Do you have a favorite “magic” trick to do something cheaper, faster, better etc.? A miracle cleaner you recently discovered? A substitute for an unhealthy ingredient in your favorite dish that does not affect the dish’s taste and appearance? Let’s share our little “hacks”!
Here is one of my “hacks”: I like Dawn Direct Foam soap for my hand-washed dishes because it generates nice suds, but the stuff comes in a small dispenser and costs a fortune compared to the liquid soap that comes in large bottles. I gently stirred together 1/4 of generic liquid soap and 3/4 of tap water (without generating foam) and used it to refill my empty Dawn Direct Foam bottle… the foam that it produced was just as good as the factory filled stuff (the trick is in the special dispenser, not in the soap). I have been doing it for three years in the row by refilling the same DDF dispenser!
Here is another one. You wear a dress once, and it still looks pristine, but there is a faint odor of sweat in the armpits area… Do you wash it, take it to the cleaners, or pour a whole bottle of perfume over your head to mask the odor if you wear it without cleaning? I found that Nature’s Miracle pet accident cleaner works well on human sweat, too. Spray a little (test if the fabric/dye can take it), wait, wipe with a damp towel. That blazer that smelled sweaty is ready to wear!
A few off the top of my head (these all might be well known but I don’t generally talk about cleaning with people lol):
-We rip all dryer sheets in half. Work just as well, lasts twice as long.
-Use refillable soap containers. Seems simple but so many people go and buy new soap bottles every time. Too expensive for me!!
-Use newspaper instead of paper towel when wiping off mirrors. It doesn’t leave streaks!
Most cleaners and soaps can be cut by at least half with water and still work just fine.
I love the Nature’s Miracle suggestion! I have no hacks at all. I feel like I am the world’s lamest person when it comes to domestic duties. I seriously need remedial help.
I do have a cheaper solution to the dryer sheet issue – just don’t use 'em at all. I really don’t see the point. For some things, they are actually bad, like for towels.
Robotic vacuum cleaner is our favorite energy saver–we let Roomba vacuum for us, since no one in this house enjoys doing it and it keeps the allergens down.
I use a squeegee and a diluted window washing concentrate in a spritz bottle on indoor windows and mirrors. Perfect every time, fast and no streaks or residue. Just wipe squeegee with a paper towel to remove excess water
I keep a roll of paper towels in every bathroom for super quick wipe ups.
I love my norwex cleaning cloths. I have other microfiber cloths but the norwex ones are better. They sell them at home parties but I hate home parties but eBay is a great place to find them. I mostly love the glass cleaning cloth but the general purpose one is great also.
This is from another poster here but I can remember who or where. But the Sprayway stainless steel cleaner is the best.
Use the “Time Saver/Short Wash” setting on your washer. We don’t get that dirty, and the normal setting on our washer take forever. And, I have one kid who would rather put her stuff in the dirty laundry than fold and put away for re-use.
I also mix colors, and haven’t noticed any issues with colors bleeding across items. I wouldn’t do this with something new, but after it’s been washed a few times, in my experience, there is no issue. (I don’t do colors and whites together, of course).
My wife wonders how I get the laundry done so fast.
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I gently stirred together 1/4 of generic liquid soap and 3/4 of tap water (without generating foam) and used it to refill my empty Dawn Direct Foam bottle… the foam that it produced was just as good as the factory filled stuff (the trick is in the special dispenser, not in the soap). I have been doing it for three years in the row by refilling the same DDF dispenser!
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Nice idea. I didn’t know that the Dawn Direct Foam bottle was refillable.
I often make my own cleaners with Dawn, white vinegar and water, the trick is to always add water and vinegar to the bottle first…then any cleaners…otherwise foam rises in the bottle.
@JustaMom5465 the egg thingy will never go away… lol
For those of you with Roombas- I had one years ago and it was always getting stuck under chairs, etc. Do the new ones get around better?
I also keep paper towels in every bath along with cleaners. I use empty coffee containers or truvia containers to hold small amount of paint when I do touch ups or small areas. And I recently saw a cool idea of using an empty Kleenex box to hold plastic bags that I want to try out.
I feel like I am the world’s lamest person when it comes to domestic duties. I seriously need remedial help.
