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It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on household cleaning supplies. Many common and inexpensive households products can clean as well or even better than expensive store bought products.
In no special order:
Use white vinegar in the rinse compartment of your dishwasher instead of expensive store bought rinse solutions. Your dishes will come out cleaner and shinier.
Use 3% hydrogen peroxide to kill mildew on bathroom tiles and on plastic cutting boards. Pour enough to cover area, let sit an hour, scrub, rinse, and dry.
Use isopropyl alcohol to get fingerprints from chrome and stainless steel. Good for cell phones too. But NOT on the screen. Wipe with an alcohol dampened microfiber cloth.
Use salt to clean wood cutting boards, glass baking dishes. Sprinkle, scrub, rinse, and wipe dry. This trick works for baked on spills in your oven.
No need to buy expensive window cleaning chemicals. Just make up a solution of two teaspoonfuls of vinegar to one pint of warm water, add to a spray bottle and spritz on your windows. Wipe dry with a lint free cloth.
Vinegar kills weeds too. Spray full strength on weeds and grass for several days until they die.
Make your own fabric softener by mixing bicarbonate of soda, vinegar, and water (parts: 2-2-4). Add a quarter cupful of the mixture to the final rinse for hand or machine washing.
Lemon can be used as a deodorant for armpits and feet. Just cut in half and rub on skin. Lemons soothe sunburn too.
Clean stainless steel by pouring a little olive oil on a soft cloth and buffing the surface.
Wash and sanitize your kitchen sponge by putting it in the top shelf when you run your dishwasher. In between times place a wet sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds to kill germs. You can spray your sponge with vinegar to discourage germ growth too.
Olive oil can prevent wicker furniture from drying out. Brush on with a cooking brush and gently rub with a cloth.
To clean shower curtains of soap scum and mildew soak for an hour or two in a tub full of warm water to which you have added 1 cup of bleach. This will also clean your bath tub at the same time. Rub the tub down with baking soda on a damp sponge afterwards. Works on sinks too.
To remove grease on a stove use a tablespoon or so of baking soda on a damp sponge.
And after all that cleaning: Add a capful of apple cider vinegar to a warm bath. It can help soothe tired muscles and relive dry itchy skin.
What inexpensive tips and tricks do you know? Share in the comments section below.
Featured Recipe Rice Krispies Chicken
When I was a child I loved Rice Krispies. It was more than the, “snap, crackle, and pop.” Although cereal that talks to you is pretty cool! I just liked the taste and the crunch.
So it is a no-brainer I would like these chicken breasts. Still do. It is my inner child.
Don’t know or remember any more where I got this recipe. Wasn’t from the back of the cereal box, of that I am certain. It goes all the way back to my teaching days. Of that I am certain. But which school or teacher lo these many years escapes me. Franklin Elementary (still standing) and Washington Elementary (torn down) keep hitting my brain cells.
I do remember I did not have to write down the recipe.
It was given to me orally and even with my feeble non-retention brain cells I have remembered it all these many years hence.
Don’t have exact measurements either. I just kinda, sorta guess. It is THAT kind of recipe!!!
RUSH HOUR RECIPE
This is also one of those rush hour recipes that we all need from time to time. For kid friendliness it gets an A++++++. For the child in all of us I give it a A++++++ too.
The Rice Krispies are a light and delightful alternative to always using cracker or bread crumbs to coat the chicken.
Best of all is the low cost.
This is what you will need for 4 people:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2- 2½cups or more to taste rice krispies
Melted butter (About 1 stick)
Olive oil
Garlic cloves to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Here is what you do:
Pre heat the oven to 250 degrees F.
Peel and slice the garlic cloves in half length wise. Pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a roasting pan and add the garlic. Place the pan in a 250 degree F oven until you begin to smell a strong aroma of garlic.
In the meantime, place the rice krispies in a large plastic bag. Use a rolling pin to roughly crush the cereal. Do not pulverize; just lightly crush. Place the crumbs in a bowl or container larger enough to hold 1 chicken breast.
Melt about 6 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet or a pan large enough to hold the chicken breasts.
Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Salt and pepper the chicken to taste.
Remove the pan from the oven and discard the garlic. Turn the oven to 350 degrees F. Now set up an assembly line.
Then dip the chicken in the butter covering both sides and every inch of the chicken. If you need more butter, melt more.
Roll the chicken in the rice krispies until coated with them. Pat the krispies down with your palm so they stick to the chicken. If you need more crushed krispies, crush more.
Place each coated piece of chicken in the baking pan.
Pour any remaining butter over the chicken. If no melted butter remains melt a few more tablespoons to pour over the chicken.
Bake the chicken for 40 – 60 minutes depending on thickness or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. The rice krispies should be a nice golden brown.
Halfway mark; 30 minutes. I use a thin spatula to loosen the chicken if necessary. I don’t want the chicken to stick to the pan. The pan was getting a bit dry so I added a few more pats of butter.
When cooked through let the chicken rest covered with foil, if you like, for 5-10 minutes so that juices redistribute.
Serve with broccoli cole slaw and some orzo or rice. On rush nights just get some deli sides. That is what I did.
Bon appétit!!!
Cost
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts $4.55
2- 2½cups or more to taste rice krispies $1.09
Melted butter (About 1 stick) $0.63
Olive oil $0.46
Garlic cloves to taste $0.27
Salt and pepper to taste
Total cost = $7.00
Cost per person = $1.75
Quote of the Day
(On what her longevity is attributed to) Red meat and gin.
Julie Child
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