6 Budget-Friendly Cleaning Hacks to Spruce Up Your Home This Holiday
Pre-holiday cleaning may not be one of the popular things people do. Nonetheless, sprucing up your home for the holidays comes with a couple of benefits.
For one, you can welcome your guests without hassle. You can focus on preparing the food and drinks, and ensuring that your friends and family will have a good time.
That said, we have rounded up x budget-friendly cleaning hacks that you can do to spruce up your house for the holiday:
Vinegar All-purpose Cleaner
One of the most budget-friendly items you can use for cleaning is vinegar.
That’s because this condiment’s acetic nature is potent enough to dissolve mineral deposits, dirt, grease, and grime. It is also the reason why vinegar is an effective disinfectant.
You can find a handful of vinegar all-purpose cleaner recipes online. But you can make do with a 1:2 ratio of vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
However, the professional cleaners at Cleaning Exec House Cleaning NYC remind us not to use vinegar on granite or marble countertops, stone floor tiles, and hardwood floors. That’s because the vinegar’s acidic nature can damage such surfaces.
Apple Cider Dishwasher Cleaner
Do you know that apple cider is not just for salad vinaigrette? You can also use it to wash your dishwasher!
If you have a dishwasher, fill the safe cup with apple cider vinegar and place it on the machine’s top rack. Set it to the hottest water setting possible before running it.
The combination of apple cider vinegar and hot water is effective in washing away loose and greasy grime. It also helps sanitize and deodorize your dishwasher.
It is imperative to have a clean dishwasher. Doing so ensures that your dishes are cleaned effectively while extending the machine’s shelf life.
Baking Soda Deodorizer
Another kitchen item that you can use as a cleaner would be baking soda. Mind you, it is as versatile as vinegar.
You can use it to clean kitchen counters, appliances, and inside the fridge. It also makes for an excellent deodorizer.
All you need are four tablespoons of baking soda and one quart of warm water. Use a damp cloth to apply and rub the cleaning solution to various surfaces. Rinse it afterward.
You can use this solution to shine your stainless steel sink. You can also pour a couple of tablespoons of baking soda into your drain or garbage disposal to deodorize it.
Baking Soda Carpet Cleaner
Aside from cleaning the kitchen counters and deodorizing your appliances, you can also use baking soda to clean your carpet.
In a spray bottle, mix a cup of warm water, one tablespoon of white vinegar, a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid, and a teaspoon of baking soda.
Shake well before you spray the solution on the carpet stain. Make sure that it is well-covered. Let it sit for at least three hours before scrubbing it with a nylon brush.
Let the carpet dry overnight and vacuum the chalky baking soda residue.
Lemon Juice Degreaser
Lemons are not just healthy, citrusy fruits you add to your water. You can also use it as a natural bleach.
That’s because the acid in lemon acts as antibacterial and antiseptic, while its citrus smell is refreshing. Here are some common ways to your lemon as a cleaning agent:
● Cut a lemon in half, dip in some salt, and rub it on your chopping boards and the bottom of your copper pots and pans.
● Pour some lemon juice on the countertop stain, let it sit for a minute or two. Scrub it with baking soda and watch the stain disappear.
● Bleach your white linens and clothes with lemon juice, and let them dry in the sun.
Salt Rust Remover
Other than adding taste to your food, you can also use salt to remove rust.
Imagine bringing out steel cutleries and utensils that you only use once every year. Do not be surprised if you see rust in some of them.
Luckily, there is a quick way to remove the rust in your cutleries. All you need to do is mix half a cup of salt to a gallon of vinegar in a plastic container and then drop your collection of cutleries. Let the solution do its magic for at least 12 hours.
Rinse the cutleries afterward, and soak them into half-gallon water mixed with 1/2 cup baking soda for ten minutes. This is to neutralize the remaining vinegar left on your utensils.
Rinse them with warm water and dry thoroughly.
You’re Now Ready to Welcome Your Guests This Holiday
Once everything is clean and sanitized, all that is left is decorating and making your home smell great.
That way, you are all spruced up to celebrate the Yuletide season with your friends, family, and loved ones.
You can worry about dirty dishes later. That’s because your dishwasher is empty, and your counters are clutter-free.
