Cleaning The Toilet

Having a clean home is something most of us like to have. If you believe TV advertising, cleaning products can perform miracles. Showers are clean with one wipe and toilets are sparkling with one fragrant little disc. All is not what it seems to be.

Toilet cleaning products are so expensive and can easily increase your food budget by about $10 a month. It doesn't have to be that way. I've been a domestic cleaner for about 17 years and on average cleaned more than 10 toilets a week. I've used every toilet cleaning product on the market. This is what I've learnt over the years -

* Toilet cleaners do not keep mould from growing under the rim.
* Disinfectant wipes are too thin to do a good job. At approximately 8cents a cloth often you need to use two.
* Toilet brushes do NOT get into all the crevices.
* The stick on toilet discs get in the way of cleaning the bowl
* Toilet blocks without the cage disintegrate when you move them to clean the bowl.
* Cheap liquid toilet blocks do not last very long.
* Blu loo ends up splashed all over the walls.

Here's how I keep my toilets sparkling clean on a budget.  I use no name chux type cloths. If they are big I cut them in half.  I spray a couple of squirts of Miracle Spray or disinfectant into the toilet bowl and onto the cloth. I wipe the outside of the toilet first, folding over the cloth when it gets dirty so that I  get a clean surface. I then wipe the inside of the lid,  then the seat,  then the underneath of the seat then the top of the toilet bowl where the seat rests.   Using your rubber gloves and cloth, wipe over the toilet bowl digging down as far as you can go into the pipe. Then wedge the cloth up under the rim ( if your toilet has one ) to get out the grime.

Flush

I throw the cloths into a bucket with disinfectant to soak until my next wash day.   The cloths are put into a linen bag and thrown in the washing machine with the towels. These cloths are so durable they can last up to six months. All for about 10 cents per cloth. Combine that with the budget friendly Miracle Spray which costs about $1 per litre.   Cheap and easy as.

If you keep your toilets clean, then you'll find that toilet blocks and other products are not that necessary after all.

My Cleaning Schedule

Over the years I've had quite a few people ask me how I keep my home tidy and do all the other things I do.  For starters I don't work full time so this gives me time to keep on top of things.  Secondly,  I'm not addicted to my mobile phone or computer.  If you saw my mobile you'd understand why.  It's not a smart phone but it's great for making calls and  texting ( not that I do either that much ).  I also don't have an enormous house with unused rooms.  All these things help me keep my home in order.

My home is kept tidy for a few reasons.  My mind is at ease when my home is clean and tidy.  If there's mess lying around I feel a little stressed and cannot rest until it's in order again.  I like to have a tidy home in case someone visits unexpectedly.  Cath and I have joked over the years how we like to keep our homes ' tv ready " or visitor ready.  Yes,  there can be things out of place but it doesn't take long to put them away.

I had a cleaning schedule when my girls were very little that kept the housework reasonably up to date.   Here's what it looked like -

MON -   3 loads of washing - white / lights,  towels and darks
              Vacuum
              Mop
              Strip one bed

TUES -  Baking
              Ironing

WED -   3 loads of washing ( as per Monday )
               Vacuum
               Mop
               Strip one bed

THUR -  Dust
               Clean bathrooms and toilets
               Food shopping

FRI -   3 loads of washing ( as per Monday )
            Vacuum
            Mop
            Strip one bed

SAT -   Tidy
             Baking

SUN -   Day of rest - not that I got much rest.

I know it seems ridiculous that I vacuumed three times a week  but with little children it was necessary.    If there was a dead fly on the floor,  Megan would find it and put it in her mouth.

Gone are the days of little children.  Now that I work,  my cleaning schedule has changed a few times to fit in with when I'm home.  Here's my current cleaning schedule -

MON -  No cleaning but I do write for the Cheapskates Club and my blog on this day

TUES -   Dark load of washing
               Ironing
               Baking ( if needed )
               Tidy
               Craft

WED -   Wash towels and light clothes together
               Vacuum
               Mop
               Food shopping and errands

THUR -  Dust the whole house
               Clean bathrooms and toilets
               Wipe down kitchen

FRI -      Dark or light load of washing ( whatever is needed )
              Strip a bed ( girls alternate )

SAT -     Vacuum
               Mop
               Dark load of washing ( work uniforms )
               Bread baking and any other baking needed
               Finish any outstanding housework

SUN -    Strip my bed
               Wash sheets and anything light

Of course there are many other things I fit into my week. There's gardening,  processing of garden produce,  mending,  general tidying,  card making ( on a rare occasion ),  crafting,  de cluttering,  op shopping,  present making,  soap making,  MOOing ( Make Our Own ) kitchen ingredients and cleaning products,  blog work and research,  replying to messages from readers etc etc.  The list could go on and on.

My girls help out when I get behind but they do need to be persuaded.  Darren works very hard at his jobs so I only ask him for help if I'm running out of time and we need to go out.

I will say ( with a little pride ) that Darren and the girls know how to do just about all the housework.  Darren lived out of home for 5 years before we were married so he was pretty good at cleaning ( just not often ).  Over the years I've shown him quicker and easier ways to clean the bathrooms.  Jessica and Megan have always been encouraged to clean up after themselves.  When they became teens,  they learnt how to put the washing machine and dishwasher on.   When their bathroom gets too messy,  they are responsible for the clean up.

There are times when I just can't get all the housework done.  As long as the house is reasonably tidy,  it can wait for another week.

Cleaning Your Kettle

How clean is the inside of your kettle ?  Does it look a little on the brown side ?  I was doing some cleaning at my girl's school the other day and as I finished cleaning the tea and coffee area,  I thought I'd look inside the kettle.  Yep,  it was brown.  When I arrived home I thought it was time to give my kettle a clean too.  I hadn't cleaned it for a couple of months.  Shock,  horror,  something dirty at my place !!!  I deliberately let to get really dirty to show you how quick and easy it is to have a sparkly new looking kettle.

All you need is a kettle full of cold water.  To this you add and a couple of teaspoons of Citric Acid.

Boil the kettle then pour the water down the sink.  Alternatively,  save the water. let it cool and pour it into the washing machine or water some plants.

Fill up the kettle again with fresh water and boil it.  Pour this water out ( and save it ).

Now the kettle is ready for use.

Here are my before and after photos.
  .

Making Laundry Powder

Making my own laundry powder was one of the first things I learnt to do in my quest to reduce our costs.  Upon further enquiries with family members,  I found out that my grandparents made a similar version using soap,  borax,  lectric soda and a bluing agent ( not quite sure what that is ).  How great is that ?  They knew what they were doing and it's lovely to know that  some things never really go out of fashion.

 It only takes about five minutes to make a batch that will last a month.  It's cheap, easy and can be adapted to suit your skin type.  I use no name pure laundry soap but if you have skin allergies then use a soap that suits your skin.

Here is the recipe -

1 bar of pure laundry soap ( or soap of choice )
1 cup of bi carb of soda
1 cup of Lectric soda

Grate the bar of soap with a grater using the fine zesting side.  It should look like a fine powder when it's grated. Alternatively cut the soap into slivers with a sharp knife and wizz it in the food proccessor.

Into a medium bowl place the grated soap.  Measure out the Lectric soda and bi carb. and add it to the bowl  Mix all ingredients together with a whisk until well combined.  Store in an air tight container.

Use 1 tablespoon for a full load in a top loading washing machine.
Use two teaspoons in a front loader washing machine.

NOTES -

*Bi carb can be bought in bulk at cleaning supply places and pool shops.  It 's also called ph Buffer which is used in pools.  It is not suitable for cooking and baking.

*  I cut 4 - 8 bars of soap at a time into slivers and wizz in the food proccessor..  I only make one or two batches at a time and the leftover grated soap is stored in a container ready to make up in the future.

*  This laundry powder is great for soaking soiled items.  Together with the Miracle Spray,  it keeps my washing clean.

*  Treat soiled items as soon as possible.

*  This laundry powder will not give you lots of suds in the washing machine.  Do not be tempted to add more to get the suds.

*  If you need a fragrance,  add a few drops of essential oil to the powder and mix well.

*  If you still have shop bought laundry powder to use,  add it to the one you made and mix well.

*  This laundry powder costs about 3 cents per load.

The finished products

The ingredients needed

Grated soap I keep in a bucket

Whisking the ingredients together


 

Have you made your own laundry powder ? If not,  do you think you could give this one a go ?

Miracle Spray

Here it is.  The much talked about Miracle Spray.  This wonderful recipe was revealed by a member of The Cheapskates Club a couple of years ago.  She mentioned in passing that she was making a cleaning spray and all the members on the Cheapskate's forum begged her for the recipe.

 

I must say,  Miracle Spray has changed my life.  It was like having a " lightbulb moment " when I started using it. It replaces so many cleaning products and can save you a few hundred dollars a year.  It's so much better for your health.  I suffer from nasty sinus headaches from time to time.  If I can gather enough strength to clean my showers with the Miracle Spray,  my sinuses are cleared within minutes. 

 

 

1.5 litres of water ( 1 cup of very hot water ) 

300mls of white vinegar - no name

60mls of dishwashing liquid - good quality

25mls of eucalyptus oil - not water soluble

3 tablespoons of Lectric soda powder

Miracle Spray ingredients

 

 

Mix the Lectric soda in 1 cup of very hot water to dissolve.

Add remainder of ingredients into a 2 litre bottle,  fill up with tap water and shake well.  Decant into spray bottles.

NOTES -

This can be used on kitchen benches, sinks, toilets, laundry stains, washing  freshener, tiled / vinyl floors, showers and carpet stains.  It also removes stickers from items.  Just spray a few times and leave it for a couple of minutes then wipe the sticker off.

 

Please do not use on timber surfaces as it could damage the finish.

Please do not use on mirrors as the oil will leave the mirrors streaky.

 

I quite often make the Miracle Spray in double strength.  Just double all the ingredients into a 2 litre bottle and top up with water.  Label the bottles as " double strength ".  Dilute it when you fill up the spray bottles. 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitchen Cloths For Free

Keeping your kitchen clean,  tidy and ( almost ) germ free can be quite costly. There seems to be a cleaning cloth for every surface and a spray for each different spill.   All these items can add huge costs to your grocery budget.

I've found a way to eliminate the need to buy kitchen cloths and sponges without compromising on quality.  About 5 years ago I was in Tasmania on holidays with my family.  We'd been spending some time visiting my inlaws and I was helping out in the kitchen.  I couldn't find any sponges to wipe the benches until my mother in law showed me a drawer full of old face washers and hand towels.

As soon as we arrived home fom our holiday I searched my linen cupboard for face washers that were getting a little on the old side.  Sure enough I found four straight away that were too faded for the bathroom but too good for the laundry or the rag bag.  In one corner of  each face washer I wrote the letter " K " for kitchen with a laundry marker.  This ensured that the face washers weren't returned to the linen cupboard after washing but stored in a kitchen drawer with the tea towels.

Each day I change over the face washer and wash the dirty one in the washing machine with the towels.  If  I've had a busy day in the kitchen with lots of cooking and baking I might use a few.  It's a great way to help prevent cross contanination. They are very durable and don't fall apart when you use a bit of elbow grease on a hardened spill  I also use microfibre cloths for the timber dining table and kitchen splash back.

Those four original face washers lasted for three years with constant use until the edges started fraying.  I crossed out the letter " K " and wrote "L " for laundry on each one.  They were then stacked in the laundry cupboard to mop up spills.  After that they made their way to the rubbish bin.

The cloths cost me nothing but saved me about $100 over three years.  Bargain  !!!