Our Frugal Lifestyle

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Passionate about eco-frugality. I used to party hard, clubbing my way from pay-packet to pay-packet. Never getting ahead, just getting by. Then came our much wanted baby with no savings in the bank - only an old car. Changes were made to our lifestyle and we didn't turn back. In the past 6yrs we purchased a flat, found employment, lived below our means, built an emergency fund, purchased a reliable car and saw the financial benefits of our frugal lifestyle. Our only debt is our mortgage. Our aim is to manage our cash flow wisely, pay off our home quickly and eventually work for pleasure, not necessity. Join us on our journey, share insights, tips and tricks to help us and others to get ahead while having a good time.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Eco Cleaning My Bathroom

There is nothing I dislike more then cleaning as I feel it eats up my precious time where I could be having FUN. But tonight I read a few pages on cleaning with Bicarb, Vinegar, Salt and Eucalyptus oil from one of my Library books. After which The Rambling Expat and I emptied the bathroom and spent one and a half hours scrubbing and wiping over every tile and surface because my lovely but Fussy cousin is arriving from Paris in a few days.

Clean walls and surfaces.
We then replaced all our bathroom stuff. When doing so I realised I have an excess of personal care and beauty products that Couchsurfers and Helpx travellers leave behind as they head towards Asia. I just don't use them up fast enough even though I have stopped purchasing any more personal care and beauty products until I fully run out of an item.

Clutter in Place
After we cleaned, I noticed that The Rambling Expat didn't have the usual asthma attack whilst we cleaned. So Eco Cleaning is good for the environment, pocket and our health too. Yay!

I purchased the green kitchen bowls yesterday from an op shop for $3. They are vintage retro Bessemer made in Australia from 60's/70's and in fantastic condition. I was going to sell them on, but I love them so much I decided to keep them for now. I transferred all of Dolly's hair ties from a small cane basket to the funky containers which will be easier to deal with, in the morning rush of hair styling.
Retro Bessemer
I Love Them.
How do you clean? Do you think it's harder to clean with vinegar and bicarb compared to bleach and spray and wipe?

7 comments:

  1. I've used vinegar and bicarb on everything for years! I use tea tree oil as well for some disinfectant but I use bleach occasionally.

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  2. No, it is not harder to clean with vinegar and baking soda. When you need soft soap for your pump bottle for handwashing in the bathroom, you can just use shampoo. I have not bought soft soap beyond the first bottle I ever purchased. I just keep reusing the pump container. Of course, it is still available for hair washing. I love your stacking containers.

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  3. Wow, thats a lot of hair toggles!!!! Good for you for doing the eco clean, I have yet to try...I have some orange and vinegar cleaner brewiing at the moment...so will give it a go when it is ready..hope you are feeling a bit brighter this week.x

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  4. Hi Frugal Queen,
    I've "dabbled" in eco cleaning for a few years but not determined or gun hoe like I am now.

    Hi Practical Parsimony,
    I mainly use a soap bar for our hands - sometimes a pump where I also empty out shampoo and body wash products into. Frees up some of the clutter and does the same job.

    Hi Suzanne,
    My mum purchases hair ties for Dolly in cheap large bags form the $2 shop. We are over run by them.... I find them everywhere! I'm interested in you brewing orange and vinegar cleaner. What is it and how did you make it?

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  5. I, like you, have dabbled in eco cleaning for a few years but only recently swapped every shop bought cleaning product for bi-carb, vinegar and essential oils. I do find I need to scrub harder than I did before.

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  6. Vinegar and bicarb rule here!!

    I have read about the vinegar and orange recently and must make some up as we have plenty of oranges on the tree at the moment.

    I do buy bleach - for The Duke to clean his home brew kit.

    I also have some disinfectant for very occasional use but after my trauma with it on the weekend that may be the last bottle I buy. I hadn't thought of using tea tree until I read the first comment.

    I will write a post (maybe tomorrow) about the disinfectant incident so pop on over to check it out some time.

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  7. I have yet to try cleaning with vinegar, but I should give it a whirl. And this comment is totally unrelated, but I love seeing pictures of how different homes look compared to the US!

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Thanks for commenting - I love getting feedback, sharing experiences and learning from you.