Buying cleaning supplies for your house can be expensive, and you have to buy different products to clean different things. So, even if one cleaning product isn’t very expensive, having to buy a dozen of them can be. In addition to cost, many people are concerned about the chemicals in cleaning products, and whether they are really safe. With many people looking for ways to cut costs, there are a number of things that you can do to keep your house clean for cheap.
- Use Rags – You can either buy a cheap pack of rags and reuse them or you can cut up old towels and t-shirts rather than throwing them away. If you use rags to clean instead of paper towels, you will save a lot of money.
- Use Sponges – Using sponges is another great way to reduce the amount of paper towels that you use.
- Use Newspaper – You probably don’t want to use a rag to clean your windows and mirrors as this can leave them streaky. Newspaper, however, is a great, cheap alternative to paper towels. It can be used on glass and some counter tops. However, do not use it on porcelain or white counter tops as the ink from the paper can stain the surface.
- Use Homemade All Purpose Cleaners – Really all you need to clean nearly every part of your house is some white vinegar and some baking soda. One suggested formula for an all purpose cleaner includes ½ a cup of vinegar with ¼ of a cup of baking soda, mixed together in a ½ gallon of water and store in a container. What can you use it for? Everything! For example, for cleaning counters, you can sprinkle some baking soda on them, spray some white vinegar on that, and use a sponge to wipe it off. Then use a damp cloth afterward to clean off any leftover baking soda.
- Use Earth Friendly Bleach – Bleach is a cheap product, and it can be used for all purpose cleaning and disinfecting. Bleach usually needs to be diluted with water, but it makes a good bathroom cleaner, and it can be used to disinfect things like toys, plastic shower curtains, and dog bowls.
- Here is a tip: If you have cats, hydrogen peroxide will get rid of urine odors (it breaks down the urine crystals). Spray the peroxide on the spot, let it dry, and rinse with water.
- Use Homemade Floor Cleaners – Diluted vinegar (mix the vinegar with equal parts water) can be used to clean nearly all floor surfaces. It is even gentle enough to be used on hardwood floors. Apply with a mop and let air dry. Note, any vinegar scent will dissipate when the vinegar dries.
- Use Homemade Furniture Cleaners – You can even make your own furniture cleaner at home. Olive oil and vinegar are some of the favorites when it comes to making furniture cleaner. The formula is generally three parts olive oil to one part vinegar. For example, ¾ cup of oil and ¼ cup of vinegar. This mixture can be stored, but it does need to be shaken well before use. Spray onto your rag and rub into your wooden furniture. Some people prefer to add a couple of drops of lemon juice for the smell.
- Here is another tip: It’s always best to store your homemade cleaners somewhere that is cool and dry, like a pantry.
- Use Homemade Carpet Cleaners – Carbonated water is a great option for cleaning small spills and stains. A baking soda and vinegar paste can be used for tougher stains, though you might have to vacuum up the excess when the paste dries. Water and vinegar mixed in equal parts can be used in carpet steam cleaners for general carpet cleaning.
- Use Homemade Glass Cleaners – Again you can use equal parts water and white vinegar to clean glass mirrors and windows. Make sure to wipe off the excess solution, and it should not leave any streaks.
As you can see, if you invest in a little extra olive oil, vinegar and baking soda, you can pretty much clean your entire house for a few dollars. Cheap cleaning products like bleach are another good option for tough cleaning jobs. Using these products often saves you money, and you know exactly what you are using to clean your home.
So, do you have any tips or tricks for keeping your house clean for cheap? I want to know!
This post was written by YFS.
I am guilty of using a lot of paper towels. However after reading this post I promise I will not be guilty of this anymore. Do you want to know why I say guilty? Because I actually feel guilty when I do it but I still do it. THAT WILL CHANGE STARTING NOW…
Good job on making the switch from paper towels. You could find yourself saving a lot of money
My family grew up using rags. It’s way more cost efficient. And all you have to do is throw it in the wash with a little bit of bleach and they’re sanitary again. Just make sure you run the washer again (rinse cycle) so the remaining bleach (if any) doesn’t get on your next clothes load. Great article!
I still do this 🙂 saves so much money.
We always buy earth friendly cleaning products, it’s the least we can do as we’re not into the homemade stuff.
Why aren’t you into the homemade products?
Those were interesting points about making cleaners with vinegar and baking soda. It never ceases to amaze me how many uses commonly-held household goods have. I’ll have to put more effort into purchasing earth-friendly cleaning products.
Vinegar is a very powerful and cheap cleaning agent. Unfortunately, it smells bad for about 2 hours. If you can stand the smell vinegar is a great product.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this list! I use vinegar, olive oil, lemon, borax, and eco-friendly bleach for absolutely everything! I do buy Bon Ami scouring cleanser because it’s the only thing that takes care of that hard water ring that is eating our bathtub. Other than that, and my ecover dishwashing tabs, this is all I use! Fabulous resource!
Wow.. I can learn a thing or two from you about cleaning agents.
I had no idea you can use newspapers to clean windows. Not sure how well it works but I will have to try it out. Anyone have a good idea to get rid of dust inside your house?
Newspaper gives you a streak free way to clean windows. The best way to get rid of dust is to change your air filters on a consistent basis.
CLR and diluted bleach and vinegar are my go-to cleaning supplies. They can clean almost anything.
good find!
I never use paper towels, anyway, but do use sponges and cloths of different kind. These can be either washed or, particualrly the ones used in the kitchen, ‘purified in the microwave. As to home made cleaning products so find the smell that ligers after vinegar unpleasant. There are some great suggestions of how to make cleaning products (that are better smelling and much less harmful to you and the nevironment) on Miss Thrifty’s site. Worth having a look.
I haven’t thought of purifying in the microwave. I have to try that out
I haven’t looked a the cost of furniture cleaners on a per-ounce basis, but is olive oil cheaper? Olive oil bought in gallon size bottoles is 17 to 19 cents an ounce (US dollar cents). I forget what spray furniture polish costs, but I’m guessing there are about 12 ounces in a spray bottle. If the polish is less two bucks, then it’s a winner.
I haven’t find any spray furniture polish for cheaper than 5 dollars.
I love the suggestions. I don’t like using store bought cleaners because I don’t like all of the chemicals. Saving money is just an extra benefit.
If you can save money it’s definitely worth going the natural route
Vinegar & baking soda works pretty well for me. Just don’t seal off any container that you pour this into when it starts reacting!
Good advice! Things we all learned in science class 🙂
Buying products that are marketed as ‘green’ can be too pricey, but making stuff yourself — like you suggest — is much cheaper! I love vinegar, it’s a great cleaning substance.
Vinegar is great it just stinks to high heaven!
I didn’t know that olive oil was good for cleaning! Thanks for the tip.
I’ll admit though, I’m a sucker for the marketing of those earth friendly cleaning products. There’s something about the grapefruit smell that smells so fresh.
I agree grapefruit smells amazing! I’m a sucker for mango smelling things.
Thanks for some great tips! Repurposing old towels or clothes into cleaning rags is a great idea.
Old or the really cheap towels are great for cleaning.
Use a squeegee to clean your windows. I don’t get the newspaper, so there’s no cost for it and no paper to throw out when I’m done. Just fill a bucket with water and a few drops of ammonia.
Vingegar will RUIN a marble floor; it etches it IMMEDIATELY. I twill eat away at granite, too, though not so quickly.
And if you like the semll of grapefruit in your cleaner (or oranges or lemons) you can put citrus peels in vinegar for three weeks, and then dilute that half with vinegear again for cleaning.
Great suggestions. I typically get newspapers from my neighbors or the free ones from the supermarket.
Great tips! Newspaper does work great on mirrors. I used old t-shirts and socks before, but have gotten away from it. Thanks for the reminder!
Aside from a windshield wiper like mechanism a newspaper is the best thing for windows.
Fantastic tips! We do a mixture of homemade and eco-friendly products in our home and use rags and sponges, old toothbrushes, and People Towels for paper towel alternatives….. We even use vinegar for fabric softener.
Thanks so much for stopping by The Organic Blonde. Great to “meet” you.
We do similar. It is amazing how easy it is to make your own stuff.
Great to meet you too.
You lost me at people towels. What are they and how effective are they over paper towels?
Nice post! It’s almost funny that simple items like vinegar and baking soda can take care of most of our cleaning needs.
Vinegar is an amazing cleaning agent, if you can handle the smell
I have been experimenting with homemade cleaning supplies lately as well. I am so excited to now have a homemade dishwasher detergent that works extremely well. I found the recipe on DIY Naturally but didn’t have all the right ingredients. What I came up with works so well that I am now using my dishwasher again! (I’d given up on using my dishwasher because I couldn’t get the film off my dishes)
Check it out at –
http://poppyjuice-poppy.blogspot.com/2012/02/truly-amazing-homemade-dishwasher.html
It is truly amazing!
Thanks so much for the recipe. I have tried something similar but it left a film on my dishes. I will have to give yours a try.
Thanks too for stopping by. Hopefully I will see you again.