Tuesday, July 7, 2009

How Do I Use Thee? Oh, Let Me Count the Ways!


These are a couple products I try not to be without:
CLOROX Disinfecting Wipes
MAGIC ERASER

I love them both for their multiple uses....some of which I will list here, I'm sure you all have some that I haven't even thought of! Please tell if you do, I'd love to know more ways to use them.

CLOROX Wipes:

  • great to keep in the bathroom for quick wipe-ups when company's poppin' in within minutes (their intended use!)
  • in the car for wipe downs after the car's been washed, all around the insides of the doors, floor mats, dash, ashtrays and litter containers
  • in the laundry room for the tops of the washer and dryer and inside the doors of each
  • to wipe down the insides of our dog kennels when I wash their blankets weekly
  • these are handy for the tracks in the windows after washing the windows themselves. I just use a pencil (the eraser end) and sort of wrap the wipe around it and clean the dirt from those nasty tracks (how does that get in there, anyway!?)

MAGIC ERASER:

  • bugs stuck to the grill, the bumper and the outside mirror fronts on the car when I'm hand-washing our vehicles, use gently, don't scrub too hard
  • Brake dust on the alloy wheels when cleaning them instead of using a chemical. that black stuff comes right off!
  • In the dishwater, they are great for stuck on foods or for things like removing the tea stains from your iced-tea pitcher and tea glasses, and also for stained-up saucepans, jelly-roll pans, etc.
  • In the bathroom for water stains on the shower/tub from minerals or soap scum buildup
  • In the kitchen: they're wonderful for the surfaces of appliances and things like refrigerator door handles and for inside the appliances for refrigerator shelves and stuck-on food and drips
  • I've even use them on the insides and outsides of plastic wastebaskets and the inside of stained-up recycle bins

OTHER ODDS AND ENDS:



I AM FORCED TO ADMIT TO YOU that I am a
HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT DROP-OUT
I am a homemade laundry detergent dropout. I've tried the liquid, and the dry. Something is missing from those recipes that fights the minerals in our well-water. The first couple loads were fine....but as time went on, I noticed a degree of "gray" that was building up on my whites and it was especially noticeable in my towels and washcloths. I couldn't handle that and didn't want to have to bleach each load.

I have gone back to regular detergent for everything but jeans, throw rugs, and things like sheets and blankets or quilts that are usually not very dirty and don't get laundered as often. If you've had this experience, I'd like to know. I followed the recipes but wondered if it's our well water that is the problem. And, in addition to the less than satisfactory performance, my front loader STUNK to high heavens with the homemade detergent NO MATTER WHAT I DID...I tried all the remedies for it and nothing worked. Now that I'm back to regular detergent, I'm not having the problem to the degree it was, thank goodness.

ON the other hand, I've had NO PROBLEMS with the homemade fabric softener and am continuing to use it.


PLEASE SHARE YOUR TIPS & TRICKS WITH THESE CLEANING PRODUCTS

(AND YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH THE HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT!)





13 comments:

Happy To Be/ Gl♥ria said...

GM My friend..ok the magic eraser I just love it's many uses..It's great for the bottom of cooper pans..and my stove to get finger prints off the control panel..best thing in the world for ring around the toilet..cleaning water spots off of my brass water fixtures..polishing chrome on my stove...Oh girl like I said I love them...plus Dawn foam I have to also have in my kitchen best stuff I also found for gease and cleans my sink at the same time..May you have a great day my friend...hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

Thistle Cove Farm said...

I use 20 Mule Team Borax as a bleach and find it works very well and isn't as damaging...or at least that's what I believe. I also keep a bar of lye soap to scrub on stains and that works really well. I use a lot of white vinegar, peroxide and baking soda for cleaning.
You've been given a, well deserved, award at Thistle Cove Farm.

KathyB. said...

I had not thought of some of these uses, I especially like the pencil tip wrapped in a bleach cloth for cleaning window tracks.

I plan on making the fabric softener so am glad you mentioned you like it, however, we do have tough to clean laundry and maybe with our well water, the so-called "green" detergents and soaps really do not cut the mustard, or the ketchup, and after 2 or 3 loads I have dingy laundry, so I have needed to stick to regular ones, like you. I might try Sandra's ideas though, worth a shot!

Thanks!Laundry is always with us and tips like these help a lot.

Anonymous said...

Yes ma'am, I flunked the homemade detergent class too!

With a case of carpal tunnel syndrom, the grating of the Phels Naptha was painful, but the smell was good...I excitedly washed my first load of whites...oh my mercy! Everything had turned gray! It took two more washes with regular Gain to get them back to normal...whewwww!!!

I've just decided to keep using all of my products as it is supporting a job somewhere and I feel like there is no way under heaven that we can save the earth anyway...

Sue said...

Hi , just wandered in and gotta say, I love your pics on your site, and am looking forward to following.
I'm a big fan of the magic erasers too. They do such a great job, and I like not having to use all sorts of toxic cleaners.
As for homemade laundry detergent, I have a high efficiency washer too, and will not use homemade in it. I only use a couple tablespoons of H.E. Tide, so its not worth bothering with making my own.

Donna said...

What home made fabric softener??? I still use the home made detergent...works great but instead of the washing soda...I use the regular washing detergent!Hahaa...Works great in my front loader!
Happy night sweetie!hughugs

Farmgirl Cyn said...

Joni...I've been using the homemade laundry soap for 3 years now. We do have hard water, which I am more than willing to live with. I don't like the slimy feeling I get when I have had to shower somewhere a water softener is used. I haven't really noticed a graying of the whites...perhaps because the whites have NEVER stayed white for very long! When Pete is working he gets filthy, and even doubling the bleach didn't get the whites bright! I am sold on the homemade mainly based on the cost...cheap, cheap, cheap!!!

Barbara said...

Hey Joni,

I have not used the homemade deterget YET...however, I will share with you that the earth friendly eco detergents are terrible with whites and lights...and...even if you can't see the effects on the darks, I still wonder if it is getting them just as clean? So, I went back to my old commercial super market det. I have a front loader as well and using only a tbs. of det. gets the job done for me. I talked to an eco friendly manuf...he is a very small company that distributes outside of Las Vegas and his take on the laundry det. thing is that the real problems are in the way we handle the empty containers the det. comes in not the chemicals. Barbara

Kay-The Rustic Cottage said...

If you used the homemade laundry soap then you need to use white vinegar in the rinse water - about a 1/2 cup per load. The soap leaves a residue and that is what turns the clothes gray. The vinegar cuts the residue and also softens the clothes. And they don't smell like vinegar after the rinse either.

I love the Magic Erasers for taking marks and dirt off painted walls. I've not used the Clorox wipes but will try them on your recommendation!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

What great info! THANK YOU!

Twisted Fencepost said...

Great info! I picked up a couple of new uses for the erasers. Thanks.
I use Chlorox wipes everywhere. Especially after someone sick has been in the house. I wipe door knobs and light switches. Anywhere they may have touched.

elmaelsiena said...

Love your ideas!! I have a question I have a front loader wash machine and it really stinks. My towels if I put them in the dryer they smell like puke and when I hang them outside they are o.k. Do you know why my machine would smell so bad? We have a water softner and I use tide. Thanks elma2179@yahoo.com

Kathleen Grace said...

I am so glad I read this post. I had been wanting to try some of the home made stuff but we have really hard water with a lot of minerals and I was afraid after all the work and expense of making it I would find it just wouldn't work. You saved me the effort!