4 Cleaning Product Substitutes

:womansday.com

2012/08/19

671

By Woman's Day Staff

"Help, I ran out of... "

Just used up the last of your cleaning products? Before you dash off to the store to pick up more (and lose the motivation to mop your floors or finish dusting), reach for these kitchen staples, suggests Leslie Reichert.

... furniture polish

Instead, use: Olive oil, white vinegar and lemon juice
How it works: The olive oil nourishes and prevents the wood from cracking, while the acidic vinegar cleans.

Helpful hint: Combine ¼ cup of each; pour some onto a soft cloth. Spritzing the solution directly onto furniture can discolor it.

... fabric refreshing spray

Instead, use: Vodka
How it works: Both items are odor-eliminating ethanols. The spray is distilled from petrochemicals, the vodka from grain.

Helpful hint: To avoid an alcohol odor, mix the vodka in a spray bottle with equal parts water. Never use near an open flame.

... glass cleaner

Instead, use: White vinegar and dish soap

How it works: The cleansers in the soap wash away grime, and the vinegar tackles bacteria.

Helpful hint: Mix 1 tsp soap with ? cup vinegar and 3 cups water. Apply with a microfiber cloth and let the surface air-dry for streakfree shine.

... dry sweeping cloths

Instead, use: Paper towels

How it works: Like the pricey dry cloths, the grooves in your paper towels work to attract—and hold on to—dirt, dust and debris.

Helpful hint: Pop a towel onto the end of your mop just as you would the dry cloth.

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