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Helpful Storage Tips: Stock Up: On Loss Leaders Fun Rotation "Stickers" Anti-Bacterial: Recipes Spray Concentrate Anti-Bacterial: Hand Soap              Safely Clean Produce More Cleaning Tips: Sponges Vinegar Spray Plastic Containers (Stains) Click to join sharealikecooking

Helpful Storage Tips
Loss Leaders (STOCK UP!) Every week of the year, grocery stores have great "loss leaders" hoping to lure you in with super-low prices on many items. Be sure to buy extras (enough for 3-6 or even 12 months worth). This practice will give you a great stock of food supplies, for a fraction of the cost, rather than buying what you need, when you need it. You should see my grocery cart, when I grocery shop, it mainly consists of just fresh food and "lots of multiples" of sale items. The best time to stock up on "baking supplies" is often between the week of Thanksgiving thru Christmas. I try to buy my WHOLE year's worth of bread flour, real butter, sugars and etc. during that time! Instead of running to the store, every time I need something, I shop from my own "store" in my storage room or freezer (stocked full of my bargains of extras). Doing so has cut my yearly grocery budget by at least 40% overall!
Pantry & Food Storage  Rotation... Rotation... Rotation (Great sticky situation!) Use MINI STICKERS (for each year) to know how old `or new' something is AT A GLANCE! It's makes rotating so much easier. Different colors are fine; just use the same theme all year long. One year could be mini flags, another stars, and then perhaps another year get little hearts. Be sure to buy several packages for all year -to keep some in kitchen- the rest with long-term storage. Now, before you even unload any groceries bags, ADHERE stickers (anywhere easy to seen) onto lids, boxes, etc, and then stock your shelves with the “sticker'd stuff”. Identify every year's sticker onto index cards (post inside cupboard doors and in your storage). Insist everyone grab older “STICKER'D STUFF” first.
Anti-Bacterial: Recipes
You always read that commercial cleaners can be harmful to you and the environment. I figured out once that I save as much as 90%, by making my own! More Ideas? See Clean The Kitchen (7 Tips). Personally, I am seriously sensitive to cleaning chemicals. So I've been using the ideas below, for years. In fact my kids have very seldom ever used commercial Anti-Bacterial Spray, at least in my house. I realized my one daughter never even knew I made my own cleaner until recently, when I told her to re-fill the squirt bottle and she asked my what brand it was. She just always thought my "recycled apple juice bottle" was a commercial cleaner bottle, with the label just gone!
Spray Cleaner Yield: 1 gallon Concentrate: 1 pint rubbing alcohol 2 Tbsp ammonia 2 tsp dish soap Tap water 1 drop food coloring, (opt.)	Spray Cleaner Concentrate:  Recycle a heavy-plastic gallon apple juice jug (NOT a milk jug). Pour in cleaning ingredients, filling with water. Add food coloring, if wanted. Shake; cleaner can be used full strength. To Dilute:  Fill a squirt bottle, half and half, with tap water and concentrate. This cleaner is totally safe on food surfaces; spray and leave on the surface for 10 minutes, before wiping. You needn't rinse when used diluted, but you'd want to rinse, if not diluted
Foaming Soap Refill:  To make your own foaming soap refill, combine: 2 Tbsp of liquid-soap 3/4 cup water In the container, replace pump and shake.	Anti-Bacterial Hand Soap:   Reduce the amount of bacterial soap you use, by using a foaming soap pump. Liquid-soap lasts TEN times longer in a foaming soap pump dispenser. Dial® Soap makes such a dispenser, but don't buy the expensive refills. By making your own, you'll get weeks of rich, luxurious foam (like many hospitals use) from just a little bit of liquid soap.
Anti-Bacterial Wash Killls Harmful Bacteria Procedure: Pour vinegar & hydrogen peroxide (separately) into two individual clean spray bottles, labeling as such. Using either bottle first: Spray Produce alternately a) with the vinegar then the hydrogen peroxide. b) Or the hydrogen peroxide followed by vinegar. Repeat. Rinse then with running water, removing any lingering vinegar or hydrogen peroxide (assuring no lingering taste). On Work Surfaces: Wipe with a clean wet cloth and towel dry. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr. Sumner: The question I get asked most by readers is: "Can I mix the hydrogen peroxide and vinegar into one sprayer?" The short answer: EEK - No!	Safely Clean Produce  Procedure:   Helpful Video Link  (recently added) Food-borne illness derived from contaminated produce is the largest source of food poisoning. Tests run at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (pairing the two mists) killed virtually all E. coli Salmonella and Shigella bacteria -- on heavily contaminated food and surfaces -- when used in this fashion. Simple everyday household products more effective at killing the potentially lethal bacteria than chlorine bleach or commercially available kitchen cleaner. Notes: When misted over produce, either ingredient is nontoxic (even if small amounts remain on the produce). The very inexpensive ingredients not only work on fruit and vegetables, but the two sprays can also be used to sanitize counters and preparation surfaces, including wooden cutting boards, as well. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reference Notes: Dr. Susan Sumner, a food scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, developed this safe and effective disinfecting procedure, by misting either vinegar (cider or white) plus 3% hydrogen peroxide (commonly found on your grocer drugstore aisle) onto produce and surfaces. Articles on Dr. Sumner's original research work appeared in the scientific news journal, "Science News," in the issues that were published on August 29, 1996, and on August 8, 1998. Her recent February 2008 comments are added below. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *The longer answer: NEVER mix hydrogen peroxide and vinegar together in (one container). The resulting chemical, peracetic acid, can harm you when (mixed together) this way... you accidentally create a strong concentration in this fashion. Peracetic acid also has entirely different characteristics and properties than either hydrogen peroxide or vinegar. Additionally, we don't know if peracetic acid kills the same group of pathogenic food-borne bacteria when used this way as a spray - it very well may not. -- Dr. Susan Sumner (Feb 2008) Info Source: http://www.michaelandjudystouffer.com/judy/articles/vinegar.htm
More Cleaning Tips:
Sponges: Nuke sponges or dishrags for 30-40 seconds in the microwave. Don't squeeze, they'll be HOT! Rinse with cold water.
Vinegar Spray:  Another fine household disinfectant for sponges, counters and cutting boards. Classic supermarket vinegar kills 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold, and 80% of viruses. Keep full strength vinegar, in a clean spray bottle and squirt away at bedtime. There's no need to rinse, because the odor's gone by morning!
Plastic Containers: (Preventing Staining) Remember to spray your plastic storage containers with non-stick cooking spray, before pouring in a tomato-based food or sauce, to prevent red stains! Too Late, Already Stained? Try Cascade Plastic Booster (recommended by Tupperware) but works on even the disposables (which we all re-use, right?)