Budget cleaning products

[DuarPorte]

We have recently been prioritising overpaying the mortgage for various specific reasons and successfully frugalised groceries BUT it appears we are slightly clueless about cleaning and cleaning products.

basically we wish to move to a system where piles of spray bottles and bottles of specific this product or that don’t accumulate or need constant topping up -

Are there a couple of super basic components that could be bulk bought and then diluted/decanted throughout it the months? A real trimming down of products that helps the budget?

Like - buy white vinegar, zoflora and bleach and that’s it for a few months or similar - that will do kitchen, bathrooms, surfaces?

would v much appreciate tips :)

I use washing up liquid for most things, a squirt of W/L in a bowl or a bucket or a sink with hot water. Elbow Grease has a degreaser in it like washing up liquid has but in a more concentrated. Anything really greasy gets soaked in Elbow Grease. I wash worktops down then wipe over with disinfectant.
Hard floors get mopped with washing up liquid and hot water. In use a Vileda spinny mop, game changer, much better than steam mops.

I agree with others it's the cloth that's more important than the chemical. Microfibre clothes are ace! I also like the super absorbent sphonge cloths they do everything and leave the surface dry. I also love the scrub daddy sponges.

Meanwhile the old fashioned scouring pads with pink god knows what in them are amazing for minging oven doors and pans and they are v cheap.

I do agree it’s possible to strip back cleaning products (eg vinegar for glass, washing up liquid for lots of things etc) BUT be aware that washing up liquid has degreaser so can be harsh over time on some surfaces (eg painted walls)

Diluting your own products makes loads of sense & I like ALDI/Lidl knock offs of Flash (for floors, or neat for really tough food spots etc)

Using good cloths & cleaning enough for dirt not to really settle in is probably key …

One product I think I really do need is limescale remover for taps/shower screen (London hard water 😭) but using a squeegee/drying the taps helps a lot too

Only thing I buy is bleach and washing up liquid, and only in bulk from Lidl, Aldi or other discount retailers.

Most things are just some combo of surfactants. If I need abrasion I use a reusable scourer pad, bit of washing up liquid and elbow grease.

If I run out of fairy I've been known to use whatever is in the bathroom instead, shampoo, shower gel etc.

If I run out of dishwasher tabs I just run the dishwasher without. Things generally come out clean and I'm guessing there is only a very marginal antibacterial benefit to adding detergent.

I clean with fairly liquid and water mixed in a spray bottle.

Works well on most things. Bleach down the loo. I think cleaning products are mostly a rip off

Where are you buying Stardrops? I've not seen it anywhere for a few years now.

Washing up liquid in hot water with a microfiber is the main tool in your box. If something really won't shift, dilute some laundry detergent in a little water and use that. It's potent.

Maybe I’m takin it to the next level but I’ve started getting Asda smart price toilet gel (30p and brill) and smart price pine disinfectant (massive bottle 33p) dilute a bit in a spray bottle and that’s your multi surface for a month atleast! I use it on my floors aswell diluted with hot water. Used to be obsessed with cleaning products and had every scent of zoflora etc , cba anymore and there’s really no need!

I’m lucky in that I live in a soft water area so limescale isn’t really much of a problem here. It does build up a little on the shower screen over time if it isn’t kept on top of but a microfibre cloth and Kilrock limescale spray sorts it out.
I bought a bottle of Aldis version of Flash last week and am really impressed with it. It cleaned my stainless steel hob up really well, made short work of cleaning the kitchen floor. I use half the amount it says on the bottle as I think too much leaves a soap residue that attracts dirt.
I’ve also diluted some with water in a spray bottle as another poster suggested to use as a general cleanser.

Try local hardware shops for Stardrops.
Or those little local shops that seem to sell everything from matches to baking tins and everything in between.

Home Bargains for Stardrops.

Zoflora is so popular on mymsnet

goodness knows why.

it’s the smell of council flats in the 80s!

Viakel is unbeatable for limescale

If you are in a hard water area then bleach is simply bleaching the line scale. You need to ensure the limescale is removed. Black harpic v good for this.

Agreed

Yes!!!

We use

flash all purpose - dilute in a spray bottle for wiping skean surfaces, or on floors etc.
Bleach
Washing up liquid and hot water
Microfibre cloths
Occasionally mould spray for the shower grout
Wire wool soap pads for the oven

We dont live in a hard water area so dont have the problems associated with that

I have bleach for the loo
washing up liquid for the kitchen surfaces
laundry powder for the stainless sink
pink stuff for bathroom
Spray window cleaner for mirrors & windows
pink stuff also works as stain remover for laundry & carpets