I have found that a solution of vinegar and water is a great all purpose cleaner. I am going to try Arm & Hammer for cleaning in the kitchen. I love products with multiple purposes and especially when they save me money.

My fiancee and I just bought a real beauty of a foreclosed fixer upper and we’re pretty determined to update it in the most eco-friendly ways as possible.

I put hooks in the kids closets so they can hang up clothes that have been worn but are not really dirty. The clothes can air out a little and I have less laundry to do!

To reduce the odor in my washing machine, I soaked the softener dispenser in bleach. It removed the build up and whatever mildew was starting to happen. I also open the detergent dispenser drawer when not in use. It has made a huge difference.

This is all new to me…guess I will have to try the vinegar thing with Arm and Hammer. Thx

We use arm and hammer to keep my washing machine fresh and clean! tracietrump@yahoo.com

I started going to Bikram yoga regularly. Makes me soooo happy!

I start to make our own cleaning products, I’m happy it works like a charm.

I always try to live simply, though with our lifestyle and tastes, it’s sometimes hard. Something I’m noticing more and more is that often, it’s also healthier, greener, AND less expensive to go that route too.
A couple of our most recent big changes, is that I’ve been trying to rely less on pre-prepared and packaged foods, and cooking from scratch as much as possible. I’ve even started making my own yogurt! :)
I have also with the warm weather started to dry my clothes and things outside. We have a no clothes line rule in our neighborhood, but I just drape them along the railing of our deck and it works just great!

I took inventory of my freezer and pantry, started making out menus and sticking to them within the week, we are eating leftovers instead of throwing them out and I started using baking soda for cleaning most everything!!! I’ve used it on baby cloths for years and bug bites but I’m learning new uses all the time.

Using white vinegar in the rinse cycle (it works wonders for my towels) and cutting dryer sheets in half. They really do work just as well and you get double for your money!

I also love baking soda. Folks in FL use it to clean their pools.

I’m getting a clothesline! so the sun can bleach my whites white.

Summer routine is a change around here. I keep hoping to get a few cleaning projects out of the way.

Using baking soda to clean my kitchen sink!

I’ve always used baking soda to clean, and now I’ve discovered the wonders of using a mild vinegar solution to clean my gold jewelry (just don’t let it near pearls!). Taking time to clean my jewelry (and actually WEAR it) is a change I’m very satisfied with.

I started doing my dishes after every meal instead of waiting even an hour… makes a huge difference and we are all happier!!!

We decided to plant more edible plants in our garden, rather than having to go to the store to buy expensive herbs and vegetables.

I an addicted to using vinegar and baking soda – to the point where I buy nothing else. I am the only one that likes the smell of vinegar but to me it is a clean smell and I know I am helping save our environment.

I’m using baking soda to clean the kitchen and bathroom sinks….love that it’s inexpensive and does a great job! Thanks for your tips :)

I’ve started making my own baby food. It’s so easy and I only need a little bit of time to get a large batch made. I like that I’m saving money and not tossing extra containers into the landfill.

I’ve started using used dryer sheets to dust all around my house and have come to find that I am able to sleep a little better and sneeze a lot less.

I’m working hard to make two changes in the home, using more fresh fruit and veggies, making my own food, and getting myself into bed at a decent time, allowing some things to go unfinished.

Cleaning out cupboards is making me real happy!
Lot’s of great treasures to share with the thrift store and for some reason getting rid of the “stuff” is exhilarating.

I’ve been gardening this year and the little change in my schedule to make time for gardening means fresh veggies :)

My most recent favorite change is doing a big cleaning day once a month. That way I do some cleaning that would otherwise NEVER get done.

with my friend’s encouragement and her recipe, I recently made my first batch of homemade laundry soap. (We’re loving it). Along with that change, I’ve stopped buying commercial fabric softeners and now I just use vinegar! Simple, inexpensive, and above all, it works!

We started eating healthier not a diet a lifestlye change. We eat nothing processed or in a package and I have never felt better.

We have hard water and it stains our dishes really bad! But what I’ve been doing to make them super sparkly is rinse them in a little lemon juice–it takes the spots right off and smells good too!

I’ve been using vinegar and water for cleaning around the house and have been really pleased with the results. Thanks for the chance to win!
mrsmchappell at gmail dot com

One of the big changes we’ve made around here is to teach the kids how to do their own laundry!

I have gotten serious about working out again. I’m seeing and feeling positive changes in my body.

melodyj(at)gmail(dot)com

I’ve started to us baking soda in my laundry to get rid of the orders that the ineffective detergent I’m using up leaves behind. We’re also adding some white vinegar to our dishwasher with each load to get rid of the ugly spots that are left on the dishes.

I have switched to using mostly vinegar, baking soda, and a little Dawn dish washing soap for all my cleaning needs. Vinegar for softening laundry. Baking soda for reducing amount of laundry detergent used. Working great and saving money, too.

I love the many ways you can use baking soda to clean!!! It always makes things smell so fresh.

The biggest change in my home is replacing cleaners with baking soda, vinegar and sunlight dish soap. I love that I’m not pour toxic chemicals down the drain. Baking soda cleans sinks, tubs and showers. A rinse with vinegar keeps the drains clean. Another idea my mom gave me is, pour about a 1/4 cup of vinegar in the toilet water every morning and let it sit for a few hours or all day to get rid of lime deposits. Once they are gone, vinegar once or twice a week will keep them away. I have a nice bottle filled with vinegar on my toilet tank so I don’t forget. Lemon dish soap and cold water cleans blood out of clothing.

I have started making mostly homemade gifts instead of buying them at the store. I think people appreciate them more because they were made with love. :)

Used to use a product from the pool store to get the pH in our pool up. Now I use either 20 Mule Borax or Arm and Hammer baking soda…works quicker and is MUCH less expensive!!!

Great giveaway! I made a little change to one of my kitchen cabinets that store our dry goods just last night.. I ordered some labels off Etsy and put them on jars to help organize our flour, sugar, oats, etc. it looks so organized and wonderful! It will make cooking, baking so much easier!

Seasidesmitten@aol.com

I wash my floors with a vinegar and tea tree oil solution – I love the smell of clean floors! Plus, I don’t feel like I’m adding toxins into my 11 month old’s system when drops something on the floor and promptly puts it in his mouth!

I unfortunately am unemployed right now, so I am using my free time to try new recipes in the kitchen. My favorite new “tip”, is that whatever leftover I have (whether chicken stock, sauce, buttermilk), I freeze in my silicone muffin pan. Then I pop the frozen disks into ziplock bags, and I have a very well stocked freezer (without throwing out extra). Great way to save money, and to keep things exciting.

I have been trying to plan my meals out a couple of weeks in advance (instead of waiting until the day of to stand in front of the refrigerator and go uuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh????). It greatly decreases stress levels – we have 3 preschoolers so we have enough stress already. :)

They’re both little AND big changes :)….. cleaning up my already clean diet to eliminate as many processed ingredients as possible (mainly monosodium glutamate and its many many forms!).

Using vinegar to clean the toilets! It stays shiny and clean longer :)

What a great idea–I will try the baking soda and vinegar on my drains–thanks…

I have finally (gulp) made the decision to REALLY work on getting healthy and shape! I am doing my first Crossfit class tomorrow

With summer comes a change in responsibility….

My son’s laundry is now his responsibility.

That gets a wooo hooo from me ;)

I’m working on keeping less (I have a tendency to be a packrat!) and throwing out more! A big change coming next week is that we’ll be moving into our first home (non-rental).. it will be our 6th home in our five years of marriage! An even bigger change coming in one month is the birth of our third child! In any case, I’m looking forward to living frugally and simply.

I’ve been doing my best to watch my spending. I think I’m doing a pretty good job. :)

I’m happy that my dh’s allergies are now diagnosed, so we have started to phase out cleansers that cause flare ups and use products with natural, basic ingredients, like arm & hammer.

I recently helped my daughter-in-law get rid of the “sour wash” smell in all her clothes and washer and dryer. I first ran an empty load in the washer with the hottest water, liquid detergent and 2 cups of vinegar. Next I did it again the same with a box of baking soda. Good start. Then we started in with over 30 loads of wash with an added cup of vinegar in each load.

And what about the dryer smell fix? For only the first load, I put in the wet towels with one cup of vinegar poured over the towels and ran the dryer. It gets rids of the smell in the dryer that had been previously transferred from the washer and you never smell the vinegar when the load is dry. Worked like a charm.

I always have a gallon or two of vinegar on hand, it is so handy for so many jobs.

As simple as it sounds, we wear our clothes more before washing them. It’s tempting, and sometimes necessary, to just chuck all the kids’ clothes in the hamper at the end of every day. But wearing clothes more than once has cut down on laundry quantity and frequency.