Frugal Friday: Kitchen Cleaning Tips

A quick trip to the store to pick up a handful of kitchen cleaning supplies can quickly get out of hand. Between the high costs and toxic chemicals of many store-bought cleaning tools and cleaners, alternative solutions often turn out to be the smarter ones for both your home and your wallet. Here are a few ways to spend less on a clean kitchen.

1. DIY products

A simple online search for homemade cleaning products will leave you with hundreds of recipes, blog posts, tips and advice from frugal and environmentally conscious bloggers across the Internet. You’ll find inexpensive, kid-friendly alternatives for dishwashing detergents, disinfectants, general cleaners and anything else you might need to keep your kitchen looking fresh. Many of these solutions are safer for your home and easier on your budget than store-bought cleaners. Experiment with a few to find what works for you, and you may never go back to the expensive stuff.

2. Use what you have

By wisely using what you already have at home, you’ll think twice before purchasing unnecessary cleaning tools. This could be as simple as grabbing some scissors and making extra dishrags out of old towels. Or, instead of reaching for a new sponge, boiling the one you have with some baking soda, soaking it over night in white vinegar or just throwing it in the dishwasher, which will rid it of germs and help it last longer. And next time you’re peeling a lemon, don’t be so quick to throw the peels out. Putting them down your garbage disposal will freshen it up while clearing away food. These are just a few basic ways to take advantage of what you already have at home to cut down costs on extra supplies at the register.

3. Shop smart

There may be certain cleaning products that still need to be purchased from the store. Whether you need ingredients for your homemade solutions, or you’re just uncertain about the effectiveness of homemade hand soap, it’s best to go prepared. Make a list of exactly what you need and do some research on available sales and coupons before heading to the store to make your purchases. This will help you save money by avoiding impulse buys as you walk the isles full of supplies and products in search of the ones you actually need.