A lot of what is happening in the world right now comes with inevitable economic impacts. From the rising prices of fuel, food, and other household necessities, most people are shifting their focus to finding ways to save money wherever possible. This blog shares some frugal but realistic strategies and money-saving tips to cut home cleaning costs without compromising your family’s comfort.
1. Don’t Buy More Than You Need
Keeping your cleaning cabinet fully stocked always brings you a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. But remember, everything you buy, including household cleaners, has its best-before date. And unfortunately, most of this stuff just gets discarded when this happens. Instead of hoarding, have a realistic purchasing plan by assessing how much of each cleaning solution you typically consume for a week or a month. It’s okay to have one or two bottles for backup, but think twice before buying in bulk, especially if it’s not on sale and has a limited shelf life.
2. Don’t Throw Expired Cleaning Products
On that note, if you are guilty of hoarding cleaning products that have never seen the light of day until their expiration date, don’t fret. It’s not yet game over. According to our home cleaning experts, it’s practically safe to use surface cleaners like dishwashing liquids, cleaning sprays, and dishwasher pods after their best-before date. However, here’s the catch: while they’re totally safe to use, there’s a chance they’re now less effective, so you may have to use more cleaning products to cover a surface. But hey, still way better than ending up in the bin and being a complete waste of money, right?
3. Simplify and Stop Buying So Much Cleaning Stuff
Before swiping your card on Target or Amazon, ask yourself, do you really need multiple tools or expensive stuff to clean your floor? More often than not (if you’re being honest with yourself), the answer is not really. Also, if you’re a busy working professional who doesn’t have time to clean that often, you’ll likely use that new cleaning gadget a couple of times or more, and then it’ll gather dust in storage.
Hence, keep it simple and stick to reliable and tried and tested home cleaning essentials, like a damp microfiber cloth or rag, which can definitely do the trick whether you need to clean tables, wipe countertops, or mop your tiled or hardwood floors.
4. Don’t Use Too Much Cleaning Product
Most cleaning products, like bleach or multipurpose home cleaners, formulated with powerful ingredients, making them incredibly effective at doing their jobs. That means there’s no need to use more than what’s recommended on their labels. For example, if it only says one cup of detergent per load of laundry, don’t put two because that won’t make your clothes any cleaner and will probably only end up as disgusting soap scum clinging to different parts of your washer. The same is true for dishwashing pods. Use too much, and your dishes will end up slimy that you’ll have to run another cycle just to get that off.
5. Rethink Using Fabric Conditioners
There are two contrasting beliefs about whether fabric conditioners are helpful or just an added expense exposing you and your family to more toxic chemicals. They’re said to be great for fabrics, keeping them more vibrant and sturdy as they go through constant wash and wear. They can also make clothes smell good because they come in different scents.
However, environmentalist groups, including EWG and Healthy Child Healthy World, strongly recommend skipping fabric conditioners entirely because they contain some of the worst chemical ingredients you can imagine, such as:
- Quaternary ammonium compounds, or quats, are known to trigger asthma and have dire side effects on reproductive health.
- Phthalates are suspected carcinogens and endocrine disruptors linked to breast cancer, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, neurodevelopmental issues, behavioral issues, and autism spectrum disorders in children.
- Fragrance mixes can result in skin allergies, dermatitis, and difficulty breathing.
- Artificial colors and preservatives, like D&C violet 2, which has been linked to cancer and other detrimental health effects.
Fortunately, there are many money-saving tips and eco-friendly alternatives that you can use. Instead of compromising your and your loved ones’ health, ditch fabric conditioners and do these:
- Add ½ cup distilled white vinegar to make white clothes whiter.
- Add ½ cup baking soda for fresher-smelling laundry.
- Try 100% wool dryer balls to soften fabrics naturally, reduce static, and reduce drying time.
6. Book Regular Home Cleaning Service for Bigger Savings
If you’re a FreshSpace Cleaning customer, one of the best ways to save money while getting more premium cleaning is to book our regular cleaning services. Enjoy up to 15%, 20%, and 25% discounts for weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly home cleaning, respectively.
Instead of stocking up on cleaning products, buying expensive cleaning gadgets, and then doing all the hard work when you should be resting or doing the things you love with the people you love, saving time, money, and energy—book a clean and leave everything to us.
Follow FreshSpace Cleaning for more frugal home cleaning tips, too!
