I decided to continue my theme of saving money by looking at some DIY cleaning products I make and use. However, I also do a lot of practical cleaning things, so I had to revisit the focus of this post. I’ll discuss DIY products and add easy ways to clean the house. This post will most benefit newbie cleaners who are starting with their first places.
When I was single, I cleaned my apartment, but that apartment was small, and I was pretty organized, so cleaning was a simple process. When I bought a house, I hired a cleaning lady to do those tasks, which continued for many years after I remarried. However, I was never pleased with the cleaning ladies I used. They often did a fantastic first clean and then some OK ones. As time went on, their work became more and more cursory. It was easier to go with the flow, so neither Julie nor I did much about it.
Ten years ago, Tom did a major remodel on our second floor, which was a great excuse to cancel our cleaning service due to construction. Julie was concerned, but I said I would do the cleaning. When I restarted this process, I discovered that many of the products we bought for the cleaning lady were empty and that both of our vacuum cleaners were inoperable (one had to be thrown out). The cleaning lady never told us any of this.
I didn’t have a lot of money when I cleaned my apartment in the early days, so I used the most straightforward methods possible. However, now I could buy whatever I wanted, so I hit the hardware store’s cleaning products aisle and was astounded by the massive array of products. It was overwhelming, and I bought everything in sight. Granite cleaners, glass stove top cleaners, floor cleaners, bathroom cleaners, toilet cleaners, stainless steel cleaners, multipurpose cleaners and creams, glass cleaners, “magic” cleaners, wood cleaners, and so it went. It was crazy, confusing, and expensive.
Dedicated products do a somewhat better job, but that difference is not great. For most “cleans,” I go as simple as possible. During the last 10 years, I have also experimented with different products to find the best value. Sometimes, you don’t need the best of show; the best value product works well enough. I’ll share that info as well.
I live in the Midwest, which has moderately hard water. I also use a traditional washing machine with an agitator. The machine is not a HE (high efficiency) machine, and I can’t comment on the needs of HE washers. Follow the instructions on your HE machine. All of my recommendations are my own, and they are based on my family and house. Your needs may be different. However, you can still use these suggestions as a starting point. As always, you do you.
About soaps/detergents in general
Many brands come in multiple variations. For instance, there is Original Tide, Tide with Downey, Simple Tide, Tide Oxy, and Hygenic Tide. I usually test the most popular formulation. I’m unsure how different each formation is in a particular product line; some seem like marketing hype.
Also, my tests are based on products that I have used over the years. I have not tested every single product on the market. My results are subjective but completely honest. Please shop by unit price (price per ounce or price per wash). I often find bigger-quantity products costing more per unit than smaller quantities or the exact same product by two different vendors at drastically different prices on Amazon. Use a calculator if necessary.
The dishwasher
Only use detergent explicitly made for dishwashers (duh?). If you can find powdered dishwashing detergent in a box, it is usually the most effective and cheapest. Additionally, you can adjust the amount: a little for lightly soiled dishes and more for that spaghetti casserole.
In our house, we have found pods more convenient. I have tested many, and I saw no difference in performance between the cheapest Walmart pods and the expensive multi-colored ones from the name brands. We primarily use inexpensive Kirkland pods (Costco), which do a great job.
Dishwashing Soap
Everyone needs dishwashing soap (which is a detergent, not a soap), but what brand should you use? The good news is that they all work, but some work better than others. A lot of this has to do with the concentration of detergent in the product. You can’t judge how concentrated a product is based on its thickness. All detergents, from dish soap to shampoo, use thickeners that add to the viscosity of the liquid but don’t add to the cleaning power.
If you want the most potent dishwashing soap, go with the top-tier brand. However, I’m usually quite happy with middle-tier products. The low-tier products work, but you will need to use more of them, so they are likely not the bargain they seem on the surface.
Top Tier
Everyone says Dawn is the best, and it likely is. It is also the most expensive.
Dawn
Middle Tier
These products all work great, but they are not quite as concentrated as Dawn. I’m usually quite happy with them, and some are half the price of Dawn.
Palmolive dish soap
Kirkland (Costco brand)
Great Value (Walmart brand)
Gain dish soap
Radiance (Aldi brand)
Amazon Basics brand
Bottom Tier
These will do the job, but you will need more of the product, so what are you saving?
Ajax Dishwashing Soap
Awesome brand (Dollar Tree)
Sun Dishwashing Soap
Extra Credit brand
Both my sisters swear by this product, but it is more expensive and more limited in how you can use it. However, they say it is fantastic on grease.
Dawn Power Wash
DIY Power Wash (my sister says it is just as good)
- Use an empty Power Wash bottle.
- To 13 ounces of water, add four tablespoons of dish soap and two tablespoons of rubbing alcohol. Swirl to mix.
How do you wash dishes? We use a sponge with a bit of detergent added to it. You only need a tiny amount of dish soap for most dishes.
Easy DIY cleaning method for greasy glass stovetops
When we fry something, we often get a layer of grease on our glass stovetop. You can buy expensive cleaners for this, but we use a DIY method.
- Put a few drops of dish soap around your stovetop.
- Using a damp sponge, smear the soap around the entire stovetop. Leave it for a few minutes.
- Wipe off the soap using dry paper towels.
- Follow up that wipe with a somewhat wet sponge.
- Wipe that off with a dish towel or paper towel.
Two very simple homemade general-purpose spray cleaners
I grew up in the science age when everything had a cool product name. When I was a kid, multi-purpose spray cleaners hit the market with names like “Formula 409” and “Fantastic.” I believe those products still exist, along with “Pink” products and “Mrs. Meyers,” to name a few.
I’m constantly cleaning surfaces, and during the pandemic, cleaning supplies were in short supply, so I made some of my own. However, I simplified those complicated products (that were anti-microbial) to be super easy to make—both of these work. Be conservative on how much detergent is added. If you add too much, you will leave streaks and residue that will attract dirt.
You can use an empty spray bottle from a used-up product, but I like using a 32-ounce “professional” spray bottle. Product bottles often break after a few refills, but my pro bottle has lasted me three years. It was worth a few dollars. These formulas are based on 32 ounces; if you are using a smaller bottle, cut back a bit on the soap portion.
I use these for all surfaces: countertops, wood cabinets, the inside and outside of appliances (including the microwave and fridge), the kitchen table, and much more.
If things are grimy, spray on and let it sit for a couple of minutes, or use a nylon scraper to dislodge the gunk.
DIY Formula 1
Fill a 32-ounce spray bottle with warm water, leaving roughly 1 inch from the top. Add about 1 inch (or less) of an all-purpose cleaner. Add a few drops of dish soap if you need additional cleaning power. Screw on the top and gently swirl to mix.
Here are some all-purpose cleaners that I have tested and used for my DIY spray cleaner.
Top Tier
Mr. Cean
Spic and Span
Pine-Sol
Middle Tier
Fabuloso
Lysol All Purpose Cleaner
Bottom Tier
Mrs. Meyers All Purpose cleaner (smells great, but a meh cleaner)
Awesome Multi Cleaner (Dollar Tree)
DIY Formula 2
Fill a 32-ounce spray bottle with warm water, leaving some room at the top. Add ½ to a scant teaspoon of dish soap, replace the top, and swirl to mix.
Sink cleaning hack
There are many products to clean sinks, from Scrubbing Bubbles foam to spray-on liquids. They work but are expensive and quickly run out when cleaning multiple sinks. I use old-fashioned powdered cleaners. An enormous amount can cost around a dollar and last a long time, and it can be found in just about every store. The two brands that I use are Comet and Ajax. Both are equally good. Ed note: Both can be found at Dollar Stores for about $1.25, but my local mid-level grocery store has Comet for almost $3 and Ajax for around $2. Advice: shop around.
As a student, I worked summers as a janitor for CPS. An experienced janitor taught me the proper way to use powdered cleansers.
Wet down a sink. Sprinkle some powdered cleanser on a damp towel or sponge (don’t add the cleanser to the sink). Commence to scrubbing. If the sink is filthy, do an initial light scrub and let the powder sit on the sink for a minute. Re-dampen the cloth or sponge and scrub a little harder. Your results will look better than those of using a spray or aerosol cleaner. This works both on porcelain and stainless steel sinks.
Option two: I did this by accident. Use a small amount of dish soap on a wet sink and scrub with a damp sponge or rag. I just did this on a bathroom sink, and the results were fantastic. I may switch to this method because I can use fewer cleaning products. Less products = less clutter!
Bathtub Cleaning Hack
I have used powdered cleaners on our fiberglass tub but have read mixed cautions about doing this, as it is possible that these cleaners could scratch the tub.
Here is an alternate DIY formula.
DIY Tub cleaner
Mix 1-2 tablespoons of baking soda with equal amounts of dish detergent.
Apply to a wet sponge and smear on the tub. Let it sit for up to 30 minutes. Re-wet the sponge and scrub. Rinse with fresh water.
Shower Liner Cleaning Hack
After a while, shower liners get a bit gross and often show signs of “red mold,” which is, in reality, a bacterial film. Many folks throw out the old liner and buy a new one. However, returning the old liner to its former glory is easy. Toss the old liner in the washing machine (by itself) with detergent and bleach (I’m guessing I use ½ to 1 cup). Run a cycle, and your liner will look new. This works with plastic and white cloth liners.
Pot Cleaning Hacks
You need to know what material the pot coating is made from. Enamel and non-stick pots should never be exposed to abrasives. Stainless steel and aluminum pots can take a beating without signs of wear, and soap is best avoided when washing cast iron (although it can be used in certain situations).
The easiest method is the soak method.
Scrape off big chunks of burnt food with a nylon scraper; add hot water and dish soap, and let the pot sit during dinner. Then, wash using a non-scratching scrubby-type sponge or dish rag.
Other options
-You can also boil the above solution on the stove for more cleaning action. Bring soap and water in the pot to a boil, cover and turn off the heat, and let it sit for 30 minutes or more. Then clean it as above.
Cheap steel wool from the Dollar Store is excellent for stainless steel and aluminum pots (never use on enamel or non-stick).
Bar Keeper’s Friend works fantastically on stainless steel and aluminum pots with impossible-to-remove crud. I used this powder to rescue pots I thought I would have to throw out.
Toilet Cleaning Hack
I will use any detergent to clean the toilet; they all work great. This can be shampoo or shower gel that you don’t like or dish detergent. I use dish detergent that is sub-par for washing dishes. Just squirt some in and brush away. This hack works as good the dedicated staff.
Unclog your sink without chemicals.
Three of us have long hair, and my son goes back and forth between long and shorter hair. Our drains often run slow, which is always due to hair in the drain. I have tried all sorts of chemical drain cleaners, which work but are a pain to use. Several years ago, I came upon a drain snake that is simple to use, chemical-free, and works better than chemical drain cleaners. It’s cheap and can be used over and over again.
Window Washing Hacks
Hack 1
When newspapers were voluminous, we would use them as paper towels when washing windows. Newspaper (not with colors) gives a streak- and lint-free performance.
Hack 2
This is the one that I constantly use. I buy concentrated window washing solutions from the hardware store. Professional window washers use these; some get diluted 100 to one. I then dilute them per instruction and have my personal “Windex” at a fraction of the cost of the regular stuff.
Hack 3
There are many DIY window washing formulas. Here is one of them.
DIY Window Washing Solution
Mix 2 cups water with 1/2 cup white vinegar and a few drops of dishwashing soap. Add to a spay bottle and use accordingly.
Paper Towel Hack
If you want to use fewer paper towels, you can use microfiber clothes specifically made for glass cleaning that are lint-free. However, FYI, these clothes may release microplastics.
Laundry Hacks
My wife does the laundry the majority of the time, so some of these are her hacks.
What type of detergent to use?
I switched to liquid laundry detergent when I was in college, as the powders of the day didn’t dissolve in cold water. Liquid detergent has many advantages over other forms, but its big drawback is that it comes in a giant plastic jug.
Pods are easy to use but expensive and inflexible.
Sheets can seem eco-friendly, but dissolvable plastics bind those sheets together. They often don’t clean as well.
Powders dissolve better today than when I was in college, but they are not as flexible as liquid detergent, which can also be used as a spot stain remover.
What is laundry detergent?
Laundry detergent is a complex mix of detergent, water softeners, optical brighteners, color-safe bleach, whiteners, pH adjusters, fragrances, stabilizers, preservatives, and enzymes. The more expensive detergents have more expensive ingredients, like additional enzymes, making them better cleaners but also more costly.
Top Tier Liquids
Tide
Persil
Middle Tier
All (We often use this brand in the fragrance-free version)
Kirkland (Costco brand)
Gain
Bottom Tier
Era
Arm and Hammer
Should you make your laundry detergent?
When my kids were young, one of our science fair experiments was determining what laundry detergent worked best (the best was Tide, and the worst was a forgotten Dollar Store brand). We stained white tee shirts with all sorts of stuff and then washed them with various soaps. We did one wash without soap as our control. We discovered that at least 50% of the cleaning action of doing laundry is done by water and agitation alone!
Making your own DIY laundry soap sounds so easy. A bar of soap, some borax, some washing powder, and a little this and that, and you have made laundry soap for pennies a wash. I have been tempted, but I have extensively researched the topic. The bottom line is that these homemade soaps don’t do a good job in cold water and leave a residue, making your clothes dingy and a dirt magnet over time. I wish that were not the case, but it is. Don’t forget that just washing your clothes in water alone gives you about 50% of the cleaning action, so it is easy to think that your DIY laundry soap is doing the job when it isn’t.
The difference between different laundry detergents and soap.
In the “old days,” people used soap and hot water to wash clothes. In fact, my grandmother boiled her wash. Hot water adds to soap’s cleaning power. Soap leaves soap scum, which requires careful rinsing in hot water.
However, people now wash in cold water, and detergents work much better in that situation. Many other agents are also added to laundry detergent to obtain good results. These include ingredients to make the detergents work better and agents to make whites whiter and colors pop. Enzymes are also added for stain removal, with different enzymes being good for one type of stain and others suitable for others.
The top-tier detergents often have the most enzymes, so they are great at removing all sorts of stains. They are fantastic if you have messy kids, kids in sports, or adults with dirty jobs. However, many of us don’t fall into those categories, so we can save money using a middle-tier product and still get excellent results.
Laundry Hack 1
My wife and kids just shook their heads when I told them about this hack. Why? Because they knew it long before I did. Oh well, I was late to the party. You need only a tiny amount of detergent to wash your clothes. Never fill the cap to the top with detergent. Your clothes will attract dirt and look dingier if you use too much detergent. The cap will list with a line or a number the amount of detergent to use for various situations. However, these markers are usually very faint and not obvious, so read the instructions on the bottle and find those lines. Most manufacturers are specific, so don’t use less detergent than recommended for optimal results.
Laundry Hack 2
You don’t need a ton of different additions to your laundry routine. You can just rub some of the liquid detergent into a stain for removal. Let it sit for a bit, and then wash. I use a tiny bit of dish soap on a greasy stain, which works well. My wife will sometimes spray a stain with diluted Simple Green. Lastly, don’t forget the power of the “soak.” Dissolve some powdered Oxy Clean in a bucket of water (or just use some laundry detergent). Add your garment and let it soak overnight; then, wash it as usual. Oxy Clean powder is a simple compound of washing powder, a little detergent, and a chemical that turns into hydrogen peroxide when dissolved in water. It is likely that the liquid Oxy product is different, so I would go with the powder. There are many generic “Oxy Clean” powders out there. If the chemicals are the same, they are the same, so you can save some money by using them.
Laundry Hack 3
Use dryer balls instead of liquid fabric softeners or sheets. Several appliance repair people have told me fabric softeners can damage your washer and dryer.
Floor Cleaning Hacks
We have many hard surfaces in our house that need to be cleaned. The most important thing to do is to use a neutral-pH cleaner. Specific floor cleaners and all-purpose cleaners will list if they have a neutral pH. Fabuloso and Mr. Clean are neutral pH. Using another type of product will leave a residue that needs to be rinsed off, adding an extra step.
I find products, like a Swifter, more labor intensive, less effective, and more expensive. I go with a bucket and a traditional string mop. If you know how to use a string mop, your job will be quick (I learned how as a janitor). When it comes to a bucket, I use one with a wringer, like you would see being used in a hospital or office building. They come in smaller sizes for home use.
Two of my kids love the O-Cedar Spin Mop system for their apartments. The O-Cedar system is easier to move around but less effective than a full-sized string mop. However, it is a good alternative if you have strength issues.
Don’t use too much multi-use detergent; too much will leave a residue and make your floor dirtier in the long run. Always wring out your mop and place it so the mop head can air dry thoroughly to avoid that moldy smell. You can wash string mop heads in the washer if needed.
There you have it, a bunch of hacks that will save you money and simplify your life.
Peace
Mike