As a flanker to the thrifty thread, it occurs to me that we all probably wind up with more items in any given category than we need because the first (or second or third) thing we try doesn't work as well as it should. That's a waste of money. Let's list items that we think do exactly what they are supposed to do and do it well. Not items that are a matter of personal preference like the love it or hate it Maybelline mascara, but necessities that do the job.

My first nomination is Spot Shot Instant Carpet Stain Remover (blue can w/ orange top): Ms. Sasha seems to urp furballs soon after consuming food. This is really messy and has true stain potential. She never seems to do it on the kitchen, hall, or bathroom floors - always on my light colored carpet. Spot Shot works like a charm, even when I don't immediately find the situation. I don't need anything else to clean up spills and stains. Great product available in the cleaning products aisle of all the supermarkets around here. (note: it's made by WD-40 Co. that makes another super product)

Magic Eraser. Wipes up all kind of scuff marks and spots that otherwise won't come off.

Febreeze works great. Also the Downy Wrinkle Releaser - it doesn't leave clothes looking as if they've been ironed, but it does help a lot with the wrinkles - good for when you are halfway out the door and don't have time to iron something.

Avon's new "face perfector" (primer) caled Magix is amazing.

I have always found that Neutrogena products work as advertised.

Boric acid works great to get rid of bugs and is less dangerous to humans and pets than other poisons. And it is cheap.

Epsom salts are great for soaking tired hot aching feets. Also cheep! I fill a basin with cold water, a squirt of shower gel and a couple of cups of epsom salts and soak for 20-30 minutes. Leaves your feets feeling smooth and clean and cool and wonderful. (I heard about the epsom salts from POLers, BTW, I don't recall who but thank you!) There is a warning on the carton about people with diabetes and some other conditions using epsom salts, though, so read the carton first! A handful of epsom salts in the shower makes a good body scrub too - I have heard of spas charging big bucks for exactly this "treatment".

Avon's Silicone Glove hand cream and Silicone Sock foot cream are WONDERFUL. I used to use the hand cream as foot cream before they came out with the foot cream. And not expensive at all.

I know I will think of others... and these are personal preferences, as what one person thinks works great another person might say doesn't work at all...

Zout is great for getting out stubborn spots and stains on fabric, even spots that remain after previous washings.

Has anyone tried Dry Cleaner's Secret? If so, what do you think?

From a "green" perspective (actually, I started doing this when it became clear that fumes from floor cleaners from Swiffers to ammonia would have a bad effect on my dog):

White vinegar in water is great for cleaning floors (less vinegar for hardwood), windows, kitchen and bathroom surfaces.

Baking soda, a little water, and a little elbow grease is great for getting out tougher stuff (bathtub rings, soap scum).

I'll resort to a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for really tuff stuff.

I'll throw in a second vote for Neutrogena products.

A little baking soda on a damp paper towel will get the brown marks off of the bottom of your iron, preventing staining of clothes from said brown marks.

I am going to third the Neutrogena products , especially the Norwegian Formula hand cream. Think of winter hands plus bleach burns (from constant exposure) this stuff cleared it up by the end of the day. Second benefit of this hand cream is that it carries perfume beautifully , scents which smell of nothing suddenly come to life layered over this stuff .


Naughty toddler went wild with a pen on the upholstery ? get the hair spray out , worked a charm back in the day.

nubs, good choice on the Neutrogena!

I'm with Colonia on Spot Shot -- it really works.

And I was a big fan of Neutrogena hand cream until the other day, when I realized how heavily scented it was. That really bummed me out, because it works so well. I just found the scent really strong the other day.

This is not a product, but it's a technique that really works, 100% of the time -- if you have a fruit or wine stain on a piece of clothing (and only fruit or wine, no milk or oil mixed in), pouring boiling water from a height directly on the stain will remove it immediately.

I find that Lestoil works almost 100% of the time on those spots on clothing that emerge after a wash/dry cycle -- you know, the ones that look like a grease spot, which you didn't notice when you put it in the wash in the first instance. Just scrub a little Lestoil into the stain, wash it again, and nearly all of the time it will come out.

cathleen, did you know the Neutrogena hand creme comes in an unscented version. This is the one my husband gets.

I only get the unscented as well. Having oily skin I had never had the slightest desire to go near anything heavy , greasy or moisturizing until my life as a kitchen skivvy caught up with me ( the auld days , no I dont miss them!) and caused my hands to literally burn and peel- throw Canadian winter into the mix for pure agony. Desperate times set in and I had to break down and tried the Norwegian , it worked miracles! I am not kidding when I say that relief can be had within a day of use.


If the toilet is plugged up and you KNOW it is purely organic matter , throw in some Dawn dish soap , ignore for about half an hour , plunge a wee bit , then thow down hot ( not boiling ) water from a height , do it several times .......... results in declogged and pristine toilet.

Seconding A as in apples rec of Zout for geting out all kinds of fabric stains. Even the grimy collars, cuffs and rust marks on fencing jackets. Makes them look new`again. I sound like a commercial but this stuff is great.

Powder dishwasher detergent is excellent as a scouring powder. Better that barkeepers or comet on burnt on food.

nubs, thanks for the Dawn tip. Dawn has no many different uses.

As for unscented Neutrogena, my husband doesn't like to smell girly. Maybe sometime when he needs disciplined, I will open up his hand creme and squirt some PINK SUGAR in it. LOL!

Great to know about the unscented hand cream. I really like most Neutrogena products, even most of the scented ones, but this cream was just too strong-smelling in what I guess is the original version. Thanks!

Hoos, I used to use the white vinegar & water mix with a couple of drops of orange essential oil for my windows but found that plain old soda water (It's called club soda in the U.S.) in a spray bottle is excellent, especially for mirrors, no streaks & no white vinegar fumes which I found difficult to inhale after doing several windows one after the other.

I also add a small amount of liquid castille soap to the white vinegar & water mix to make an all-purpose spray (the castille soap helps cut through the grease & grime better), spray on surfaces, wait a minute or two before wiping - very little elbow grease required. For tougher stains either shake a little baking soda onto the cloth before wiping the sprayed surfaces or apply directly on top of the sprayed surfaces before wiping down.

I like the "concept" of being green, but in reality, I find that many of the products or formulas either don't work worth a hoot or take so long, so much elbow grease, or so many applications that I don't sustain the practice. One product that I don't think is too environmentally awful is the new Windex All Purpose Cleaner with Vinegar. That baby works and fast. And it works for so many cleaning needs that you don't need multiple products.

When you are using your vinegar and water window cleaner, don't forget to use old newspapers. There must be something in that ink that gets glass sparkling.

I like Mrs Meyer's Clean Day Toilet Bowl Cleaner. Natural ingredients, no harsh chemicals, with essential oils of rose, clove and geranium.

It's not the ink in the newspaper. It's the fact that it doesn't leave fibers like paper towels and other towels...and you can really rub a good shine on the windows without worrying about those fibers and streaking.

I just use straight vinegar on my counters and windows. It makes them glisten.
Also love baking soda for any job which requires a bit o' grit and some scrubbing. Great stuff. It also helps with deodorizing.

I add plain old peroxide to my whites and towels in the wash. I'm sensitive to chlorine and I find this is a good way to remove any proteins/stains and also it helps lift dirt more easily.
I use plain white towels which I wash in detergent for sensitive skin and never add fabric softener. I find the softener blocks absorption and it also lays a waxy film on my skin which seems to block pores.
I do, however, add a cup of vinegar to the rinse if I want them to be a bit softer.
I love vinegar!

Two of my favorite laundry products are Oxy Clean powder. When I was raising four little boys, one scoop in the wash and it got out everything, grass, food, etc. A great pre-treatment is Spray 'n Wash Dual Power.

I find the Swiffer products to work well and save lots of my time.

I have been impressed with several Avon products lately:

BEYOND COLOR Plumping Lip Conditioner SPF 15 with Double the Retinol (and the matching lipsticks)
Foot Works Pedi-Peel
body butters in Mark Pure and Earth
and the Avon bubble bath is the best bubble bath hands-down

Other products:
Magic Eraser
Simple Green
Jane Iredale Magic Mitt
my Sonicare toothbrush.

Aspirin mask and Queen Helene Mint Julep mask.

The aspirin mask is wonderful. I make mine with yogurt. Honey is good, too.

It finally dawned on me what to contribute here. I could not live without my Tide pen! It really does work about 90% of the time, although with a bit of trial and error one discovers the situations where it doesn't work. The bigger the stain, the less effective it is. Also, with coffee it will tend to leave a bigger watermark stain that will be equally as irritating as the original stain. But those are minor complaints--it took Russian dressing out of a white shirt in no time.

Totally Toddler Stain removing wipes are great. They're safe to use on baby clothes and they work better then Shout wipes. Stains rub right out without leaving a tell tale ring.

-Noelle

If you get makeup on your clothes, a baby wipe will take it right off. If the baby wipes are dried up, pour some of your water bottle into the container to refresh them.

Several years ago, I discovered by accident that a pull up or diaper laid inside out on coffee spilled in the cup holder area will suck it right up.

Witch Hazel as a skin toner.

I actually mix mine with water first to dissolve, then add a bunch of Cetaphil cleanser (the non-foaming kind). It helps prevent the aspirin flakes from falling off my face as I wear the mask.