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Make Your Own Household Cleaners

A great way to help save the environment and your wallet is to make your own household cleaners. Here are some great recipes to get you started:

Recipe for cleaning stainless steel appliances:
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/cleaningtipsandrecipes/qt/Stainless_Steel.htm

Recipe for dishwasher detergent:
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/cleaningtipsandrecipes/qt/Dish_Detergent.htm

Recipe for Dishwasher Rinse, note that this method is also good for cleaning out your dishwasher and extending the life of the appliance, which in turn saves you money:
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/householdsavings/qt/Rinse_Agent.htm

Recipe for oven cleaner:
http://housekeeping.about.com/od/kitchen/qt/bksd_oven.htm
Did you know that you can also use a combination of baking soda, boiling water and vinegar to unclog drains? And that you can use baking soda as a natural water absorbent on carpet?

This site is absolutely amazing and full of ideas with everything from homemade mold killer to carpet cleaner:
http://www.eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm

The recipe on http://www.eartheasy.com/ of 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda is a cheap and natural all purpose cleaner. At about $2 for a box of baking soda and a bottle of vinegar you could make several batches, at the least 6 times the amount you would get from one store bought bottle of all purpose cleaner which typically runs in the $4 range. Or check out these websites for several other uses for vinegar (http://www.angelfire.com/cantina/homemaking/vinegar.html) and baking soda (http://www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/lib2/60soda.htm).

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