Save on cleaning supplies instantly
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There are lots of DIY soap recipes online. You can soak orange peels in vinegar for a chemical free multipurpose cleaner, homemade laundry detergents, and more. These are all great, and healthier, but if you want to still use your favorite products, but are sick of paying $7 for a small bottle… listen up. Most of them come in bulk for around the cost of 2 small bottles. So grab a spray bottle and a microfiber cloth and reuse & refill. It’s also better for the environment with less plastic waste. Here are a few I use regularly:
Let’s just dive right into it… being completely real. You may be so grossed out that you’ll never read my blog again, or you’ll relate and love me forever. BOYS PEE EVERYWHERE BY THE TOILET! If you don’t know I have 6 boys, and 5 of them are potty trained. There is always pee all over the toilet, walls, and floor surrounding the toilet. This ENZYME spray is my favorite for boys and pets! I use it multiple times a week. When we had a dog he loved to pee on our couch. We couldn’t break him of it (disclaimer- I’m not a dog trainer). This enzyme spray saved my couch!! Thus, hundreds of dollars. It’s pretty pricey for a small bottle ($20 for 32 oz or $1.60oz). But if you can buy it in bulk, you can get a gallon/128 oz for around $40-50 or $0.39 oz (I’ve gotten it as low as $30)!! Every time I’ve looked at it, it’s been on sale. But even if you’re paying top price at $50 you’ll still save about $150 on 128 ounces if you buy the gallon jug instead of a bunch of littles bottles!!! $150!! It’s insanely good!! If you have kids or pets this is a must!! The enzymes break down the organic materials (like urine, poop, vomit). I’ve used this for a couple of years now on carpet, couches, bathrooms, mattresses, and more. I can honestly tell you it works better than anything else (even baking soda, other pet carpet cleaners etc). I used this on a mattress this week that had some pee stains, and it got rid of nearly all the stains, and the smell was gone!
Stain remover: I love the Fels Naptha bars for $1.78 at Walmart. They work really well, but it does take longer, because you have to wet the bar and the clothing. You can grab a spray bottle of water and keep that handy in your laundry room if you don’t have a sink. So it’s not my go-to for stain remover. Alternatively, I use and love Spray and Wash and Shout stain removers. They both work really well! A 22 oz bottle of Shout is $7 at full price, and a 60 oz is $6.00… someone explain the logic here. Let’s break it down: 22 oz bottle is $0.32/oz, 60 oz bottle is $0.10/oz. I like having the actual Spray and Wash or Shout spray bottle because stain remover is thick. So If you can, buy the gallon size + 22 oz spray bottle kit and you’ll spend $26 (or $0.17/oz), OR get the 16oz bottle of Spray and Wash for $0.20/oz or around $3.00 for the first time. Hang onto the spray bottle, and purchase the 60 oz bottle every time you run out. You’ll get almost 3x’s the amount for less money than rebuying the smaller bottle every time you run out. You’ll save around $13.20 on 60 ounces. Side note: I also use this on carpet too and it works great.
Laminate floor cleaner: I use Bona because it works well, and evaporates quickly which is not only convenient, but better for the laminate not to have moisture on them for too long (even most water resistant laminates are just MDF). I think you’ve got the idea now, so let’s make it quick. A 32 oz bottle of Bona is around $9.00 a bottle or $0.28/oz, and a 160 oz bottle is $25.00 or $0.16/oz. That’ll save you about $20 on 160 ounces. Grab a spray bottle and fill-er up! If you’re going to buy it anyway you may as well save money and buy in bulk! I have a spin mop similar to this one. Mine is older and doesn’t steam, but I love the idea of it steaming. My mop is on it’s last leg, so I may need to order this soon!
Pink miracle multipurpose cleaner: This is my favorite stuff. It cuts through grime easily, and it smells lovely! Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find a big bulk bottle. The small bottle is the best price, unless you can get a multi-pack on sale.
Hand soap: Amazon Basics large size is $0.09/oz at full price $4.76 for 50 ounces. The smaller size comes in a 6 pack for $0.18/oz. So if you need new dispenser bottles this may be the way to go. Then refill them with the larger container. This is a savings of $4.24 on a 50 oz bottle at full price (almost 50% savings!).
This brand of toilet bowl cleaner is very popular, and a bit cheaper in a 2 pack at $0.10/oz than a single bottle at $0.13/oz… about $1.44 savings on two. I also like to make sure I have an extra on hand. so that I don’t accidentally run out.
The most purchased laundry detergent on Amazon is Tide Pods. I understand why people like them. It’s not only convenient and faster, but also using too much detergent can damage your clothing, so having pre-measured detergent can be a good thing. However, you’re going to pay a significant difference. A container of 112 pods (56-112 loads) costs $27.24 (or $0.24 $0.48 per load). If you buy the big bottle of Tide and take care to measure correctly you’ll pay closer to $0.19 per load. There is no information on what size load they’re basing those numbers off of. There are definitely cheaper brands. Arm & Hammer Plus Oxy Clean is another popular one on Amazon, and has 4.8 star reviews, but is only around $0.12 per load. So at around 128 loads the difference is: Tide Pods $30.72, Tide liquid $24.32, and Arm & Hammer is $15.36. Convenience is nice, but as you can see the price per load really adds up. It may not seem like a lot, but it really is.
Dishwasher detergent… I have the world’s worst dishwasher. It’s basically just a drying rack. You have to get everything sparkly clean before going in, so that everything comes out dirtier. I don’t know that I have a detergent preference, because none of them work with my dishwasher. With other dishwashers I’ve liked the Costco brand pods, and Cascade liquid detergent. The Finish Powerball Pods are the most popular pods on Amazon, and have 4.7 star reviews. Just like laundry detergent, the pods are more expensive. This Cascade powder is only around $0.09/ounce.
