It’s always a great idea to save money, especially for a rainy day, but is it that doable every single time? I mean, most of us cut the less necessary, to achieve our goal. But, when it comes to cleaning our house, can we have the cake and eat it, too? Well…absolutely YES! Here’s how we can keep our cleaning power and see our piggy bank get fuller every day!
1. Use Mild Soap
Some areas of the house don’t need more than just water and a mild dish soap. As a matter of fact, a dish soap is a great stain buster and can also be used as a surface spray, window cleaner, fruit wash, and carpet stain remover, among others. Most of us use a different cleaner for these surfaces without knowing that the solution mentioned before is a superb alternative that both removes grime and dirt and doesn’t damage the majority of surfaces.
Of course, you could also use multi-purpose or all-purpose cleaners to save on your household budget since most of them can easily pull double duty.
2. Make Cleaning a Daily Task
Maintaining the house clean every day will save you from being forced to use tougher cleaners to clean your home, and the time and energy you would spend in the process. Just a little bit of care will get you there. I mean, we can get rid of most stains if only we attack them the soonest possible with just plain water and laundry soap (or dish soap). Spills that are treated immediately and are wiped up right away require fewer amounts of a cleaner to be removed. If you adopt a small daily cleaning routine and stick to it, you’ll see that there is no use to get expensive solutions and specialty cleaners!
3. Give a Store Brand a Chance
Truth is we all like the safety provided by the brands we know and trust to clean our house with. However, you’d be surprised how many store brands of the same cleaner are equally effective and significantly less costly. For example, you can get a household eraser store brand at a fraction of the cost of a name brand (up to 40% less expensive) and achieve the same cleaning results. The secret is in the ingredients. Compare the ingredients of a store brand product with the name brand product you usually use and you will see that there are no big differences! So, why pay more for something that you can find for less money and has the same cleaning power?
4. Use Coupons
Whether you are a coupon person or not, if your household budget is tightened coupon usage and careful shopping are more than welcomed. You can find numerous manufacturers’ websites offering coupons to attract buyers and entice them to give their product a try. In addition, you can find coupons in the sales papers of drug stores and grocery stores. Just look for sale and if the price is right, purchase the items you frequently use (and possibly extra ones, too).
5. Be Careful when Storing your Cleaners
Cleaning supplies that are not properly stored can cost you a lot of money and could risk your health and the health of the ones you love and live with. For example, light or extreme temperatures can damage your cleansers, making them useless.
Needless to say, always store your cleaning supplies away from areas where pets and children might find them and experiment on them. Imagine what might happen if your cleaners are accidentally mixed or spilled…
6. Avoid Disposable Items
Bizarre as it may sound, disposable items can eat up your budget. Yes, they are handy, but it’s best to pick reusable items, such as microfiber cloths, which are great to dust, clean, and scrub any surface within the household. Replace your disposable mopping pads with a reusable mop and just take good care of it so it lasts for long. At the end of the month, you’ll see how much money you will have saved!
7. Make DIY Cleaners
Our houses are full of powerful ingredients that can fight dirt and grime very efficiently. For instance, vinegar and white vinegar are both magnificent all-purpose cleaners and the same applies to baking soda. As for lemons, they have natural bleaching properties. Home-made cleaners cut cleaning costs and provide you and your family with a healthier, chemical-free environment to live in.
Here’s an easy to make homemade cleaning solution that works amazingly on every surface, from tabletops to windows.
• Take a spray bottle.
• Add 1 teaspoon of Borax, 1 teaspoon of Castile soap and ½ teaspoon of washing soda.
• Fill up the bottle with lukewarm water.
• Mix the ingredients together until they are perfectly combined.
Interestingly, for approx. $7, you can buy enough Borax, Castile soap, and washing soda to make not only 1, but dozens of bottles. Plus, there is no expiration date to be worried about as these ingredients can last…well…forever!
8. Organize the Mess
A significant part of keeping the house clean is to control clutter. If you make sure all items you don’t use or are not that necessary are removed from your home, you will save yourself cleaning time. Plus you will be using fewer amounts of cleaners, which in turns reduces the cleaning costs. Obviously, these items make perfect cash makers through yard sales!
Did you Know that:
1. You could make your refrigerator smell better by using baking soda? Perhaps you do, actually. I bet you didn’t know though that you could save money by using leftover coffee grounds instead of soda! Just place them in a bowl and right into your refrigerator (replace every couple of months to maintain its lovely smell).
2. Instead of buying pricey brass cleaners, you could use…ketchup to shine brass! Put some ketchup on a dry cloth and apply as you would do with a brass cleaner. Wash it off once your brass is shiny again and voila!
3. Baking soda and a sponge make the perfect combo for removing grime on vinyl flooring.
4. You can polish tarnished copper quickly and effortlessly by filling a spray bottle (a 16-ounce will do) with 3 tablespoons of salt and white vinegar. Spray the mixture onto the copper, allow it a few minutes to act, and rub clean!
5. Allow the dirty water bead and roll down your bathroom drain by wiping the bathtub, shower, and/or sink with lemon oil or baby oil, a couple of times per month and buy you more time in between cleaning!