keyboard: Computer equipment is another place where one would find lingering germs. Not only will isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) kill the germs, it will actually make your mouse work better. The alcohol will remove any residue, crumbs or dirt that has collected on the bottom. Use a cotton tipped q-tip to clean the keys and the roller ball in your mouse. I also use a soft cotton cloth, spray it with alcohol and wipe the area and the outside of the computer.

There are many more uses for cleaning with isopropyl alcohol, explore the wonderful world of effective, inexpensive, convenient cleaning right at your fingertips. If you have a sensitivity to alcohol, or would prefer not to use it, white vinegar is a great substitute.

For more information on isopropyl alcohol and homemade cleaners, visit Amazon.com to get your copy of Cheaper, Greener, Cleaner: Ceiling to Floor Savings. Paperback or Kindle versions available.

Microwave Oven Lemon Fresh Clean

Posted on April 1, 2012 by carolyn_wootton

Exploded food inside of a microwave is one of the worst messes to clean up. Not a problem when you use white, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice! There is little space to clean, that is the problem, there is little space to see and clean at the same time.

My husband has personally experienced the difficulty and frustration of cleaning a microwave. We volunteered to help clean our church building after an event on a Saturday night. We needed to have the building ready for Sunday morning. He chose to clean the kitchen, the floor needed mopping, this appeared the hardest room to clean. All the volunteers went to their various locations.

As each volunteer completed their task, we would join together to help someone else with theirs. We continued to have a large gathering to finish straightening the building. No sign of my husband. I became worried about him and went searching. He was still in the kitchen and the floor had yet to be mopped. When I asked if everything was alright, he explained he had been scrubbing all this time to clean the microwave because it was so dirty. There was so much food splattered all over the door, top and sides, he had never seen anything like it before. ”There isn’t any room to see while I clean.” This took him what seemed like hours to clean. I felt so bad, I had never taught, told, or shown him just how simple it was to clean a microwave.

To clean a microwave quickly, easily, and with little effort, add one to two cups water in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice, white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar to the water. I prefer lemon juice for the lemony fresh scent. The apple cider vinegar works very well, and is less expensive. Place in the microwave and boil the solution. As the water evaporates it rehydrates the caked on dried on food particles making them easy to simply wipe clean. I follow up by using white, apple cider vinegar or a lemon juice rinse to wipe down the inside with a clean cloth for the final rinse.

The lemon juice, white or apple cider vinegar will deodorize the microwave as well as kill bacteria, mold germs. Quick, easy and very inexpensive! It isn’t much easier than this!

For more tips and tricks like this one and information on homemade cleaners, visit Amazon.com to get your copy of Cheaper, Greener, Cleaner: Ceiling to Floor Savings. Paperback or Kindle versions available.

Vinegar Top Ten Uses Besides Dying Easter Eggs

Posted on March 28, 2012 by carolyn_wootton

Thought:

“Don’t cry because it is over. Smile because it happened.”

~Dr. Seuss

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My goodness how the vinegar uses have grown in our house, we now buy vinegar by the gallons. Our top ten vinegar uses are:

Fabric Softener
Carpet Cleaner
Hair Conditioner
Window Cleaner
Degreaser
Disinfectant Cleaner
Deodorizer
Mold and Mildew Remover
Dishwasher Rinse Aid
Bathroom Soap Scum Remover
And Decorating our Easter Eggs, how could I have forgotten this special use!

With Easter just a few days away, I smile at the thought of dying eggs with my granddaughters. It reminds me of so many years ago as a young girl coloring eggs, assisting my little sisters. Then, the truly warm memories flood my mind and bring tears to my eyes as I recall the wonderful times of coloring Easter eggs with my daughters.

Yes, I am sentimental, I cherish all those moments of the ordinary days in my children’s lives. I am certainly blessed to be a part of my grandchildren’s lives. There are many smiles as we do things together that you only get to do when you are a grandparent and a grandchild. We will be creating fabulous Easter eggs. They may not win any prizes, yet they will all be treasured as most beautiful to us.

When my children were little we were always running out of bowls to make new colors. I went out and bought special bowls to dye our Easter Eggs; so my granddaughters have tons of bowls to make any variation to any color they desire. When we are finished and pour our colors down the drain, it looks like a Technicolor animation turned liquid as the colors swirl going down our drain.

Funny thing about this memory, Easter Egg dying, Cole Slaw recipes, and Deviled Eggs recipes were the only uses I had for vinegar, way back all those years ago! Now I buy vinegar by the gallons, because of the many new vinegar uses I have discovered.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Get more information on vinegar and homemade cleaning recipes to start saving today. Go to Amazon.com for the paperback or Kindle version.

Easter Eggs Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Everyday

Posted on March 27, 2012 by carolyn_wootton

Thought: Things I Learned from the Easter Bunny

Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.
Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.

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Making perfect hard boiled eggs is an underrated talent. As a little girl, I would be so delighted when I gazed out to see the beautifully colored Easter Eggs adorning our yard left by the Easter Bunny. After our Easter Egg Hunt, I would watch my mother and aunts prepare the Easter Eggs for Deviled Eggs, YUM, one of my favorites at Easter! As they would peel the colored eggs after our Easter Egg Hunts, my aunt’s Easter Eggs perfect eggs; while my mother’s were completely the opposite. Aunt Joan really knew how to make perfectly decorated Easter Eggs. My mother’s hard boiled eggs had a dark green color around the yolks and smelled of sulfur, as well as being difficult to peel. The shells had to be pried from the egg whites taking chunks of egg with it. These were not pretty eggs to say the least. I know you’ve been there.

My Aunt Joan always had the most perfect hard boiled eggs. They were the easiest to peel and the egg yolks were always a bright yellow, without the green coating. She made beautiful designs, she could really color Easter Eggs, (no one knew how to do this in the 1950’s except my really special aunt, or so I thought.) I found out she did it with white crayons and, put all the cousins names on them, wow. Fun ways to decorate Easter Eggs with your family and instructions on how to make the paper bag nest.

This reminds me of something she would bring for us to make. Her ideas were always so much fun!

Aunt Joan tried to teach my mother how to decorate and boil eggs, Mother just wasn’t the crafty type nor was she one to change her methods easily, even making hard boiled eggs. Her process never changed over the years. Each Easter we would gather at Mothers house for dinner and Easter Egg Hunts for the grandchildren. Now my sisters and I would bring eggs our children had colored to mix with the eggs my mother had boiled. We would really busy ourselves with other tasks in hopes we were not called upon to prepare her boiled eggs that were so hard to peel! It never failed, she would request that we did the eggs while she finished something else.

After all these years I decided to find out why her eggs had rubbery green colored yolks. I found this youtube video with Chef John from Food Wishes which explains: How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs – Perfect Easter Eggs without the green eggs and ham, yuck!. I learned something myself, have fun!

How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs - Perfect Easter Eggs

Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter!

Get more tips and tricks like this one and start saving money on homemade cleaners today. Go to Amazon.com for the paperback or Kindle version.

My Dishwasher Left My Drinking Glasses Look Like My Shower Door!

Posted on March 23, 2012 by carolyn_wootton

Thought:

I like hugs and I like kisses, but what I really love is help with the dishes!
~ Author Unknown

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Could there be a correlation between the water spots on my shower door and my dishes? Oh no, my dishes, glasses and flatware are covered with spots! They are clean but they look terrible after the washing in the dishwasher! No matter how many times they are rewashed they will look the same or even worse, what to do? Has this happened in your house?

The problem is that the mineral deposits in the water are not rinsed away as water evaporates during the dry cycle, so, not only do the minerals linger on your dishes, flatware, but inside your dishwasher as well. Dishwashers use so little water that these minerals are inclined to remain in your dishwasher because they all don’t get pumped out during the normal wash cycle so cleaning a dishwasher is important to to remove the mineral buildup.

How to clean your dishwasher is as important as the dishes. The problems of hard water stains and spots can create more concerns than just spots. If you hear a humming or a straining motor noise during use, it could be that the seals have accumulated mineral deposits on them. Don’t call a repairman just yet, you can try this little inexpensive trick. First, use white distilled vinegar in the rinse dispenser, and pour a cup of white vinegar in the bottom of your dishwasher before running a wash cycle for a thorough clean.

You will love the uses of lemon! Pour lemon juice in place of the white vinegar. Vinegar is more cost effective, but the lemon really makes your dishes sparkle and shine. For really bad cases of hard water deposits you can also add lemon Kool Aid unsweetened, no sugar substitute sweeteners to your soap dispenser.

If you still do not get the results you desire, citric acid is your new best friend. This is usually found in the food canning section and might be packaged as Fruit Fresh. Citric acid is naturally found in: lemons, limes, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, pineapple, strawberries and many other acidic fruit.

I continually use white vinegar in my rinse dispenser. There are commercial products you can purchase to remove hard water deposits, many may contain harsh or toxic chemicals. What I like about the citric acid (Lemon Kool Aid) additive is that this is completely safe, and is biodegradable. White vinegar, is a food substance used as a flavor enhancement and preservative, lemon juice and citric acid, are of course, use to make the ever favorite, lemonade, and lemon pies.

Regular use of white vinegar, lemon juice or citric acid have been recommended by appliance dealers to keep your dishwasher in proper maintenance and to eliminate costly repair which may very well extend the life of your dishwasher.

Ice Tray ~ New Refrigerator ~ New Toy

Posted on March 15, 2012 by carolyn_wootton

Thought:

Discipline needs a purpose, and a purpose needs discipline.

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My granddaughters just love our new refrigerator! We got a side by side filtered water door dispenser unit. They felt so grown up getting their own ice chips, ice cubes, and water it was such a treat for them. We were treated to many ice chip creations and they were most helpful to get ice water for everyone. Never thought ice from our fridge would be a source of enjoyment or a new toy. This was the biggest hit during the hot summer. I just couldn’t keep enough clean glasses in the house.

The time finally came when the green light turned to red to indicate I needed a new water filter. I forgot to pick one up and some little hand must have reached up and pushed the button to reset the filter so I once again had a green light. Thinking my husband had replaced the filter for me, I didn’t write it down on my list.

As time went by, the tray began to show signs of hard water buildup in the grooves. Wow, another testament to the hard minerals we have in our water. The hard water buildup was a crusty mess. All I needed was a splash of vinegar poured into the tray. I left the tray to sit on the counter for about 30 minutes. Not really sure about the time, I forgot about it and when on to my other chores. When I went back into the kitchen there was a clean fresh tray. It was so simple to remove mineral deposits. I simply rinsed the vinegar off and place it back in place. Vinegar cleaning is my idea of a really quick, easy, convenient, and cheap way to remove the mineral deposits in our water .

When Life Gives You Lemons . . . Clean!

Posted on March 14, 2012 by dena_millet

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I love the distinctive aroma of fresh lemons! But there are many uses for lemons. For many years, I thought that manufacturers put this fresh scent into the products they made simply to make my house smell better than the nasty aroma of the chemicals they put into their cleaning products. (This should have been a first hint that these chemicals shouldn’t be in my home, right?)

In any case, whenever I was presented with a choice of a fragrance in a cleaning product, I would select lemon. As we began researching, I learned that lemons were more than a nice scent, and more than a refreshing drink for youngsters to peddle in every neighborhood in the U.S. on a hot summer day. They have amazing health benefits ranging from an excellent source of Vitamin C to being a high source of potassium. The health benefits of lemons and lemon juice are numerous and worth your time to learn.

But, what I didn’t know and learned was how to clean copper pans using lemon juice! For a wonderful homemade room air freshener, put a few drops of lemon juice, or lemon essential oil, into a small dish of white distilled vinegar for a natural and inexpensive alternative to solid air fresheners. Here’s a good how to clean formica tip, put a little bit of lemon juice onto the stain and let it sit (not too long). Follow this up with a sprinkling of baking soda and scrub to remove the stain. In addition to these quick and easy tips, know that lemons are acidic, this gives them antibacterial and antiseptic qualities which make them ideal for cleaning. (DO NOT USE ON MARBLE, that’s another blog!)

Next time you are buying your apples and broccoli, don’t overlook nature’s yellow cleaner and sanitizer, the one that will make you pucker, but not at the price! You can also substitute lemon juice or concentrate for fresh lemons. Also, remember that the manufacturers don’t want you to know how easy it really is to make it yourself with what nature gave us! Can you eat your cleaner?

Thought:

A woman was applying for a job in a Florida lemon grove. When the foreman looked over her application, he felt she was far too qualified for the job. ”Look, Miss Carter,” said the foreman, “do you have any actual experience in picking lemons?” ”Oh, yes, I certainly do,” she replied. “I’ve been divorced four times.”

Construction / VOCs ~ Wedding Bell Migraines

Posted on March 13, 2012 by carolyn_wootton

Thought:

Headaches are no laughing matter, but being able to laugh at a situation sometimes can make all the difference. You may have to come back and read this joke after your headache goes away.

“A woman with a migraine (from VOCs) was having sharp pains in her side. The doctor examined her and said, ”You have acute appendicitis. ”The women yelled at the doctor… ”I came here to get medical help, not get a stupid compliment!!” ( I warned you! )

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A friend, having purchased their dream home, had finally gotten settled in and thought all was perfect. They had no idea their lives were about to go upside down by VOCs (volatile organic compounds). As their oldest daughter came home engaged, she wanted her reception to be at home, the wedding in December.

Renovations had been talked about; now was the time to start. A grand construction transformation was about to begin – new stairway, new carpet, new kitchen cabinets, hard wood floors, crown molding, casings, chair rails, wallpaper, painting and varnishing.

As the construction began, Annie began with a migraine. This wasn’t something new she had suffered for many years. As each day went by, her headache grew worse. She thought it was the stress of overseeing the construction, the noise, sawdust, and the wedding. It became necessary for her to temporarily move out until construction was complete. This now had become a super rush job to get her back into the house to be with her husband and family. Her doctor, being a personal friend, would make house calls to help her anyway that he could. The diagnosis, she was allergic to the Volatile Organic Compounds in her home from the new construction and the products used.

“VOCs are widely used in household and commercial products. Some cleansers, disinfectants, waxes, glues, cosmetics, dry cleaning products, paints, varnishes and preservatives include VOCs. Gasoline, kerosene and other fuels also contain VOCs.

VOCs are also found in cigarette smoke and pesticides.

A number of building and household materials may be sources of VOCs. New carpeting, backing, and adhesives; draperies; wood products that use certain glues, finishes, and waxes in the manufacturing process; and vinyl type flooring and wall coverings may all release VOCs into the air.”

Information about VOCs

VOCs in Your Home

“Exposure to elevated levels of VOCs may cause irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat. Headaches, nausea, and nerve problems can also occur. Some people do not appear to have any kind of reaction to fairly “low” amounts of VOCs, while other people are fairly sensitive.”

This became a matter of, will the VOCs levels lessen, she took an extended trip to stay with her daughter while airing out the house began. Returning home, to hopefully move back in to a safe environment, the migraines started again after the first night home. She again left home.

All the renovation that had been done had to be torn out and replaced without using any products containing VOCs. They contracted with a “Green Homebuilder” and were at the mercy of schedules and product delivery dates.

This was a very expensive project and consumed a great amount time. The completion was done just in time for the wedding, many friends came together to help her get all the decorations in place to make this most memorable for the bride. It was a lovely reception.

Remove your migraine triggers by removing retail cleaning products and the harsh chemicals that trigger painful migraines

Time to Invite a Friend to a Party

Posted on March 12, 2012 by carolyn_wootton

Thought:

“My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.”

– Henry Ford

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A special friend of ours was going through a particularly difficult time so Dena and I decided to host a luncheon in her honor. We really wanted to make this a special day for her. Everything needed to be perfect. Paper plates, plastic cups and place settings would not do. It was time to go the extra mile and break out the china but we only had one day to pull this off.

Dena was concerned about using my china because it is antique and everything must be hand washed. Not to mention the time required to dry and polish each piece to a high shine. If we used china, then we would have to use the silver flatware and it was due for a cleaning and polishing, and the list went on and on. We would run out of time, and this was quickly becoming an If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Joffe Numeroff moment. We just didn’t have a lot of time to spend on these added preparations. We had to give up something or did we?

We first lined a pan with aluminum foil and place the flatware pieces in the pan. We soaked the pieces in water, baking soda, and salt. While this was soaking, we quickly washed the china and crystal in Borax and hot soapy water, rinsed and dried it to a brilliant shine. When we finished with the china, we quickly washed the silver in hot soapy water, rinsed and dried it.

To plan our menu, we went to the freezer to select what we needed from our already prepared meals. All we needed was to make a fresh salad and dressing. Our desert was also covered. Just a quick thaw and we were good to go. We accomplished this in record time, set the table and greeted our guests.

The luncheon was a huge success, she was so touched that we would go to so much trouble for her, we hope she doesn’t read this and find out how truly quick and easily we pulled this off.

Garbage Disposal Cleaner

Posted on March 11, 2012 by carolyn_wootton

Thought:

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Shortly after we were married, I heard the most horrible noise coming from my kitchen, knowing something was terribly wrong I ran into the room to see why the garbage disposal was grinding steel! There standing by the kitchen sink was Randy watching me with a puzzled look. “What is wrong?” he inquired. When I asked what was tearing up the garbage disposal he started to laugh. “I threw ice cubes into the garbage disposal to clean it”, he stated.

Now that I knew nothing was breaking except the garbage disposal and he had done this by his accord I felt I could relax for a brief moment. Guessing the puzzled look on my face he began to explain the purpose for the ice cubes in the disposal.

“The ice cubes about six or eight cubes will help clean out all the unwanted particles hidden in the disposal that cause that nasty disposal smell,” he stated. Next step, he ran hot soapy water down the drain to prevent an ice buildup in the pipes. He then followed up by adding orange rinds into the disposal. The citrus naturally cuts through the grease and grime to allow for ease of movement into the pipes and as an added benefit, leaves a fresh citrus fragrance in your kitchen, no more disposal smell. You can follow this up again with more ice cubes to remove any residual orange rinds.

I owe an apology to my husband Randy for omitting this tip from our book. He has been quite diligent in the maintenance of our garbage disposal, so much so that I don’t give it a thought. I truly appreciate his industrious nature. He has saved us a ton of money the years over! Where would we be without our ice cubes for our disposal maintenance. This was one for the book that I am sorry I missed.

Dear Cheaper, Greener, Cleaner:
I’m writing to say what an excellent book you have! I’ve used the cleaning recipes ever since the beginning of my married life, when my Mom told me were the best.
Now that I am older and going through menopause, I find it is even better. In fact, about a month ago, I spilled some red wine on my new white blouse.
My unfeeling and uncaring husband started to berate me about how clumsy I was, and generally started to become a pain in the neck.
One thing led to another and I ended up with a lot of his blood on my white blouse. I tried to get the stain out using a bargain detergent, but it just wouldn’t come out.
After a quick tip from your book, and not surprisingly, all of the stains came out!
In fact, the stains came out so well, that some detectives who came by yesterday told me that the DNA tests were negative and my attorney said that I would no longer be considered a suspect!
I thank you, once again, for having such a great book. Well, gotta go. I have to write a letter to the Hefty bag people.
Signed,
A Relieved Menopausal Wife

Every Day the Cheaper, Greener, Cleaner Way!

Save Money & the Environment With Homemade Cleaners & Recipes

Category Archives: Kitchen

Isopropyl Alcohol: Top Five Uses

Microwave Oven Lemon Fresh Clean

Vinegar Top Ten Uses Besides Dying Easter Eggs

Easter Eggs Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Everyday

My Dishwasher Left My Drinking Glasses Look Like My Shower Door!

Ice Tray ~ New Refrigerator ~ New Toy

When Life Gives You Lemons . . . Clean!

Construction / VOCs ~ Wedding Bell Migraines

Time to Invite a Friend to a Party

Garbage Disposal Cleaner