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Saving on cleaning

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  • Spendless
    Spendless Posts: 24,644 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    We use washing up liquid rubbed into stains on clothes before putting in WM.
  • jackyann
    jackyann Posts: 3,433 Forumite
    I second:
    Stardrops as a good all-round detergent / disinfectant back up
    Keep a rag bag - old T shirts, tea towels and sheets especially useful
    I do mostly buy BioD / Ecover cleaning products as they are less harmful to the environment - but the best thing to do is only use very small amounts
    Look out for wholefood or "green" type shops that sell soda bic in large quantities
    The only really expensive thing I buy is those "eco" cloths - I really do find that they work. I use them as suggested, with no products, just water, to clean my windows and kitchen surfaces. I keep white vinegar by me for the odd occasion when, say a window is very dirty, but rarely use it.
    As for kitchen & bathroom surfaces - I use the eco-cloth daily an anti-bac once a week or so.

    You will find that the hardness of the water is a big factor - if you are lucky enough to live in a soft water area, you will find quick wipe downs easy. In a middling area, diluted white vinegar will work, especially if you keep a spray handy and use it frequently to prevent scale build up. But when I lived in a very hard water area, I had to use the vinegar daily and then sometimes resorted to branded anti-scale.

    Diluted bleach works well as a loo cleaner - but beware of splashes. I buy toilet cleaner, then refill the bottles with dilute bleach to minimise the problem (and don't do the refill wearing good clothes!)
  • Thanks everyone for the responses :) especially the newspaper and windows one! I hadn't heard of that and streaky windows are such a nightmare.
    I will definitely take all of these into account.
  • melanzana
    melanzana Posts: 3,953 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker I've been Money Tipped!
    Brillo pads or equivalent are MAGIC for getting scum off glass shower doors. Forget about anti mould this and that. It works! Try it.

    And they are also great for for cleaning ceramic hobs. Cut them into four. They last for ages.

    Like the poster Spider in the Bath above, I only have a few items for cleaning....

    Washing up liquid - Aldi magnum green. Best ever
    Bleach
    Brillo pads (or equivalent)
    Dishwasher tabs
    Washing machine tabs
    A box of napisan to wash whites. Well if it makes nappies white.....
    A bottle of window cleaner with vinegar.

    Then (re the windows) when halfway out I just replace with vinegar. So I only buy it a couple of times a year. I echo the newspaper trick on the windows. Or paper towels, whatever is within reach. Brilliant. But don't EVER clean windows on a sunny day or you will want to do something else pronto!

    I must be the worst cleaner in the world but those items do most things for me.
  • dragonette
    dragonette Posts: 879 Forumite
    for dishwashing, you can get silver plastic sponge scrubbers - so so much easier than using a sponge or brush and safe for non-stick too
    :AStarting again on my own this time!! - Defective flylady! :A
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