Housewife Approved: Must Have Products (Home Edition)

Over the years I've found some products that I can't live without. They do something that makes my life and my home run more smoothly. I'm adding some of my uses and some tips. I can clean my entire house without spending a ton on specialized cleaners. 

I am housewife...hear me roar!

You can also check out some Housewife Approved skin care items here.

1. Oxy Clean! 

I can't live without it. I've also discovered that the Kroger brand is also $3.99 for a 3.5lbs tub.

My Uses:

• Add 1/8-1/4 cup to each load of laundry with laundry detergent. I haven't purchased bleach since I started adding Oxy to each load. It's great about catching those sneaky little spills and stains that men don't think of mentioning and just toss the shirt with the stain in the laundry basket. It doesn't bleach out clothes so you can use it on colors or whites.
• Add 1/8 cup to the door of the dishwasher to give your dishwasher detergent a boost. I use it every load and hardly ever need to rewash.
• Add 1/4 cup to hot water in a mop bucket along with some Pine Sol or other smelly goodness to mop the floors.

Tip:

• Make sure you are using it it with warm or hot water. It doesn't work with cold water.
• Wear rubber gloves if you'll be washing something in the sink (curtains, delicates, etc.). It will dry your hands out faster than just about anything.
• If you find it on sale or get a coupon, buy multiples. 

2. Zout!

Back when I was a housewife in training wheels I washed and tumble dried a tube of red lipstick. Oh, the horror. It melted over my entire load of clothes that contained mostly work clothes. It was a new job and I had my new clothes on heavy rotation until the next few paychecks so my freak out was justified. I called a few friends in complete panic and one suggested Zout. She was a nurse and had done the same thing with a load of scrubs. Seems this household gem was once only sold to healthcare facilities for stain removal. Word got out and it's a secret weapon that belongs in everyone's laundry. Most recently I used it to amaze my friend after she took a bath in a very full glass of very red wine in her very cream dry clean only top.

Tip:

• Pre-treat if you can
• Spray it liberally and let it soak in and get working. Set it aside a have a glass of wine.
• You'll need to wash your hands and apply some good lotion. It will dry them out if you handle it. I try not to get my hands in it.
• There is no generic or substitute. It must be Zout. 

3. Ammonia

My step sister has a cleaning service and she taught me how to clean my whole house with clear ammonia and pine cleaner. You can save a mint on cleaning supplies. It's amazing. It's also crazy cheap. 

My Uses:

• Add 1/2 cup with a spash of pine cleaner to 1/2 gallon of hot water for mopping floors
• Add 1/2 cup with a splash of pine cleaner to 1/2 gallon for cleaning the microwave... or the wiping cabinets...or soaking grill grates...or cleaning grill tools...or just about anything.
• Add 3/4 cup of ammonia and 3/4 cup of baking soda to a load of towels to get rid of any musty smells.
• Any cleaning project I have starts with hot water in the sink, 1/2 cup of ammonia and a splash of pine cleaner. (By splash, in this instance I mean about 1/8 of a cup, adding more as necessary.)
• For particularly nasty baking dishes I will add a splash of it to the sink along with my dish soap to let things soak.

Tips:

• Only buy clear ammonia! Let me say (type) it again...ONLY BUY CLEAR (non-sudsing) AMMONIA.
• Sudsing ammonia is bad. Bad may be a strong word. It's suds up too much and leaves a residue and you can't add sudsing ammonia to the laundry. So, no sudsing stuff, ever.
• Yes, it smells ungodly. Deal. Stop sticking your nose in the bottle and inhaling. Geez.
• Used in moderation with Pine Sol or other scented all purpose cleaner the smell isn't overpowering.
• You can find it on the bottom shelf at most stores. They save those top shelves for the pricey stuff. It's often available in a store brand or other generic for about $2 for a half gallon. 
• Lemon scented is also available in the clear (non-sudsing) ammonia. 

4. Pine Sol

Shocking, I know.

Some people are Mr. Clean people. I'm a Pine Sol girl. I think my grandma used to clean with it. I love it because it reminds me of her house. 

I like Mr. Clean...I just like Pine Sol more. My friend Christopher loves Fabuloso. My aunt likes Spic N' Span. They probably all work as well but Pine Sol just smells cleaner to me. I also like the fragrance to stick around and it seems to stick around the longest. The original pine is my favorite followed by the Outdoor Fresh scent. Or is it Sparkling Wave? 

My Uses:

• I add about 1/8-1/4 cup to hot water and ammonia to clean just about everything
• Add 1/8 cup to my rug shampooer to make things smell like pine and not carpet shampoo. (I tested it first.)
• Add 1/2 cup to the laundry load when I'm washing dog beds, bath rugs, cleaning rags or kitchen towels.
• Pour some in a little warm water, get it all sudsy with your sprayer, dunk a rag, ring it, and wipe over counters, cabinets, doors, jams and other surfaces to make the house smell pretty. Let the water set in the sink for a while and it's like a sink full of air freshener. I've done this when I don't have time for a deep cleaning and have company coming over. 
• I'll pour a little of the blue in the toilet bowls just to make the bathrooms smell fresh between cleanings.

Tips:

• It's easy to find coupons online. 
• The Wal-Mart near my house sells gigantic bottles
• I sometimes add it to the laundry water when I'm washing gyms shoes or something else stinky.