How to save money on household items you use every day

One of the best ways to save money at home, while doing your bit for the environment, is to rethink the products you use on a daily basis. For example, do you really need a different cleaner for every surface of the home? Probably not. Let’s take a look at handy tips for saving money on household items you use every day.

Household cleaners

Very effective advertising often keeps us trapped in the cycle of buying speciality cleaning agents for every room of the house. It’s totally unnecessary, as most of them do exactly the same thing. By all means, buy one heavy duty cleaner for tough jobs. For everything else, you can use mild dish soap and water or make your own, minus the nasty chemicals.

Buy a couple of spray bottles and add half a cup of water, a cup of baking soda and a couple of teaspoons of white vinegar. Pop some citrusy, pure essential oils in there so everything smells great, shake it up and spray away. Baking soda is an effective cleaning agent and vinegar is scientifically proven to kill bacteria.

Cleaning cloths

Imagine how many cleaning cloths and paper towels you go through in a year, especially if you have kids. They might not be expensive, but every little thing adds up, while contributing to landfill. A few old towels or T-shirts is all it takes to create a pile of washable, reusable cloths to fulfil the same purpose.

If you need to clean up something particularly messy, you can also just throw it away safe in the knowledge you’ve recycled effectively. Cut your cloth into custom-made squares, for different areas of the house.

Bathroom and beauty products

A good spring clean usually means throwing out a startling array of bathroom and beauty products, gathering dust in the dark recesses. They’re often a source of harsh chemicals too, so your skin may be better off without them. Debate rages as to whether or not natural products deliver the same results, however there’s no harm in trying them for yourself, with the hope of glowing skin, shiny hair and a healthier bank balance.

An initial investment in core, natural products is all it takes. Coconut oil offers antibacterial and nourishing properties, for cleansing, moisturising, hair conditioning and makeup removal. A seasalt and raw honey blend creates the perfect face scrub. Aloe vera soothes sunburn, skin irritations and cold sores. You’ll find a wealth of recipes online, to blend natural ingredients together for every type of product.

With a few easy changes, spring cleaning next time won’t be such a chore and you’ll have money left over to invest in yourself.