The Frugal Housekeeper: Your One-Stop Pantry, Medicine Cabinet and Broom Closet

Household cleaning is a necessity ... or so I'm told.

Some of us (well, me) have to be dragged into it kicking and screaming, but we've all gotta do it. Trouble is, one can easily spend hundreds of dollars on fancy chemicals with fumes that do nasty things to skin, lungs and the environment. Not to mention their piles of fancy packaging that turn into one more heap for the recycle bin -- or the landfill.

We can replace a lot of the fume-y stuff with natural products we're probably already buying for the kitchen pantry. Better yet, some of those very same products serve double-duty as beauty aids, and triple-duty as health aids!

We may be hard-pressed to get rid of the fancy stuff altogether, but we can cut down on it and still keep a clean house (perhaps even cleaner, and definitely healthier), get pretty and feel good, and save money to boot.

(NOTE: Hub Pages writers have created many helpful Hubs on getting creative with natural products. Many of them are linked on this Hub. Check out the links! And ... if you know of a Hub I left out, please leave me a comment, and I'll add it on.)

This is not about balsamic, raspberry or any of your fancy-dancy vinegars. We're talking about Grandma's standbys:  cider vinegar and distilled vinegar. (Other vinegars may apply if your Grandma's from an apple-free locale.)

Cider Vinegar -- is made from apple or other fruit ciders.  It's a brown liquid, so it may stain when used to clean porous items.  Drinking vinegar with honey and water suppresses appetite and, after taking daily for a week or 3, reduces arthritis pain. 

Distilled Vinegar -- is typically made from corn or other grains, with 5% acidity.  It is a clear, or "white" liquid.  Ants hate it -- pour full-strength distilled vinegar down an anthill or soak a cloth in it to discourage them indoors. Distilled vinegar is a great non-toxic weedkiller -- use full strength on sprouting weeds and in cracks and crevices. Add a cup to your last laundry rinse to remove lint and soap/detergent residue.

Any Vinegar -- relieve itching by daubing the spot with full-strength vinegar -- works for insect bites, bee stings and jellyfish bites.  Use full strength to polish chrome and to remove lime from planting pots and vases. 

10-1/2 Amazing Uses for Vinegar (by Adrie's World) 

Uses for Vinegar (by Eileen Hughes) 

Cleaning with Vinegar (by Jennifer)

Baking soda is not to be confused with baking powder -- though you can use it to make your own -- or washing soda, which is too strong for internal use.

Make your own baking powder by sifting together 1 part baking soda, 1 part cornstarch and 1 part cream of tartar. Clean out your coffeemaker and dishwasher -- add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the water in your coffeemaker, and put baking soda in the soap holder of your dishwasher.  Run them through their full cycles.

A teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of tepid or slightly warm water can relieve a sour stomach.  Tastes yucky, but it works. 

Olive oil is as complex and sophisticated as a fine wine. In fact, olive oil tastings, like wine tastings, have become a popular upscale pastime. You may scoff (I sure did!), but don't knock it -- there really are differences in bouquet, taste and mouth feel depending on the variety, the process and the season, and they really do make a difference in your salad or bread dip.

For household purposes, however, there's no need to shell out for superduper-extra-virgin liquid green gold. Plain refined stuff that comes in a jug or big metal container will do.

Olive oil makes a good, healthy skin lotion. Olive oil and water make a great pre-manicure hand soak. It's also a great wood furniture polish -- especially with a dash of vinegar or lemon juice. Polish stainless steel and brass -- olive oil will clean the metal and protect it from tarnishing. 

What Are the Best Uses for Olive Oil? (by Omnidirectional) 

8 Uses for Olive Oil (That Have Nothing to Do with Food) (by Kathryn Vercillo) 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Excellent for Skin Irritation and Inflammation (by Len7288)

Good ol' salt's gone gourmet -- there's your sea salt, Hawai'ian salt dusted with red volcanic clay, regional varietals and on and on. I haven't been to a salt-tasting yet, but I know they exist. Around here we use fine-grained sea salt for the table, both for its flavor and because the crystals are so fine, it takes less to season a dish.

These hints call for plain old salt. Doesn't even need to be iodized.

Sweeten your sink drains by pouring boiling salted water down them. Remove bathroom mildew with a solution of salt and lemon juice. To exfoliate your scalp before a shampoo, rub with salt water. Salt water also makes a great gargle to relieve a sore throat.  For a non-toxic air-freshener, layer salt and fragrant rose petals in an airtight glass jar. Open the jar to release the sweetness. 

Lemons make the whole world smell clean and delicious. But they're made of sterner stuff, too.  Fresh lemons and bottled (pure, full-strength) lemon juice are powerful cleaners. 

To brighten aluminum pots and pans, rub with half-lemon and buff.  Repel insects by squeezing lemon juice under thresholds and around the outside of your windows.  Stinky or caked-up microwave?  Pour 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1-1/2 cups of water into a microwave-safe glass bowl.  Run on High for 5-10 minutes.  To de-stink your garbage disposal, save up your orange and lemon peels and run them through the disposal.  Repeat monthly. 

Health Benefits of Lemon (by Len7288) 

Lemon Juice for Asthma and Other Ailments (by Noenhulk) 

The History of the Lemon and its Many Uses (by Eileen Hughes)

You may not buy these every day, but they're natural and frugal -- if you can find them, that is. If your local store has gone all post-modern on you, try ordering online -- to my surprise, Amazon carries all of 'em!

(Except for soap flakes, that is. Try here.)

Ammonia -- Oh, it's natural, all right. Just take a quick (shallow) whiff!  Use sparingly and with care. 

Borax -- Test for Youth: if you remember a pre-political Ronald Reagan pushing 20 Mule Team Borax on your black-and-white TV, you flunked!

Naphtha -- Another strong smeller. I find it pleasantly nostalgic, in small doses. Most often found in soap-bar form (e.g., Fels-Naptha). Store in plastic if the nostalgia gets overpowering.

Soap Flakes -- Pure soap, in flake form. Plain castile or Ivory soap will do too, but that requires grating.

Washing Soda -- Not to be confused with baking soda. It's much stronger and not for human/pet consumption.

Some Recipes

Glass Cleaner: 2 tablespoons ammonia, 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol, 1/4 teaspoon dishwashing liquid (we like to use organic). Add water to make 1 quart.

Laundry Soap: 1 part borax and 1 part washing soda (1 tablespoon per medium load). OR: 1/4 bar of grated naphtha bar or flakes and 1/2 cup each of soap flakes, washing soda and borax (1-2 tablespoons per medium load).

Wall Cleaner: Dissolve 2 ounces of borax in 2 quarts of water. Scrub wall from bottom up to avoid streaking.