5 Frugal Cleaning Secrets, Darren Timon Guest Blogger

5 frugal cleaning secrets…

If like me, you are sucked in by the cleaning product isles in the supermarket, you probably have a cupboard full of colorful, shiny bottles that all do the same thing. Either that, or you aren’t really sure what any of them do at all. It’s easy to fall victim to persuasive advertising jingles and idolizing the pristine housewives that use them… but not all cleaning products have to be expensive. We’ve complied a list of 5 of our best frugal cleaning secrets, we promise you’ll think twice about the cleaning products you buy after this!

Vinegar is your friend – white distilled vinegar that is (no, that doesn’t mean your Sarson’s Original Malt will “just do.”) Vinegar can clean almost anything around the home, there’s even a website dedicated to it, from cleaning kitchen counter tops, cleaning shower door tracks or deodorizing the toilet bowl, vinegar does it all. Just be careful not to mix it with bleach and when using it on certain surfaces (granite and marble, for example) and you’re good to go!

Salt secrets – It may seem like this is guide to condiments that go on your chips, but, like vinegar, salt has loads of great cleaning purposes. Whether it’s cleaning greasy pots and pans, cleaning the oven, or freshening up the fridge, salt can assist you with without breaking the bank. Spilt red wine? Saturate the area with regular table salt and leave to sit for a couple of hours. Wash the area with cold water… gone!

Ice to remove chewing gum – this is an old trick, but it’s still an effective way to remove chewing gum from carpets and upholstery. Simply fill a sandwich bag with a few ice cubes, rub over the area, leave for 15 minutes and then simply scrape of the gum. The gum freezes and hardens (unsurprisingly) making it easier to remove. This trick also works for removing candle wax.

Toothpaste – noticing all those hard water marks on your glasses getting worse? Water marks on glasses can seem impossible to remove, but this trick works wonders. Simply rub cheap (of course), white toothpaste over your glasses and rinse clean as normal. No more cloudy glasses!

Unblocking sinks and drains – I always find cleaners that claim to unblock sinks and drains are extremely expensive, and this is an issue that is worth trying to rectify yourself first before buying expensive products. To remove a blockage, mix one cup of bicarbonate of soda, one cup of salt and a cup of vinegar (see, we told you they’re good at everything…) and pour the mix into your the drain or plughole. Leave for approximately half an hour. Rinse with a kettle of boiling water and the blockage should be gone.

So, with just 5 simple tips you can eliminate some of those unnecessary, expensive cleaning product purchases and fill your cleaning cupboard with natural and cheap alternatives.

This blog was written by Darren Timon, the Managing Director of Aroma Cleaning UK Ltd; a nationwide domestic and commercial cleaning company. Darren writes regularly on his own blog on the Aroma Cleaning website.

We get into the nooks and crannies other cleaners just skirt around, and no job is too large or too small. From domestic ovens to windows and carpets; from offices to schools and shopping centres, Aroma Cleaning outshines the competition at every level.