My frugal tip for this week is regarding household cleaners.Just walk down the cleaner aisle at the grocery store or at Wal-Mart, and you will notice how many different cleaners there are to choose from. One thing that I have done to save money in this department is to buy the good 'ol fashioned brands that have been around as long, or longer, than I have. I don't typically try out new brands. Out of Comet? I buy more Comet. Out of Windex? More Windex. There's always going to be a new, improved, better-than-ever product out there tempting me to try it out and see if it really does work better. Many of those new products have such harsh chemicals in them. A little elbow grease on my part is worth saving my lungs from the fumes of those expensive cleaners in the fancy bottles!
In my cleaning cupboard I have my Comet, Windex, Pine-sol, Murphy's Oil Soap, and Simple Green. I do have a few other cleaners lurking in there, but those are the cleaners that I use on a regular basis.
Certain circumstances do require different cleaners though. When we lived out in the country, our water would leave rust marks in the bathroom. Comet didn't cut it then. When we lived in California, we had super-hard water (I would get hard water deposits on my fingernails--just from washing dishes!) so cleaners that cut the hard water were in order.
You'll notice that I do buy name brand products. I have tried the cheaper generic products, and haven't been happy with them. In the long run, I believe I'm saving money, because I have a good product to clean with. Cheap cleaners require more to be used, and they don't do the job as effectively.
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5 comments:
I use the same products, Tammy, and you're right. The cheaper ones just don't do as well.
I did,however, find a pine cleaner product that works really well and the smell lingers for days. I don't know if you have an Aldi's near you. You can look it up at http://aldi.us/ but if you do have one, give it a try. It's only 99cents and I love it!
~Kristi
I am a total devote to Linda Cobb the Queen of Clean. She uses natural cleaning products such as: Vinegar, Baking Soda, Salt, Borax, Lemon Juice. This is what I use for cleaning my kitchen and bathrooms
I agree - keep it simple! I usually get cleaning products with coupons for around $0.50 per bottle/carton and stick to one disinfectant, one toilet cleaner, and one heavy-duty cleaner. They have cleaners for everything, but I can clean my whole house with these three cleaners.
I'm hoping to eventually go to homemade cleaners but I've not gotten that adventuresome. I'd love to hear any tips from you, Sandi.
I am a comet, windex and murphey's kinda girl too. They get the job done!
Kelli
I like to use my local grocery store brand. The work very well. I also use borax on the bathroom floor. It's great for cleaning as well as getting rid of urine smells.
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