Save Money On Cleaning Supplies
Here are some random tips from Dining on a Dime and our e-books
- Save on cleanser. Spray cleanser on the rag to save money and time. This way the extra cleanser is not wasted and you save time by not having to rinse the extra cleanser off.
- Buy cleaning supplies at a janitorial supply store. There you can buy concentrated enzyme cleaners to remove odors for $16.00 per gallon which works out to only 1/4 the price of cleaners at discount stores.
- Purchase cleaning supplies at estate and garage sales.
- Use a fine tooth dog brush to remove dog hair from furniture, carpet and bed comforters.
- Disinfect and clean your telephone. It spreads germs easily.
- Use terry cloth tablecloths. They are attractive and they absorb spills so that there is less mess.
- Spray your ironing with water instead of spray starch to make it look starched.
For more easy cleaning tips to make your life easier, check out our Keeping It Clean e-books.
photo by: trekkyandy
Why not make your own cleaning supplies from things like vinegar, baking soda, or even hydrogen peroxide? I am surprised this post did not include homemade cleansers.
We do have several homemade cleaner recipes on the site.
Fabulous idea to spray ironing with water so it looks starched. I don’t starch because of the mess. Come to think of it I can’t remember when I last ironed…
hehehehe.. me too grizzly bear mom …. in fact, i am not sure if my iron still works or what kind of condition its in .. its over 30 yrs old! . hehehe
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when we helped out at the dry cleaners i did make it a point to have my dress clothes (shirts/blouses/pants) starched and ironed .. this was nice and free bc we worked there ..
now bc we no longer work there we have to pay (of course) but i think its rather expensive .. $2.50 to $5.00/per item (depending on the item) ..
I love the cleaner I make. It resembles Seventh Generation Disinfecting Cleaner. I take 1/2 C Lemon Grass and 1/2 C Thyme, make a strong tea and strain out the herbs. I allow it to cool and pour it into my favorite sprayer. Sometimes I add some Rosemary essential oil or Eucalyptus essential oil. It smells so good and it is a powerful homemade cleaner for pennies per bottle.
For years we have sprayed our dust cloth with the cleaner and kept it in a sandwich bag. It is always ready to gather the dust off furniture and save on spray cleaner.
Look around on the web for recipes for things like rose or lavender water. You can use it as a really inexpensive to make your laundry and linens smelling great. You can spray it on your carpet, too, and make the whole room smell fresh.
Good suggestion Mich. You can make your own so easy and there are tons of recipes for it and all different ones but a basic is:
1 cup distilled water
1 Tbsp. rubbing alcohol or witch hazel
10-15 drops of essential oil
Mix in spray bottle.
You can also make it with fabric softener
1/4 cup fabric softener
Place in large spray bottle and fill with up with water.
I use a lot of vinegar and baking soda for cleaning, and make my own laundry soap, but I have a question about cleaning supplies, and other items usually bought with groceries that we can’t eat, like toilet paper, trash bags, bleach, etc. Do you include those things in your grocery budget, or do you count it separately?
I usually include them in my grocery but I’m not for sure about Tawra plus I buy so little of those things it wouldn’t make a huge difference if I did include them I don’t think. I don’t buy trash bags at all, 1 roll of paper towel a year, when I had kids at home 1 – 40 load thing of laundry soap lasted me about 6 months (and that was when I had a small washing machine) so it would last even longer now with a larger one), 1 gallon of bleach a year even though I do use it a lot.
I always use 1/2 of what is recommended in cleaning supplies or laundry things so they last a long time. I also get a lot for free from the recycling center or through rebates or different things.
What someone here suggested for a clogged drain: white vinegar and baking soda.
Remove drain cover and pour a little baking soda into drain. Follow with a few glugs of vinegar. Yes, it foams up, but a few rounds of that will get the water draining freely.
This does help for slow drains sometimes and I let mine sit for 5-10 mins. then pour a kettle of boiling water on top of it to wash it all down.