Pinching clean, shiny pennies

By Mir
June 20, 2006

Today’s question comes from the lovely Stephanie:

I have a question about cleaning. (whining) Do I have to do it? No, seriously, how many products do we really need? Is it necessary to have separate cleaners for bathrooms/kitchens, tile/hardwood floor, carpet/upholstery, etc? Do we HAVE to have a special spray and wand for dusting? Are more expensive and single-purpose cleaners better? How do you keep your home so sparkly and shiny without having to sell a kid? Although that probably would solve a lot of cleaning problems… Hmmm…

What puzzles me about this question is that Stephanie seems to believe my house is sparkly. That’s the dead giveaway that we’ve never met in person, right there. If Stephanie had even been here, her question would’ve read something more like “Hi! What’s that smell?”

I’m kidding. Of course. Oh look! Over there! Something SHINY!

Actually, this is a great question, because every day we are all inundated with marketing that would have us believe our homes cannot possibly be fit for habitation unless we have fifty different cleaning products on hand and spend all day lovingly wiping down counters with nary a hair out of place. I don’t know about you, but not only do I see cleaning as a necessary evil (meaning, I’d rather do almost anything else), I don’t understand why it apparently requires an arsenal of expensive products. Stop the madness!

Now. That said? I do have my own biases, and those include having a household of allergy sufferers. As a result, there are a couple of ways in which I will always (happily) pay more in return for Less Dust, because that’s a top priority around here. (Not that you would know that to look around. But play along.)

First: I believe that any house with carpeting is a house that deserves a really good vacuum cleaner. Years of experience with cheap vacuums taught me that this is one purchase where you absolutely get what you pay for. Save your pocket change, recycle your soda cans, whatever—do not skimp on a vacuum, particularly if you have pets and/or allergies. A lousy vacuum does worse than not getting the job done; it actually makes matters worse by stirring up the dirt and dust into the air and then leaving it there.

I happen to own a Kirby, which is a long and boring story in and of itself, but let’s just say that when it was purchased long ago, it was pretty much the Cadillac of vacuums. I do love it in rather an inappropriate way, though I would never, ever buy one again. They are too expensive and very heavy. But when I use it, it pretty much sucks up the dirt on the underside of the house foundation, so I won’t complain.

If I was buying a vacuum today, I think I’d buy a Dyson. They’re quality, high-end vacuums which are receiving rave reviews, and they go on sale with regularity (plus Amazon offers quite a few reconditioned options, and I am a huge fan of reconditioned items both for price savings and because they’re often more likely to hold up than a new model which may have an overlooked flaw). Keep in mind that a good vacuum with a variety of attachments will also be invaluable in keeping your upholstery and draperies clean. (Yes, I vacuum curtains. It beats taking them down and washing them.)

So there’s that.

The other dust-related area where I won’t skimp is, well, dusting. I never use a feather duster or one of those multi-colored tribble-on-a-stick doohickeys, because I believe in THROWING AWAY the dust when I’m done. As such, I love those Swiffer dusters. Before those came out, I used cloths and washed them when I was done, but it always kind of skeeved me out (and nooks and crannies were harder to get clean). The environmentalists can come throw things at me, but I like disposing of dust and grime. It makes me happy. Sorry.

Anyway, Swiffer products aren’t cheap, but they do go on sale periodically, and nowadays I see that there are some generic imitations which are probably fine as well, but I can’t say for sure as I’m still working through my stash of Swiffers bought on clearance. Ahem.

As for dusting spray… well, Swiffer claims you don’t need it. I like dusting spray, personally, because I want to believe that every speck of dust has been grabbed and wrestled to its death. Also, when you only dust two or three times a year, I say why not go all out. So yeah, I use spray (I spray it on the duster, and a can lasts me a year or more). I buy the spray at the dollar store, because I don’t think you need to be too picky about lemon-scented dust adhesive.

Now let’s look at some other products.

Toilet bowl cleaner. In my opinion? (As if any of this is anything other than my opinion….) Biggest waste of money and biggest scam in the cleaning product business. Oh, an angled head! Thick, clingy gel! Woohoo! Um… guess what? Your $.99 toilet brush also gets right up under the rim. Or (if you want to go really old school, which I do not) your gloved hands with a scrub brush. Does squirting your expensive just-for-toilets cleaner under the rim result in a cleaner toilet? I don’t think so. But I’m a rebel like that.

My favorite toilet bowl cleaner is a couple shakes of Comet or other abrasive powder that comes in a big honkin’ can for dollar. When I’m feeling really wild and crazy, I just pour some bleach into the bowl and swish that around. Easy. You get exactly the same results from scrubbing around for a minute and then letting the cleaner sit in the bowl for a few minutes and giving it another scrub before you flush as you do from made-for-the-bowl cleaners.

Tub/shower cleaners. Again, my favorite here is an abrasive powder or just water and bleach. (Public service announcement: Never mix bleach with other cleaners. Really. Homemade ammonia is never a good idea.) I do buy a spray bottle of specifically-for-mildew shower cleaner every now and then if I find it super cheap, but it’s not an imperative. (And honestly, if I cleaned my shower more often, I probably wouldn’t ever need that. Oops.)

Hard floor cleaners. Here I have to confess that I own what might just be the most impressive assortment of cloth-on-a-stick implements known to man. In my defense, almost all of them were free or nearly so. Still, I consider the perfect quick-clean floor implement something of a Holy Grail. It’s a personal weakness. (Hey, if your vacuum weighed fifty pounds, you’d be looking for the best way to clean up a little mess without getting out the vacuum, too.) I do like those sorts of things for a quick tidy-up, but they’re hardly necessary.

There are almost as many kinds of mops as there are vacuums. Mopping is perhaps my least-favorite cleaning activity. A while back I picked up a Floormate on clearance, and I like it because it does the scrubbing while I stand there. Anything that allows me to be lazier, I dig. Also? With the Floormate providing the elbow grease, I no longer feel the need to use hefty cleaners. I use a bit of bleach in water on my tile and vinyl, and a bit of vinegar in water on the hardwood. Done. Hoover recommends their special brand of cleaners for their Floormates, GO FIGURE. Well, I’d be happy to use their cleaners if they want to send them to me for free. Heh.

Surface cleaners. Again, I lay claim to being environmentally incorrect—I like disposable wipes. I like throwing dirt away, and I hate sponges with a white-hot passion. Sponges seem like such a good idea, but no matter how you wring them out or try to care for them properly, they always end up smelling like something crawled inside them and died. If I want my counters to have bacteria smeared all over them, I’ll just grab my kids’ lunchboxes and wipe everything down with the leftovers.

Target routinely carries multi-packs of the Clorox or Lysol wipes (like 5 canisters in a pack) and ends up clearancing them. That’s a great way to stock up for less.

I also keep one spray bottle of multi-purpose surface cleaner around for use with paper towels (in case I run out of the wipes or have a wet enough mess that I’ll want to use paper towels to clean it up). This cleaner is purchased on clearance or from the dollar store.

A few miscellanous things to mention. As always, your mileage may vary.

  • I buy generic/cheap dishwashing liquid because most of my dishes go into the dishwasher and I don’t really use a lot of dish soap. On the other hand, I buy name-brand dishwasher soap because in my experience, it’s much more likely to get the dishes clean the first time. As always, if you have a brand preference, stock up on sale (and if you have coupons, so much the better).
  • I have smelly children, so I do like to keep air freshener on hand. My grocery store often does buy one/get one, so with a coupon they’re practically free.
  • As much as I hate the earnest, furry man in the commercials, I have to admit that Oxi-clean is a very handy item to have around. Buy a tub, it’ll last you for years. Great for miscellaneous carpet stains, in particular.
  • I am overly devoted to Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. There are imitations on the market now, and I have no idea if they work (again, because I’m still working through a stash acquired on sale), but I suspect that only Mr. Clean uses genuine heroin in theirs. Stop looking at me.
  • WD-40 and hairspray are both great stain treaters, especially for things like those mysterious markings on the wall that no one knows where they came from. (Magic Erasers are good for that stuff, too, but sometimes they take the paint off if you’re not careful. I often try WD-40, first.)

I hope this was of some help, Stephanie. Although I think you may be onto something with that whole kid-selling idea….

41 Comments

  1. I would still be cleaning the house we bought five months ago had it not been for Magic Erasers. (Who am I kidding, I still DO have a room (unused) that I haven’t fully cleaned yet.) If you go to the Mr. Clean website (mrclean.com) there is a $1.00 off coupon conveniently located on the first page. They sent me mine but I haven’t used it yet. Every little bit helps, right? We went through countless packages of those things during the move. Oh, and if you get the ones with the blue sponge on one side, they don’t fall apart so quickly.

  2. Thanks for the reminder about the coupon on their site, Kisha. I’m going to differ with you on the Duo, though—that blue stuff means you’re getting less Mystery Magic Eraser substance per sponge, so I prefer the originals. 🙂

  3. Regarding smelly sponges: if you zap them (wet) in the microwave for one minute, it seems to kill the smelly bacteria.
    Your mileage, of course, may vary. Anyone know if this is actually killing harmful grossness or just making things not smell?

  4. I have recently converted to buying my cleaning supplies from a janitorial supply house. I read a book (by the overly enthusiastic self-proclaimed cleaning guru Don Aslett) in which he explains just your theory — namely that most cleaners sold at the grocery store are over-priced and do not work very well. The janitorial stuff comes in concentrate form, so one bottle can be diluted to fill 8-10 spray bottles. There’s some up-front cost involved, but I don’t think I’ll buy another cleanser for at least 18 months. I figure that if I can’t afford actual Merry Maids, I can at least have the same stuff in my cupboards!

  5. I have a generic, dollar store spray bottle under my sink…I fill it with bleach water (about 1/4 cup bleach to a quart of water). I spray my sponges with it each night, and wring ’em out to kill the nasties. I spray my cutting boards and counters with the stuff, too. No rinsing necessary, germs are dead, and bad smells go away. No, it won’t poison you…the solution is too weak to hurt you, but it kills bacteria dead. I even spritz it in my drain every week or so (I live in Japan, and we have WEIRD drain contraptions that smell really, really bad if you don’t do something!)

    Just a couple of cents from this side of the planet.

  6. Great post! Dysons rock. They were panned in Consumer Reports (they must have been hitting the bottle that day), but I know of a dozen people with them who adore them like I adore mine. Especially if you have pets.

    Oh, and a trick I use for dishsoap…I buy in those big jugs on sale and just refill and small bottle. But I use about half soap half water so it lasts twice as long, and that’s plenty strong to clean the dishes. 🙂

  7. I think you were watching me clean my house last week (okay, two weeks ago… sometime in May?). Your system is exactly like mine (love Comet! love Magic Erasers!) minus the vacuum. I have a Hoover and its sucking power is not the best. I waiting for the magic Dyson fairy to stop by my house.

  8. Fantastic post!

    I have one to add – instead of buying Febreeze, buy a bottle of cheap-o (dollar store) scented fabric softener and a spray bottle. Fill the bottle with water, and use no more than 2 or 3 tbsp. of liquid softner (believe it or not, this does the trick, as liquidy as it is, it will clog up the nozzle if you use any more, and might leave a buildup in the long run if you spray too thickly) and spray to your heart’s content. Not only makes everything smell better, but also over time, makes your sofas and pillows softer too.

  9. Hi Mir! You’re pretty and I love the new blog/site/whatever you call it!

    I was in the market for a new vacuum last month, and checked out Consumer Reports. They did pan the Dysons (like Jeri mentioned) and Orecks (which I was replacing) and Kirbys of the world… their top two picks, I think, were Kenmore and cost about half of a Dyson. So off I went to Sears, bought the mid-priced model for about $200, and I have been extremely happy with it! Before that I had an Oreck, which cost about $450, didn’t have onboard attachments, and didn’t suck all that great. The Kenmore beats it cold.

    I looove the swiffer dusters too, but my pick for toilet bowl cleaner is the Clorox with disposable scrubby heads, preloaded with toilet cleaner. It’s expensive, yes, but I like to throw away the dirt too, and using this method I don’t have to stash a gross toilet brush and bottle of cleaner next to each toilet.

  10. I just noticed that you have 98 bloglines subscribers. Awesome.

    I have a Kirby, and I really like it. The Kirby reps really trash the Dysons, but I suppose that’s their job. If I had to do over again, I’d buy the Kirby online. I buy my bags in bulk on-line at gottahavebags.com.

    I’m wearing of using straight bleach to clean my home because I always seem to get some on my clothing. I’ve tried a lot of cleaners, but I always tend to come back to Soft Scrub. Tubs, tile, toilets, sinks – it does it all. Nothing else cleans the scratches in my white kitchen sink.

  11. Oh…I LURVE Magic Erasers. My husband made fun of my slavering devotion to these marvelous little inventions, until I cleaned up a yard sale toy box with one and it wound up looking brand-spanking new.

    And yes, Comet is still the classic cleanser.

    I love this site, Mir. I’m trying to think of a question worthy of your vast wisdom.

  12. I’m also addicted to those Magic Erasers, but I have found the Sctoch Brite ones are just as good and fall apart at about the same time as my Mr. Clean ones. They can be a little cheaper too (in cost).

    The BEST toilet cleaner I have found is a suggestion by the Queen of Clean (I don’t know how to do links in comments, so go to http://www.queenofclean.com for more info.) She suggests using TANG in your toilet bowl, and I’m here to say it works! Shake it in, let sit for a few mins, and then use your toilet bowl scrubber, it’s like magic!

    Great site, Mir. Thanks for all the tips!

    Shash

  13. A friend of mine was cleaning paint off things with said Magic Eraser, including her arm that got paint on it. She now has a huge chemical burn. Warning? Use gloves when you use these suckers and don’t use them on skin.

    Comet rocks.

  14. I agree. Sponges get awfully gross awfully quickly. I use rags. Our towels get too ragged even for me, they get turned into 6 x 6 inch rags and tossed into a basket under the kitchen sink. Shirts and other clothing end up in there, too. (Some fabrics don’t work, obviously, but lots do.)

    Rags are used for floors and grubby cleaning tasks. Dishcloths (we have no dishwasher but me) are for counters. Since the rags are often only used once before being tossed in the laundry, they never get stinky.

    I use Carolie’s spray bottle of bleach and water idea, too, though I’d never thought to apply it to sponges! I once volunteered in the playroom of a hospital’s paediatric oncology ward. We had to be scrupulous about contamination, because so many of their immune systems were weakened by their various therapies. 1 tablespoon chlorine bleach per litre (couple of cups) water, poured into a spray bottle. Spritz it on the toys, let the toys air dry. It’s too weak to hurt anyone, but strong enough to kill germs.

  15. I too love Magic Erasers! A trick that I read about in the USA Today Sunday Magazine is to use them to clean your glass shower doors. It really works, especially for those of us (ahem!) who might not scrub the shower as often as we should. I just keep one in the shower and every 2-3 days I wipe down the glass door/walls, tile and the floor as well.

    For toilets & sinks I like Scrubbing Bubbles spray (that is when I am not “cheating” with Lysol or Clorox wipes).

  16. I’ve read that putting your sponges into the dishwasher when you run it does the trick. I also buy sponges in bulk from Costco so I can change to a clean one if I become grossed out. I like the microwaving idea for in between though.

    In day care provider training class, they teach you to clean everything with bleach solution (or so I was told by my son’s day care lady). If it works at day care, it’s gotta work in the home, I figure.

    bec 😀

  17. Mir, you are so pretty.

    I hate my Dyson vac with my entire body. HATE IT. But we got a free, new Oreck, and it rocks.

  18. I was hoping you were gonna say “Cleaning supplies? Just don’t clean!!” :-p

    Anyway, I have been using Clorox toilet bowl cleaner in my tubs and sinks as well as my toilet, lately. That stuff is Crack-a-lackin’!!

    Scrubbing is a thing of the past (ok, not really, but it is good stuff, for real, and I really dont have to scrub as much)

  19. For the environmentalist who is also a tightwad, may I highly recommend DR. BRONNER’S PEPPERMINT LIQUID CASTILE SOAP? You can find it at most health food stores, or the “natural foods” section of Kroger and other such chains. Squirt a little in the toilet and swish with the brush and it is clean and fresh. I dilute with a lot of water (a few TBSP of soap to a quart of water) in spray bottles and it does a fabulous job on any surface…tubs, sinks, floors, counters. The diluted spray is great on walls too. It makes everything smell fabulous and clean. It is also lovely in a foot soak, or use as a shower gel when you want to feel cool and fresh.

    Oh, and if you ever need some interesting “bathroom reading material” the Dr. B’s bottle is covered with all his personal philosophies. I don’t know how they squish so much print on one 16 oz. bottle. He’s a little kooky, but harmless.

  20. I’ve taken to using straight white vinegar for “daily sanitizing spray” and surface cleaning. Baking soda and a sponge for scrubbing stuff off walls (same as Magic Eraser). Much cheaper than store stuff. For toilets, bleach and a scrub brush. They have new citrus-scented bleach that doesn’t smell as bad.

  21. You are freakin’ hilarious AND you’re a genious!

    You’re totally pretty, too.

  22. You’re pretty, and I love the ideas! Despise sponges and have almost banished them from my house except that my husband will sneak one in when I’m not looking, he’s addicted! I can’t wait for my really nice vacuum, am saving for that now. And can I just say that I don’t mop anymore ever since we put in laminate floors on top of the old white linoleum! Seriously, no mop or bucket anywhere in my house and the floors are the easiest thing to clean in my house, the swiffer wetjet every other week for touchups but that’s it, and we have 3 small children. Thanks for all the great ideas, I read daily!

  23. Don’t sell the children! They can clean too!! A two year old actually thinks dusting is exciting!

    And yes.. magic erasers DO have heroin in them.. I need a fix..heheh
    Great new blog! Keep it up!

  24. I only saw one plug for white vinegar, but it’s the cheapest cleaner evah! I mix w/ water in a big spray bottle and clean everything. So cheap and safe for eating surfaces.

  25. Okay, excuse my fit of giggles, but I initially read your title as “Pinching clean, shiny penises”

    Second, if you have a lot of rust in your water, DON’T use an abrasive cleaner or anything that will scratch the porcelain on your toilet bowl because the rust will settle in the scratches, and look very crappy (no pun intended). Instead, use this stuff. It’s awesome, and cheap!

  26. First Mir, I love the new site and you’re pretty. This is a particularly good post since I am a cleaning freak. But…I don’t get the WD-40 thing? Are you serious? I’d heard (and used) the hairspray, but I must’ve missed the WD-40. Am I the only one who’s never heard this?

  27. I don’t comment often Mir, but I had to second the comment that warns of chemical burns from using a Mr. Clean Eraser on your skin. Clever fiance of mine used one to remove a temporary tattoo on his forearm. He now has a scar the shape of the tattoo.

    But for everything else they are great! I use the Target-brand ones and they are just as good.

    You’re pretty and so is your site!

  28. I read this post yesterday and was thinking about the WD-40 comment. It seems weird to wash your walls with something that you spray on a squeaky hinge, etc. You actually use WD-40 on your painted walls? Thanks in advance for the clarification 🙂

  29. Okay, you’re the second person to question the WD-40 on walls. YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES. It’s great for removing crayon. And as I emailed someone else, yesterday, it’s also the most awesome pine sap remover I’ve found, and we pretty much live in a pine forest, so my children have become accustomed to the nightly WD-40 wipe-down before showering.

    I’ve gotta say—people are disturbed I use a lubricant on my walls, but no one is horrified to learn that TANG CLEANS TOILETS? The mind boggles.

  30. I’ll put in another plug for VINEGAR! Use a 5% solution for spraying to disinfect counters, tubs, toilets, sinks, etc. (Word has it that vinegar is a very effective disinfectant, but the regulatory powers have not approved for it to be advertised as such. I only know what I read.) Cut vinegar with water to wash windows and wood furniture (hey, even the Queen of England’s staff uses this last one, as I saw on PBS). Mix vinegar with salt to scrub copper-bottom pots (if your cleaning ever takes you that far – I haven’t been there yet).

    My second favorite cheap cleaner is BLEACH. I use that for the mildew in the showers and the whatever-that-is in the toilet bowls.

    I too love Swiffer as does the pretty Mir. But the price is starting to get to me – I can really use those up with still more dust left in the house. Since my child has recently outgrown diapers, I’ve taken to using the few CLOTH DIAPERS I have as dust rags. They can go toe-to-toe with Swiffer!

  31. WD-40 (Water displacement formula #40) is the bomb. Don’t forget that it works on gummy things like tape residue. I have no idea how it works on crayonz. They never stick around long enough to make it to the walls.

    And for those of you who can’t get enough, click here for 2000 uses for the stuff.

  32. My kids are required to help me clean, so I try to use only non toxic stuff. There’s almost nothing that Bon Ami cleanser and a white vinegar solution can’t clean. Bon Ami won’t scratch, works great even on painted walls and can power the thickest soap scum off tile. I hate bleach and use it like the dangerous, carcinogenic chemical it is…Bon Ami, unlike Comet, has no bleach. It also smells pleasant and rinses away much more easily.

    If you don’t care for the smell of the vinegar, put a couple of drops of some essential oil (we like lavender) in the solution. Ahh.

    I am now, however, terrified of Tang. My husband loves the stuff and so do my kids. I rarely buy it…but, toilet cleaner? Holy Cow.

  33. I knew Tang was powerful stuff. It works great in the dishwasher too to remove any odors and discoloration. When I was a little kid, I remember my mom removing the hard water stains in the dishwasher by running Tang through it. It is also a lot cheaper than the Cascade Plastic Booster to remove tomato sauce stains and such.

  34. About 6 months ago, we bought a big package of those Swiffer floor dealies at Sam’s Club and we’re almost out of them. I recently read that used dryer sheets are just as good, so I tried it and tada! They work! And they smell good, too! We have an 80 pound shedding factory of a dog, and the dryer sheet trick will definitely save some money.

    I’ve read about using vinegar as a disinfectant, and I’ve tried it. It did diddily squat for our bathtub, but it worked pretty well for the sink. Too bad it made the whole house smell like salad dressing. Blech.

  35. Hello, Pretty! Just wanted to say that I love vinegar too. My friend’s mom uses vinegar with newspaper on all of her mirrors and windows and swears by it. I use don’t use newspaper, but I do use vinegar on all glass surfaces. Vinegar is also the best for cleaning and KILLING mold. We had a huge mold problem in our old house. Vinegar was the very best thing for cleaning the shower.

  36. Another vote for vinegar! I have a new puppy, and we were advised to use it (1 part vinegar, 2 parts water) to clean up after accidents. Now it is my favorite thing to clean all my floors, especially the tile and hardwood. Yes, the scent is a little strong immediately after, but then it is gone and it just smells fresh, not like cleaning chemicals.

  37. Using the Magic Erasers in the tub has been mentioned, but one more thing to add: my tub is off-whitish colored, and was looking more like brown, especially on the bottom where there was TEXTURE and ALL of the dirt was COLLECTING. I tried the Magic Eraser, got it wet, used it like a sponge, and tada- my tub looks BRAND NEW!! So, not just on grimy doors or tile!

  38. I haven’t personally tried this, but I have a friend who uses those swiffer wet jets and instead of using the pads that are made by swiffer, she uses Always Overnight pads with wings. She swears by them and they are much cheaper…kinda gross though!

  39. Vinegar, baking soda and lemon essential oil are also used regularly in my home. I also use Dr. Bronner’s castile soap, Young Living’s Thieves household cleaner and for really tough stains, bleach. Borax also works well in the toilet.

  40. Regarding buying cleaning supplies at a janitorial supply store. I have to agree. But only on some stuff that they sell. I use to clean a bingo hall 7 days a week. Yes, I mean clean it from top to bottom after some ungrateful people who don’t care if they throw a thousand or so pull tabs or nacho cheese in the floor for someone else to pick up. Honestly, I would hate to see some of these people’s homes.
    I always bought my garbage bags at a janitorial supply store. As far as cent per bag, it was the best deal. And they held up pretty well. And with taking the garbage out every day sometimes twice a day, I wasn’t going to waste my money on expensive garbage bags.
    I didn’t like the window cleaner so much. I’m a firm believer in either Windex or Mean Green glass cleaner. Both work great.
    I’m a firm believer in bleach and water. It will kill everything. And if you need some scrubbing power, either baking soda or Comet works just great. However, I did have to use something from the janitorial store, because the tables that they had in the bingo hall couldn’t handle strong abrasives.
    I’m also a firm believer in swiffer dusters. With my asthma and allergies and also with my 7 month old daughter’s allergies, they work great. Just pick up the dust and throw it away.

    However, I do have a question about vacuum cleaners. I’m still waiting on the Dyson fairy to stop by my house. I have used a variety of vacuum cleaners and they all seem to tear up on me. The rollers seem to mess up no matter how often I clean them. I was told to try a canister vacuum. Has anyone tried them before? And what was your opinion on it?

  41. My husband cannot stand the smell of vinegar. Actually he won’t walk in the house if I have used vinegar for cleaning. So for pet “oopsies” I use Mean Green. My mother-n-law turned me onto it and it works great. I also use it to clean my floor, just so that I don’t have to buy another kind of cleaner, and it works great too.

    I have to comment on “The Works”. My husband’s aunt had well water and it left awful stains in her tub, sink and kitchen sink and of course her washing machine. We used bleach and didn’t do anything hardly. Then I went to a grocery store and thought I would pick some up to try it, it was only a dollar, so why not. Worth a try, right? It worked great. Her bathtub, toilet, sinks, and washing machine look brand new now. However, you do need to wear gloves, make sure that no kids are around as the vapors are strong. When you apply it to something, you can see the vapors from it. I wouldn’t use it on a daily or even monthly basis. But if I had problems with rust stains in my bathtub, etc. I would definatly give it a try.

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