I used to love going to Walmart and buying all of the latest and greatest cleaning products that came out. The Swiffer, the Swiffer Wet Jet, the Scrubbing Bubbles Shower Cleaner that sprays down your shower every time you get out with the simple push of a button.... you name it, I've had them all. I've probably tried every brand of cleaning product over the years, I've even tried certain cleaning products simply because I liked their smell! I have literally bought it all over the years.... and spent a pretty penny doing so.
As I've gotten older and (hopefully) a little wiser, I've learned something to be true..... the simpler, the better. It seems funny to me that the way my grandmother and great-grandmother probably cleaned their homes is now "in Vogue" at the moment. Its now trendy to have a clothesline and hang your sheets out to dry in the sun. It seems that more and more people are going back to the old school ways of doing things, for a variety of reasons. For me, I have slowly been moving away from a lot of commercial cleaning products to simply making my own. I do this for 4 main reasons:
1. Less chemicals and less packaging = better for the environment
2. Less chemicals in the home is safer for my little bean (kids seem to lick random things!)
3. The less money I give big companies like Proctor and Gamble who I know utilize animal testing, the happier I am (its the tree-hugging hippie in me)
4. ITS WAAAAYYYYY CHEAPER!
For real, its crazy how much money you can waste on cleaning products. I know I should be more about saving the environment and all but really, the big draw for me was saving money. However, one of the first things I should mention, one that was difficult for me, was the scent issue. I think we have been programmed over the years to believe that clean should have a smell, like pine or orange..... In reality, clean really shouldn't have a smell, it should just be clean. Once I weaned myself off the highly scented products, it made life a lot easier. Sure when I use vinegar to clean my floors there might be a faint vinegar smell, but it goes away after about 10 mins and I am left with just nice clean floors that are not toxic to my kids, fur and flesh alike. I've also heard that adding essential oils to cleaning mixtures negates the scent issue, and also adds some cleaning benefits! Something that I will be trying in the future. Doesn't mean that I don't still buy the odd commercial cleaning product, but the more time goes on the more I find myself asking "couldn't I just make my own?"
When you decide to start making your own cleaners, vinegar becomes your new best friend, same with Pinterest. *Disclaimer: if you don't know what Pinterest is.... just leave it that way... seriously... just don't even go there...unless you don't mind losing your soul for a little while.... The two main money savers that I make myself are:
1. Tub and Shower Cleaner - 1 cup of vinegar microwaved for one minute combined with 1 cup of blue dawn in a spray bottle. Shake, spray on and let sit for at least 10 minutes, then wipe with a damp sponge and watch the soap scum melt away! I would love to take credit for this but it was definitely a Pinterest find!
2. Floor Cleaner - My own recipe: about a cup of vinegar mixed with about a half tablespoon of dish soap, combined with warm water (to fill your container of choice). For me the Rubbermaid Reveal mop has been a godsend. You can fill it up with whatever you want, then just peel the mat off the Velcro on the bottom and toss it in the washer when you're done. So, so much cheaper than the Swiffer Wet Jet, and so much less waste created. I got mine at Walmart.
The vinegar is super cheap when bought in bulk at Costco. Two huge jugs that will last you forever. The Dawn dish soap can also be bought super cheap at the dollar store... for literally a dollar.
I am still experimenting with a good all purpose cleaner that I like (one that can do kitchen counters, high chairs, bathroom counters, etc...) and a good glass cleaner. When I have perfected those recipes I will update. A few more that I am going to try in the future are homemade laundry detergent and homemade dishwasher detergent. I have a stockpile of laundry soap and dishwasher tabs to use up first, so those last two will be a little while yet.
Other than that my biggest tip is to invest in some microfiber cleaning cloths and some sponges, which can be bought for super cheap at the Dollar Store. I recommend using microfiber cloths on your swiffer instead of buying swiffer cloths, again, sooooo much cheaper and better for the environment. Also, if you take the two middle parts out of your swiffer, your toddler can help you clean! (again... can't take credit for this idea... saw it on Pinterest!)
Microfiber cloths help you limit your use of paper towels as well, as you can waste a lot of $ every month if all of your cleaning is done with paper towels. My exception is cleaning the toilet. I have to be able to clean it and then throw that sh%& away (literally!). I just can't wrap my head around cleaning the toilet with anything that I can't throw away after... there just isn't enough bleach in the world...
Since this post is already hella long I will be back in a few days with another to tell you the commercial products that I think are worth the money and how I save on those. Happy Cleaning!
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