Wednesday, June 04, 2008

On A Budget? Homemade Cleaners Save Hundreds!

I love a good bottle of homemade cleaner, in fact my bottle of Squirt, Squirt (aka Very Vinegar) cleaner is the one yellow bottle I cannot clean without! I wanted to do a quick post before I go tackle some Focus Room Cleaning of my own...on the economics of sticking to homemade cleaners!

I'm going to take a few average prices around here of things I DON'T BOTHER BUYING:
  • Specialty cleaners, ie: toilet bowl cleaner or tub and tile cleaner. Total: $10.00 a month
  • Expensive all-purpose cleaners - fancy ones can cost $8.00 a bottle of more! And yes, the lovely scents and swoon-inspiring designs of those bottles ARE tempting. (Trust me, even I'm tempted by them!) But, you can create some lovely scents with natural essential oils or even just lemon or lime juice added to your regular cleaners. $8.00 a month
  • Automatic shower cleaner + refills = Total: $15.00 a month
  • Swiffer refills = $8.00 a month (at least!)
  • Maid service! (haha - sort of kidding; sort of not) = at least $50.00 a month
  • Assorted other specialty cleaners = $10.00 a month

GRAND TOTAL: Up to $109.00+ a month SAVED by keeping your cleaning products simple

By doing your own cleaning (bye bye, little Missy Maid Service!) and sticking to tried and true natural homemade cleaners, you'll save a bundle. And in this ever-tightening economy, those extra dollars really add up, and really HELP!

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I totally agree! The only things I use regularly are a spray bottle with essential oils. I have a few to suit my mood. You can use them for cleaner or room freshener!

I use baking soda and citric acid (the stuff in tang, you can get it cheap online or I think I've heard it's in wine making places) in my dishwasher, works better than the dishwasher soap I've purchased (it's good toilet bowl cleaner too) and baking soda/citric acid or vinegar for sinks, sometimes straight vinegar and water.

I did just buy a cheap natural degreaser spray for the oven and really greasy stuff.

Pure coconut handmade soap is a great stainless steel cleaner for sinks as well, it really cuts grease.

Anonymous said...

Ummm...who buys a new bottle of anything every month?

The savings here seem quite exaggerated to me.

HappySlob said...

Awesome tips, Jan, thank you for posting them!

Anon -- true, true, but I'm surprised at the supermarket to watch people unload bottles of cleaner, so I guess it might be a wee bit exaggerated. But, in some cases I really think people spend at LEAST that much a month...

HappySlob said...

My last reply post was confusing. hehe Not enough caffine...

Basically, I stand by the $109/month figure for SOME people, who really do go overboard on pricey specialty cleaners. Even if you save $20 a month, it's all good, right?