No buying unnecessary cleaning products challenge January 2013

rogueylawyer

I am not sure if this is a challenge or a cry for help!

To give a brief background, I recently moved house. Embarrassed enough by the four boxes of toiletries I had to move, I am part of the No Buying Unnecessary Toiletries challenge.

Having now moved house and trying to find a place for everything I have discovered a new problem: cleaning products. Not only do the cleaning products not fit in one cupboard under the sink, I have found half used products and duplicates everywhere!

I have made a list of all my cleaning products and put them in one place, I have discovered 72 separate products at a total of 25 litres of various products. I am sure this many chemicals in one place is dangerous, as well as a huge waste of money.

I have therefore set myself the challenge to use up all the cleaning products I have stashed before buying anything new. In the meantime I hope to establish what products work best for me and my new house.

Does anyone else have a problem with cleaning products or cleaning taking over their lives? If so, please feel free to join me whilst I save some money using up my stash!

CookieMonsta

I'm in! I have an overflowing cupboard of cleaning stuff and want to whittle it all down so I can just buy a bottle of Stardrops to do everything. Should be money-saving and space-saving

rogueylawyer

I'm going to post up a stash list shortly, I think I have around 70 products to use up!

Mags30

:rotfl: I have 8 boxes of washing powder and I live alone I also have 25 packs of bin bags because I got them for free with coupons last year. Lifetime supply

kameleon

I'll join you on this one rogueylawyer. When I made out my list for my toiletries stash and was hunting in presses for stuff I realised that there were loads of cleaning products in the house, so I'm now on a 'No buying cleaning products until I've used up the ones I have' streak.

At the rate I'm going I won't need to visit a supermarket for months!

The 25 litres of cleaning products is impressive I'm probably going to find mine is similar when I assess the situation properly!

rogueylawyer

Mags30 wrote: »

:rotfl: I have 8 boxes of washing powder and I live alone I also have 25 packs of bin bags because I got them for free with coupons last year. Lifetime supply

8 boxes of washing powder?? Especially good deal, or just in case the world ends? ;-) Whenever I find my favourite washing products I have to stop myself stocking up on several boxes at once. When the stash reduces however, I do plan on stockpiling products when they are on good deals, for the long term gain. Only products I know I will use though.

kameleon wrote: »

I'll join you on this one rogueylawyer. When I made out my list for my toiletries stash and was hunting in presses for stuff I realised that there were loads of cleaning products in the house, so I'm now on a 'No buying cleaning products until I've used up the ones I have' streak.

At the rate I'm going I won't need to visit a supermarket for months!

The 25 litres of cleaning products is impressive I'm probably going to find mine is similar when I assess the situation properly!

I think mine is borne of laziness and ill planning - the amount of duplicates in the stash is shocking. I have however recently stocked up on a few things we needed, like room fresheners and toilet cleaner.

My aim for both toiletries and cleaning products is no INs for 100 days, but I'm taking it all one step at a time!

pantherchick

I admitt it. i have loads of toiletries bubbles and soaps. im trying to get through them and not buy anymore till is really necessary. i will use my beauty points from the chemist shop when ive got enough again to stock up on toiletries.... last year i worked at a place and had £60 worth of points i bought all toiletries for a tombola with the points i had, and used them for the summer fate at work, raised alot of money that day... still wasnt appreciated.... walked out of the job two days later..... oh well.
so heres to savvi savings on our bubbly xxx

Mags30

rogueylawyer wrote: »

8 boxes of washing powder?? Especially good deal, or just in case the world ends? ;-) !

They were half price in Tesco and I had €2 off coupons as well so they cost about €2 a box. There are 2 huge bottles of Woolite, the rest are Persil capsules.

rogueylawyer

Mags30 wrote: »

They were half price in Tesco and I had €2 off coupons as well so they cost about €2 a box. There are 2 huge bottles of Woolite, the rest are Persil capsules.

I am impressed. I think I'm going to end up working out the cost of my current cleaning stash because i know full well very little was purchased on any great deals. There's loads of money in that big red box of bottles!

Sue14

You can count me in on this one! I'm addicted to buying cleaning products, especially when they are on offer, and I can't resist going down the cleaning aisles in HB and Wilkos to see if there are any good offers, whether I need anything or not, but at the moment I am determined to not buy any until I've made a bit of room in the cupboards by using up what I have. I still have some excess bits in a box in the shed, that I can't fit in the cupboards, and some of it I've had for ages.

I don't have much washing powder, but I'm hoping it will be enough to last at least to the end of the month, and if I run out of anything else I will see if I have anything that I can use instead.

mcculloch29

Definitely joining you on this one and thanks Rogueylawyer.
I've just had to let my 2 hours a week cleaner go . That sounds snobby but in my defence, I'm disabled with arthritis and work p/t, so she was needed to keep us in line. My income dropped and it was a struggle to afford her.
She's helped to organise me better in the 2 years she was with me, so I can use my time cleaning more efficiently.
So far so good...

My cleaner had her favourite products - bought by me - and I have mine. Not always the same thing.
Net result - a LOT of products.

I can't get anything else under the sink or on the cleaning products shelf and box in the kitchen. There's a lot in the bathroom too.

I bought a Mr Muscle kitchen spray today in Mr T's as it was £1 - but hang on, I have 2 Flash sprays, one of which is for the kitchen. Plus a massive bathroom spray. It wasn't really needed.

Cleaner liked using Hob Brite, myself, I think it's just weak Cif cream cleaner.
Anyway I had one virtually empty bottle and one three quarters full one under the sink.

So my first UU (Used Up) of this challenge was when I emptied one bottle of Hob Brite in to the other.
My cleaner liked using Flash for the floors, I'll have to bite the bullet and use that up before I switch to my favoured products.

The No Buying Unnecessary Toiletries thread is here for those who don't know of it.