Baking Soda and White Vinegar Really ARE the Wonder Products!!

As you may have noticed in my previous posts, I just got a jacuzzi/spa for my backyard. Well, it was used, so came with no manual on how to care for it. So, I was reading online to find out the best chemicals and products for testing and keeping the water sparkling clean and guess what??? The best products to use for pH balance is.......drumroll, please......baking soda and vinegar!! REALLY!!! If your pH is high, you just add a little white vinegar. If it is low, you just add some baking soda. Yeah, it is that simple! You also need some chlorine, too. Dichlor is the best kind and the folks that sold us the jacuzzi gave us some with it, so we are all set for a while:-).

I am SO glad I went ahead and bought 3 of the HUGE bags of baking soda last week at Sam's. I just knew it would come in handy (besides all the OTHER cleaning uses I already have for baking soda:-). And SO much cheaper than all those pH Minus and Boost products!! Yeah for baking soda and vinegar!! AGAIN!!

Make Your Own SAFE & CHEAP Cleaning Products!

These are my most requested recipes - homemade cleaning products. I used to make and use these when we lived in Myrtle Beach, SC, but I got away from it when we moved to Mexico. Then last summer I realized how silly it was to be struggling financially and buying all those expensive cleaning products when I like the homemade ones better. So I went out at bought three things: Borax, baking soda and white vinegar. Yep, that's it! Three ingredients for most all of these recipes. Tomorrow I will tell you about making laundry detergent, and that requires two other ingredients: Washing Soda and Fels Naptha Soap.

Here are the recipes:

Window/Glass Cleaner
1/2 white vinegar
1/2 water
Mix equal parts to fill your spray container.

All Purpose Cleaner (like 409)
1 quart warm or hot water
1 tsp. Borax
squeeze of lemon juice or splash of vinegar
Mix together and pour into spray container.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Sprinkle baking soda around the toilet bowl, wait for a few minutes, scrub with toilet bowl brush and flush.

Dishwasher Detergent
1 cup Borax
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
Mix together and store in a container (I like to use old Gatorade or powdered drink mix containers). Use 1 Tablespoon per wash load. For spot-free dishes, put white vinegar in rinse compartment. Also, if you have a problem with getting a film on your dishes, put a couple of drops of liquid dish detergent (like Dawn) in with the dishwasher detergent.

Enjoy a clean and healthy home!