Cleaning Schedule + 5 Natural Degreaser Ideas

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by all the house cleaning. And sometimes I can’t figure out what to do first.

This is when I go to Flylady.Com.

• Then I click on the Fly Zone which is on the left hand side bar.
• The zones are the same for each week of each month.
• For instance this is week 2 so the zone to clean this week is the kitchen.

Flylady encourages us to declutter 15 minutes a day in that zone. There is also a detailed cleaning list for each zone. Go here for the kitchen details.

Last night I decided to make this week’s project the kitchen cabinets – which are a greasy mess. I didn’t want to use chemical cleaners on them so I used dish detergent on a scrubby sponge. This did not work out too well. A little Google research this morning turned up some great ideas.

1. Yahoo Answers suggested: Combine 1/2 Cup Borax, 2 Tablespoons laundry detergent soap flakes, 1 Tablespoon ammonia, with 1 Gallon water. Use full strength in a spray bottle. (submitted by fishineasy)
2. Many places say straight vinegar is a great degreaser. It will be smelly for awhile.
3. Baking soda is another common suggestion. Make of paste by mixing 3 Tablespoons of baking soda with up to 1 Cup of water. You’ll need to experiment to see which works best for your cabinets. Be sure to rinse thoroughly and then dry with a clean cloth.
4. Tipnut.com has 2 ideas. Idea 1: Half fill an empty dish detergent bottle with ammonia. Fill the other half with hot water. Drop in several squirts of Dawn dish detergent. Replace the cap and shake.
5. Idea 2: To one Gallon of water add the following: 1 Cup ammonia, 1/2 Cup vinegar, and 1/4 Cup baking soda. Mix well in a bucket making sure that the baking soda is well dissolved.

Since I have an empty dish detergent bottle, I’ll be trying #4. I’ll let you know how this works out. Do you have any degreaser tips?

For other ideas that work, check out Works-For-Me-Wednesday. So far there are 243 great ideas.

Past Works-For-Me Cleaning Ideas:

• Whiteboard Cleaner That’s Non-Toxic
• 3 Whiteboard Cleaning Tips
• Cleaning Ceiling Fan with Secret Weapon in 5 Easy Steps