Saving on cleaning

Frugalwitch

Hello, I'm about to move into my first home with my partner and where we both work (him 30hrs and me 20hrs) money will be a little tighter than we are used to.

I have a few ideas on how to save on cleaning supplies (baking soda, white vinegar, soda crystals and soap flakes) but are there any old-time tips and tricks to keep the house sparkly without buying expensive sprays, wipes and potions with harmful chemicals in?

Any little nuggets of knowledge are appreciated

CathA

When you wash the windows, do it with washing up liquid (or shampoo or laundry liquid or liquid hand soap) and hot water. Dip some scrunched up newspaper in the water, or you can use a cloth or kitchen roll. Rinse with clean water, this time using newspaper and clean water, dry and shine the windows with a dry bit of paper. Hint-don't let the window get dry between rinsing and polishing with the dry paper or it'll go streaky.

If you don't have newspapers, wait til it's recycling day and go and 'recycle' some from a neighbour!

[Deleted User]

My late Dad always washed our windows with scrunched up newspaper and a splash of methylated spirits, although white vinegar would probably do the same thing.The slightly damp paper was then screwed as tightly as possibly and my Mum used it to light the fire in the kitchen range, nothing was ever wasted in our house
I cut the washing powder in the machine with a handful of washing soda and use white vinegar for so many cleaning jobs ,plus as a conditioner in the washing.

Old tatty tee shirts that are past their best do as cleaning cloths.
I don't use room fresheners I open the windows to air out the room fresh air is free Can't abide spray on stuff in tins as they are full of chemicals . Google war time tips for cleaning and have a look at what folk did before the advent of aerosols

Aril

Toothbrushes are great for corners and round taps. Microfibre cloths and I use old teatowels to dry off windows. A feather duster is good [I have an artificial one with an extendable handle] allows you to get into all sorts of places both high and low.
Arilx

DomRavioli

Get to Poundland/Home bargains. A 1 litre bottle of flash does our three bed with dining room and massive sun room for a couple of months. Just half a cap in hot water and a microfibre cloth.

I have a steam mop which I do everything with as well, and a Karcher Window Vac, which I use for windows, cupboards, bathroom tiles, well everything flat and waterproof.

GreyQueen

You can clean just about anything with washing-up liquid or basics cream cleanser (tesco's is as good as anything).

Add soda crystals for heavy-duty degreasants/ flushing out gunky plugholes with a kettleful of boiling water and a toilet cleaner (am in a hardwater area so use an anti-limescale product, about 70p a bottle, supermarket own brand).

Housecleaning supplies should only run to a few pounds a year at most. I very much doubt I spend more than a fiver on them and I keep a clean home.

If you let your stove get too bad, Ast0nish hob and oven cleaner is £1 in Wilk0 and very good. HTH.

Lindlou

Bottle of stardrops (Wilkinso*s, As*a) Around £1 a bottle, lasts ages and cleans floors, bathrooms, windows.......everything really.

Linda32

Buy Zoflora as your disinfectant. All supermarkets sell it and it's about £1 a bottle but you dilute one cap full to 400 mls of water.

Put this is a spray bottle and these your spray disinfectant.

I agree with GreyQueen cleaning products can cost very little. Forget about wipes etc. Just invest in a few cloths in the first place. Then just bung them in with your washing every few days.

Forgot to add, sorry, exciting times, have you got a 'bottom drawer'?

[Deleted User]

GreyQueen wrote: »

You can clean just about anything with washing-up liquid or basics cream cleanser (tesco's is as good as anything)....

I agree.

I buy very few products just:
- washing-up liquid
- thin bleach (for toilet and plug holes)
- washing powder for the machine
- stain remover for the machine
- and a anti-bac (for use on the kitchen worktops occasionally)

Never seen the need for anything else.

meritaten

I love 'magic sponges'! do not buy the branded one! pound shops often have them and so do Aldee. they are incredible at erasing marks on painted surfaces, will clean stainless steel and enamel, ceramic tiles, in fact they work on most hard surfaces my worktops have never looked so good! I tend to cut each sponge up into four strips - they last much longer that way. apart from that I tend to use vinegar or bleach (and the bleach is only ever used in the loo).

Anne_Marie_2

I make up my own kitchen worktop spray using citrus peel vinegar (citrus peel soaked in vinegar for 2 weeks then strained) and water, otherwise just vinegar and water and a few drops of essential oils. The cleaning spray is the same with the addition of a few drops of washing up liquid. (I would recommend Stardrops rather than washing up liquid, but can't get any here).
Microfibre cloths are a must for me, use them for most things, other than really heavy duty cleaning such as the oven and grill racks, and then use those silver scrunchy pot scourers.
I also use bicarb for some jobs that need a bit of scrubbing, citric acid (for limescale) and bleach for down the loo and sinks every so often.
Someone else has already mentioned Zoflora, great stuff in a tiny little bottle, lasts for ages, as a little goes a long way.