The Housewife--Stretch a Buck

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know I'm a huge fan of homemade cleaning products. Most are much better for the environment, but my favorite thing about them is how cheap they are. Saving money in this way helps me to stay at home, doing this job I love, and helps us to spend our money on more worthwhile things.

When I was a Mompreneur owning my own business and drowning in an overwhelming amount of work, I just didn't have time to tackle the really big cleaning jobs. Now, back at home full time again, I'm back to hitting those big jobs on a more routine basis. One job that I don't really mind, since we got new windows a few years back, is washing the windows. OK, do you really want the truth? I can only do about half of the outsides of the windows, so it's not that bad of a job. D gets stuck with the rest of them! The tilt-in casement windows that we have are so easy to clean and I just love seeing such a small amount of work reap such instant benefits.

Now, don't get this idea that I'm the type of person that is thrilled to clean windows. As I reread over the above, I'm starting to look like a June Cleaver housewife. Trust me, that's not me-- I don't have access to Valium or starched aprons. I do get a great deal of satisfaction, though, making a HOME for my family. It's something that was really missing while I was working full time plus on the business.

So, as Home Manager, CEO of the Family, Domestic Goddess, and Queen of the Clean Latrine (I'm running out of titles here, forgive me), I try to stretch dollars and leave less of an imprint on the environment. I make most of my cleaners and I've got to say, they work much better than any of the ones that I used to buy.

Here's my Window Wash. It's great on all glass and costs, literally pennies, compared to Windex--which is mostly water anyway. Best of all, it makes Windex look like Sissy Serum. It works so much better and leaves sparkling glass and windows.

Window Wash

1 cup water

1 cup rubbing alcohol

1 TB ammonia

Use a completely clean, preferably recycled!!, spray bottle. Make sure that you label it. Use as you would any glass cleaner.