Ok, I'm a single guy, and I don't spend too much time thinking about detergents or household cleaning products. In fact, I HATE it when I have to spend money at the supermarket on stuff that's not food. But I also know that when hygiene and good cleaning practices go out the window, so does your health.
I am germ conscious... Not to the point of being of being neurotic about it, but my days working in the kitchen at a hunting & fishing lodge in northern Arizona made me acutely aware of bacteria and other little nasties that can ruin your whole week if you don't keep things sanitary (In Arizona, you actually have to get a food handling license to be cook).
I'm also kinda cheap... er, I meant thrifty. So when I need laundry or dishwashing detergent, I'll either buy the cheapest stuff they got at the supermarket (I mean really... How much difference can there be between Dawn® and the store brand of dish soap?), or I'll go to the dollar store. They got one up here in New Hampshire called “Dollar Tree”. I think it's the last dollar store left that still sells everything fora dollar. But they haven't got a single brand you ever heard of before!
Anyway, that's fine for dish soap, bath soap and laundry detergent, but for everything else like glass cleaner, toilet cleaner and general purpose bathroom and kitchen cleaning products, I don't buy any of that fancy store-bought stuff (not even at the Dollar Tree). I make my own!
That's what they had to do back in the day, and it suited my grandparents just fine. And you can use the money you save to buy the survival-type stuff that you really need.
Bleach and water make a great disinfectant that's safe to use anywhere. I recommend you you stock up on a bunch of it. You're gonna need it to keep your stored water free of bacteria anyway. It'll clean and sanitize your toilet just as well as any commercial cleaner, plus you can use it to clean your sinks, kitchen counter, cutting boards (kills salmonella), etc., and it's cheep too! I don't have a measured formula, but I've learned the hard way that a little bleach goes a long way. I just pour a bit in the bottom of a spray bottle and fill the rest up with water and shake it up. Just one caveat, though. Don't mix bleach with ammonia! It will produce a toxic gas. If you use it to clean your toilet, make sure it's been flushed first.
I learned that the hard way too.
White vinegar is also a great all-purpose cleaner. In fact, it's got a ton of uses. It's a great glass cleaner and it's good for mopping floors and cleaning tile. It will remove lime scale and hard water (mineral) deposits. You can use it to tenderize tough cuts of meat, or freshen the taste of fish. It will soothe burns and prevent blistering, and it will get rid of skunk odor better than tomato juice. When mixed with salt, or baking soda, it can be used to scrub pots, pans, dishes and grout. Soak a hand towel in vinegar and water and wipe down your walls to kill mildew. You can also use boiling vinegar to clear clogged drains.
One of these days, I'll post a comprehensive list of all the uses for vinegar, but those right there are pretty practical. Don't worry about your house stinking of vinegar all the time, either. If you dilute it with water, the smell will be pretty faint, and will dissipate after an hour or so..
Oh, here's a good one too, though a little off-topic... Apple cider vinegar and honey is known as a folk remedy cure-all, used to treat hay fever, asthma, rashes, food poisoning, heartburn, sore throat, bad eyesight, dandruff, brittle nails, bad breath, obesity and.... apathy (?).
Next class.... How to make homemade Pepsi!
Until then, here's some more DIY cleaning product ideas from the Apartment Prepper's Blog.
