Do you enjoy cleaning? Most of us don’t, but unfortunately, it is a necessary evil in our lives. Here’s a better question; do you enjoy paying up to $10.00 each for cleaning supplies? I know I certainly don’t. Finding ways to save money on cleaning supplies isn’t something that most people make a priority, but if you’re trying to lower your household expenses or are trying to save money on groceries, you won’t want to overlook it. I know that my own small family can spend $100 or more each month on cleaning supplies depending on what I have to buy and replace. Since I count my cleaning supplies and household items as part of my grocery budget, I’ve had to actively seek out ways to save money on them.
Earn Free Gift Cards –
My absolute favorite way to save money on cleaning supplies actually saves me money on all of my groceries. I have a list of ways to earn free gift cards online that I use. These gift cards and sometimes cash take the place of cash out of my pocket. When I’m not spending cash out of my pocket, that is more money that I am saving. My list of 39 ways to earn free gift cards is a great place to if you’re wanting to get started yourself. Once you’re earning, you’ll see just how much they can help if you’re trying to stop living paycheck to paycheck.
Grove Collaborative –
I use a lot of natural products to clean with, but those products can get very expensive if you allow them to. Take a look at the price of natural laundry detergents and I’m certain you’ll agree. If you’re like me, you want to use those natural cleaning products, but you also want to save as much money as you can. One of the ways that I keep the costs of my natural products down is by using Grove Collaborative. When you shop at Grove Collaborative, there is no membership fee and their all-natural products are discounted over rates you will pay anywhere else. They not only offer cleaning products, but natural beauty products, natural baby and so much more. Plus! They often offer freebies to their customers which makes it even more worth it to shop at Grove Collaborative!
Order Online –
Have you ever shopped for cleaning supplies online? One of my favorite ways to save money on cleaning supplies is to do just that! Target.com, Jet.com and Walmart.com are two of my favorite places to do so. Both often have great clearance deals, they offer great sales and when you add free shipping options to the mix, you’re saving much more sometimes than if you went in store and shopped. When I shop these sites, I also make sure that I shop through Rakuten. If you’re not familiar, Rakuten is a cash back shopping site. They have a relationship with hundreds of online stores so when you shop through them, they get paid a small amount. They then turn around and pay you a portion of that cash back! I love it and I’ve earned over $2,500 with them since I’ve been a member! Plus, when you sign up for an Rakuten account, they will give you $10.00 totally free with your first qualifying purchase!
Store Deals –
Even though I shop online for my cleaning supplies a lot, in store deals will always be one of my favorite ways to save money on cleaning supplies. Be sure to watch for in store deals that pay you store currency back such as gift card deals or ECB/RR deals. You’ll also want to print cleaning product coupons that can help you save too. Finally, using a cash rebate app and signing up for an Ibotta can help drive your in store cost down even more. If you watch the sales and use every savings tool in your arsenal, you’ll quickly find ways to save money on cleaning supplies without even realizing it.
Thrive Market –
Thrive Market is another online site that deals in natural cleaning products. There is a membership fee of $59.95 per year, but you will save much more than that each year. When you first sign up for Thrive Market, you will be given a 30 day free trial before having to pay the yearly membership fee. Orders over $49.00 ship free and they offer 20% off your first order when you shop with Thrive Market. One of the reasons that I love Thrive Market so much is that when you pay your yearly membership fee, you are also sponsoring a low income family with a free membership. Deals on natural products and helping someone else at the same time makes it all worth it!
Amazon Prime Pantry –
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, there are a lot of Amazon Prime secrets you may be missing out on. Amazon Prime Pantry may be one of them. With Prime Pantry, you receive exclusive deals on everything from cleaning to groceries and more. For cleaning supplies, it can often save you hundreds each year off of prices elsewhere. When you shop, you will fill your Prime Pantry box. Each box costs just $5.99 to ship, but Amazon often offers credits on the shipping cost if you choose “no rush” shipping on another item. Once your box is full, checkout and your items are delivered right to your door. The reason that Amazon Prime Pantry is one of my favorite ways to save money on cleaning supplies is because of the Amazon digital coupons that are often offered on products. These coupons can be as low as $0.25 off or as high as $10.00 off depending on the product. When you shop Amazon Prime Pantry and you combine the coupons with the digital coupons, you can often save significantly other website or store costs.
This program is exclusively for Amazon Prime Members. If you’re not currently an Amazon Prime member, you can grab a FREE 30-Day trial to Amazon Prime so that you can test it out without having to pay first.
Amazon Subscribe & Save –
Aside from Prime Pantry, Amazon also offers the Subscribe & Save program. With this program, you set items up for auto delivery based on a delivery schedule that you provide. Savings for items included in the Subscribe & Save program start at 5% and go to 15% once you have 5 items scheduled. Amazon’s digital coupons do apply for Subscribe & Save items and there is no obligation to continue a delivery once you receive your first one. I’ve included Subscribe & Save as one of our ways to save money because you can often find really great deals on laundry detergent, dish detergent, and trash bags at the very least.
When you shop Amazon Subscribe & Save products, you’ll be able to choose between S&S and a regular price. The regular price is higher than the S&S price so be careful which one you choose.
Use Grocery Rebate Apps –
Grocery rebate apps are an amazing way to not only save money on cleaning supplies but they’re a fantastic tool to add to your ways to save money. My two favorites are Ibotta and Checkout 51. When you sign up for an Ibotta account, you will download the app to your phone. Sign up for a Checkout 51 account and you can use either your phone or your computer. For both, you will choose the rebates that you want to redeem and purchase the product(s). Once you’re home from the store, scan the barcode of each item and upload your receipt.
Another one that I like is NCP. With NCP you won’t earn rebates or anything, but you will have the chance to win Visa gift cards. When you sign up for an NCP account, they will send you a scanner if you request one. Use the scanner they send or their app to scan barcodes of the items that you purchase. For me, I figure since I am already scanning barcodes for the grocery rebate apps, I may as well do it for NCP as well. Never know, you might just win free money!
Make them yourself –
If you’re really looking for ways to save money, it doesn’t get much cheaper than making your own homemade cleaning recipes. Each one is usually made for pennies on the dollar when you compare them to what you would spend buying them at the store. Not only are homemade cleaning products cheaper to make than buy, but they’re also considerably healthier for you and your family. Even a large portion of “natural” cleaners are still filled with chemicals that aren’t good for your body or your home. When you stop buying and start making them homemade though, you know exactly what is in them.
Not only are homemade cleaners a great idea, but switching to reusable products is as well. Items such as DIY reusable dryer sheets, DIY reusable cleaning wipes, and unpaper towels saves you big each year since you’re no longer purchasing them only to toss them after one use. You may pay more for them upfront but in the long run, you will save much more than you spent.
Use Smaller Amounts –
We use so much of each product to clean our homes and in reality? We use far too much. Have you ever filled the laundry cap past the line? Have you ever tossed two dryer sheets in the dryer because you were in a hurry? Have you ever saturated the kitchen counter with all purpose cleaner? If you answered yes to any of those, you’re wasting money. When you use smaller amounts, you’re saving yourself money. Your home will be just as clean as it was when you used too much. If you find that you are having trouble using less, consider splitting your cleaners up into individual amounts. It is time consuming but will keep you from wasting your cleaning products.
Go Minimal –
If you really, truly want to save money on cleaning supplies, going minimal is the absolute best way to do so. In reality, commercial cleaners are unneeded. Aside from laundry and dishes, all you really need to clean and disinfect your home is white vinegar, baking soda, lemon essential oil and regular table salt. Lemon essential oil is disinfecting and antibacterial. It is also one of the cheapest essential oils you can purchase and it gives your home that fresh scent you’re used to. White vinegar will clean and disinfect as well as remove stains and bad odors. Baking soda makes a great scrub and when you add salt, you have a course scrubbing paste that will shine just about anything. By using just these 4 products, you can clean your entire home – top to bottom – for around $35 each month.
When you buy lemon essential oil, it doesn’t matter which brand you buy. There are no official grading systems for essential oils which means that anyone can say anything about their oils. What you are really looking for instead of fancy wording, is 100% pure essential oil. If you get an oil that is not pure, you risk adding unknown chemicals into your home. I personally prefer Plant Therapy Lemon Essential oil. They’re pure oils, they’re just as potent as the more expensive ones and they remind me of lemon cookies!