Spring Cleaning Made Easy and Budget-Friendly

Spring is officially here and with it comes the annual tradition of spring cleaning. As you clean your house, you want to make sure not to clean out your wallet in the process. Here are some tips on how you can save money this spring.

1. Natural Ingredients

Vinegar, olive oil, baking soda and vinegar can all be used to clean as they are both cheaper and environmentally friendlier than the traditional cleaning agents. For instance, while the typical solution to a clogged drain is a quick run to the store for some Drano, baking soda and boiling water can actually have the same effect. On top of being better for the environment, this solution is a lot cheaper and safer than pouring harsh chemicals down the drain.

In fact, vinegar can also be used as a replacement cleaning solution in the bathroom. Warm a cup of white vinegar in the micro-wave and then spray it on tough bathroom grime. After letting it sit for a couple of minutes, simply wash it away with the shower head.

Actually, Pinterest is a great source for cleaning tips as well. All you need to do is input key terms such as DIY cleaning and prepare to be amazed!

2. Using Old T-Shirts as Cleaning Rags

My mom used to do this all the time and she would boast proudly about how this led to her not spending money on cleaning rags. Just a word of warning: sometimes people fail to appreciate the value of old t-shirts, such as when my mom used my extremely rare Batman t-shirt to clean the floors (tears falling on keyboard as I remember this incident).

So, next time you’re about to rip a t-shirt Hulk-style, simply grab a pair of scissors and cut it up for more original-looking rags than store-bought ones.

3. Brand Name vs. No Brand

Oftentimes, the “no-name” brand cleaning products work just as well and are much cheaper than the more popular products. A comparison between the ingredient lists can be useful since the more closely the list matches between the two products, the more confident you can be that the cleaning results will be similar.

An interesting fact that I wasn’t even aware of is that the same company that makes the brand name product may in fact be making the store brand as well. If the packaging, shape and size of the store brand is the same as the leading product, than it’s most likely made by the same company.

4. Don’t Forget the Filters

This is a perfect opportunity to think long-term and with summer right around the corner you can use this time to clean your air conditioner filters to reduce your cooling costs when the warmer weather arrives. On top of extending the life of your A/C unit, it provides for a cleaner air, which for those suffering from allergies, can be a major factor to a stress-free summer.

5. Indirect Savings

Lastly, during the not-so-fun times when I was forced to clean, I would occasionally find old toys, clothes, or even cash upon venturing into the rarely visited parts of my house. The great part about finding all these things that you may have forgotten about is that they can used to replace current items or can even be sold for a profit.

Most importantly, clean as you go to save time and money later on. Share with us your tips for spring cleaning in the comments section below.

This article was researched and written by Hummad Waheed, a contributing author of promotionalcode.ca.

Image credit: Thanks to her campus for the image