How many of us factor in cleaning products when we do our budgeting? While they may not be the most expensive buys, those cleaning tools, supplies, cleaners and more could add up and may affect your financial planning.
If you are on a tight budget but want your house to stay tidy, clean, and fresh, here are effective and budget-friendly tips to staying spick and span according to Apartment Therapy:
Plan your supplies runs
Avoid the habit of just grabbing cleaning supplies at whatever store you're at when you remember - chances are you will be paying more than you have to. Just like finding the best places to get good deals with your groceries, do the same with your cleaning supplies.
Buy quality tools
Avoid having to replace cheap tools again and again and save money in the long run by going for mid-range or higher-end cleaning tools that won't snap and poop you out in the middle of a cleaning session.
Learn how to do some repairs and cleaning of tools
Broken vacuum? Maybe it just needs a little tapping or shaking - point is, learn to do simple repairs on your cleaning equipment so you avoid giving up on perfectly good tools. By keeping them in tip-top-shape, you can make use of them for longer so you don't need to spend on buying a new one more often.
Don't use as much product
Do you spray a ton of cleaner on a surface only to wipe it all off immediately? You might end up cleaning your cleaning cloth instead of the problem area. Let things soak for a while before wiping and instead of spraying directly to the area, why not spray on the cleaning rug to use lesser amount of product.
Recycle old clothes into rags
While Goodwill is a good way to downsize your number of clothes, check for pieces with textually appropriate fabrics that you can use for cleaning. You can cut the piece of clothing into squares and cut down on your need to spend on paper towels.
Make your own cleaners
Time for some DIY to save some green! Instead of paying for branded or generic cleaners, why not make your own out of what you probably already have at home? Not only will you help your budget, you are also doing your health good by keeping away from chemical-laden commercial cleaners.
Don't let it get very dirty in the first place
By keeping the mess and dirt to a minimum, you also lessen the amount of products (and cleaning effort and energy) you use.
