MONEY MATTERS WITH SHEILA--DIY HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS

If your New Year’s resolutions include saving money, our money guru Sheila Conway has some ways to cut your cleaning costs. -- AP

That’s right, Anastasia. Not only are household cleaning products outrageously expensive, most are neither environmentally nor health friendly. Think about that tightness in your chest or the coughing spell that often accompanies cleaning the kitchen and bathroom. That’s because you’re breathing in toxic fumes.

So here are recipes for three DIY cleaners that will cover all your cleaning needs while neither affecting your health or our planet.

SCOURING POWDER
Use backing soda. It does a great job and is less abrasive than commercial scouring powders.

GLASS CLEANER
Mix a quart of warm water and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a squirt bottle. Your windows and mirrors will sparkle, and your wallet and lungs will thank you.

ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER
Mix a cup of white vinegar with a cup of hydrogen peroxide. Add a few drops of tea tree oil. You can us this concoction to clean and disinfect all bathroom and kitchen surfaces except granite.

Great recipes, Sheila! For just a few pennies and a little time, we can all save big. -- AP