When it comes to cleaning and your hard earned money the last place you want to be spending it is on endless amounts of expensive cleaning supplies. The costs of cleaning products can add up quickly and if you are living on a budget who wants to be dishing out their hard earned dollars to keep the germs at bay. Learn how to keep your house clean while saving money on cleaning supplies.
Have you ever thought about how crazy it is that grocery stores have 1 whole aisle devoted to just cleaning products? As you cruise down the aisle you will see neatly packaged products boasting “trusted” brand this “environmentally friendly” that “natural,” “fast acting”. Companies spend millions of dollars on advertising to get their consumers to spend their hard earned money on things they don’t really need.
There is a cleaning product for just about everything imaginable. Is it necessary? I say absolutely not. First of all many of these products are filled with harmful chemicals and can be toxic to both your children and your animals and second, you can make your own at a fraction of the cost.
Table of Contents
9 Simple Ingredients To Make Your Own Cleaning Products (I bet you have 5 already)
1. Vinegar
Because vinegar (the clear kind) is so acidic, it can fight against bacteria and other nasties you don’t want living in your home. It can dissolve away soap scum, remove the orange ring left by hard water, and disolve glue left behind by stickers.
2. Water
Just some good ole high-quality H20!-Just like the movie Waterboy from 1998.
3. Dawn dish soap
As it says “tough on grease”
4. Hydrogen peroxide
Because it’s non-toxic, hydrogen peroxide is great for cleaning places that store food and dishes.
5. Baking soda
Not only is baking soda a natural odor absorbor it acts as a cleaning agent because it is a mild alkali and can cause dirt and grease to dissolve easily in water for effective removal.
6. Essential oils
Definitely not necessary if you are on a tight budget but I love the extra boost of disinfecting properties that comes with the delightful smell of essential oils. A few of my favorite oils for cleaning, include: lemon, tea tree, peppermint, lavender, and orange
My favorite trustworthy and affordable essential oil brands for cleaning are AuraCacia, and NOW, Both of these brands can be found online.
7. Lemon juice
Lemons contain antibacterial properties which aid in fighting unwanted germs and bacteria in the home. Plus, citrus provides an amazing fresh scent to homemade cleaners.
8. Castile Soap
Castile soap is a concentrated vegetable-based soap made of ingredients you can actually pronounce. This soap is gentle on the skin and effective in the fight against dirt, grease, and unwanted germs. Dr. Bronner’s is a very popular brand of castile soap.
9. Spray Bottles
If you don’t already have some spray bottles around your house you are going to want to get a couple to make these all natural cleaners.
I have 2 options
• You can use glass Perrier water bottles repurposed with a spray nozzle from a windex bottle.
•You can purchase ready to go bottles (these are my favorite)
The reason I suggest glass is because essential oils can deteriorate plastic bottles over time.
My Holy Grail for saving money on cleaning supplies:
My absolute best friend when it comes to cleaning is vinegar. Vinegar can be used to clean just about everything imaginable.
How to Make Homemade All-Purpose Surface Cleaners to Save Money On Cleaning Supplies
A surface cleaner serves as an all purpose cleaner for many surfaces such as counters, kitchen and bathroom cupboards, inside the fridge/freezer, carpet accidents, and some appliances.
When using any surface cleaner it’s important to know what ingredients should or shouldn’t be used on various surfaces. Vinegar works very well for cleaning multiple surfaces.
However, do NOT use a vinegar-based cleaner on marble or granite surfaces because it can slowly etch away at the stone.
Castile soap cleaner is safe to use on any surface (always test cleaners in a small area first before applying to a greater surface area), including granite and marble.
Castile Soap Surface Cleaner
- 2 cups distilled water
- 2 TB castile soap up to 1/4 cup
- 15 drops lavender essential oil or peppermint or orange
Mix together in a spray bottle.
Vinegar Surface Cleaner
- 2 cup distilled water
- 1 cup white distilled vinegar
- 1 teaspon Dawn Dish detergent
- 15 drops lavender essential oil or peppermint, orange, or lemon
Mix together in a spray bottle.
Window Cleaner
Need to clean windows and mirrors? Don’t spend money on pricey brand name products, try this instead.
- 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar
- 2 ½ cups water
- ½ teaspoon of Dawn Dish Detergent
Mix together in a spray bottle.
Bonus tip: When cleaning your windows use newspaper it works way better than using paper towels
Drain Cleaner, Drain Freshener
When life gives you lemons, cut them up and toss them down the disposal while grinding to help neutralize odors. If you need a stronger odor fighter add a few ice cubes into the disposal once or twice a week and grind until the ice is broken down helping to dislodge food particles left in the blades.
Drain Clog Remover
Dump in 1 c. baking soda. Let that sit for a few minutes. Then, pour 1 c. vinegar (you’ll see lots of foaming as the vinegar interacts with baking soda) Let this sit for about 15 min and then pour down 1c boiling water down on top of the baking soda. For stubborn clogs, you may need to repeat.
Toilet bowl cleaner
Sprinkle baking soda in the toilet bowl to get it sparkling clean. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Then throw down a cup of vinegar and flush.
Bathroom Freshener
No one wants a stinky bathroom. Keep your bathroom smelling fresh and clean by adding several drops of your favorite essential oil on the cardboard section of your toilet paper towel roll.
DIY wipes
If you enjoy having the convenience of a multi-purpose cleaning wipe at a fraction of the cost. Why not make your own? I love making my own cleaning wipes with safe and natural products that I can trust. The whole process takes less than 3 minutes.
BONUS TIPS: Save You Money Day in and Day out
Reduce, reuse, repurpose– not only does it help to save the environment, it saves you tons money too!
Frugal Tips For The Kitchen
• Run your dishwasher at bedtime. I called my power company and learned that off-peak hours were after between 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.
• Use grocery store bags to line garbage cans rather than buying plastic bags.
• Cut up old t-shirts and so that you never have to buy cleaning cloths or paper towels.
• Keep your kitchen sponges fresh and germ-free by zapping in the microwave
• Dilute your dish detergent to stretch it further
• To prevent fingermarks on your stainless steel fridge, wipe the entire thing with a thin coating of olive oil.
Here is a fabulous money saving tip provided by Parhelia Finance
“Spend some time every month reviewing your subscriptions/recurring expenses and try to stop any that you think you don’t really need or aren’t worth the price.”
Money Saving Tips In The Bathroom
• Fill a 20-ounce soda bottle with water and then drop it into your water tank mid-flush. The tank will fill up as normal but will be holding 20 ounces less water. Most bowls are designed to be larger than needed for domestic use, so this little trick can save gallons of water a month without any change in lifestyle.
• Install a low-flow shower head – or at least an adjustable one – and stop dumping water down the drain.
• In your children’s bathroom squeeze a toilet paper roll into an oval shape. It doesn’t roll out so easily causing less waste
• Ditch the shower gel and use bar soap which is better for the environment as well as your wallet.
• Use newspaper as opposed to paper towels to clean your bathroom mirrors.
Frugal Laundry Tips
• Skip the hot water and use cold to wash all of your clothes
• Use a tablespoon of white vinegar as fabric conditioner
• Use 1/2 the amount of laundry detergent
• Outside air free, line dry clothes whenever possible
• If you have problems with static cling in the winter, add a ball of aluminum foil to the dryer
Final Thoughts
By following these money-saving tips you will lessen the burden on your wallets and save money for the more important things in life.
I love being able to pad my Emergency Fund and retirement accounts rather than pouring my money down the drain. I know many people who are using several of these great ideas to save money for their children. What are you doing to save money each day?
