Cleaning your house doesn't have to clean out your wallet

Household cleaners are becoming more specialized with each passing year, it seems. Do we really need a cleaner for every different type of surface in our home? There's granite, laminate, wood, glass, stainless and the list goes on. I'd like to argue that we don't need different cleaners for everything. At least, I'm too cheap to buy cleaners for everything. Use these tips to cut down on your cleaning expenses.

Vinegar: It cleans almost everything.

I use a combination of white distilled vinegar and water to clean almost everything in our house. I didn't always do this; I started using vinegar when I was trying to find safer alternatives to use around our son (an infant at the time). Nearly everything that I looked at in my online search (and even in reading some old books on household cleaning) pointed to white vinegar. It works wonders! I keep two spray bottles, one with pure vinegar and the other with a half vinegar, half water solution. It cleans stainless surfaces, countertops, high chairs, refrigerator interiors, microwaves and almost anything else you can think of. Vinegar and water works wonders on windows.

Use multi-purpose products.

If you don't like using vinegar or if you just prefer to use commercially based cleaners, choose options that serve more than one purpose. Try a multi-purpose cleaner, like one for glass and countertops. Be careful with certain surfaces like wood floors and countertops, though. Those may truly require their own cleaners to avoid ruining them.

Make your own cleaners.

There are many 'recipes' online for making your own cleaners. I've tried several of these, my absolute favorite being a shower cleaner made from Dawn dish detergent and vinegar. That's it. It got our 45-year-old tub and shower cleaner than any commercial shower cleaner I've tried. Most homemade cleaners involve basic products like vinegar, castile soap, baking soda, borax, washing soda, rubbing alcohol and similar ingredients. These are often much safer (and more effective) than their commercially based counterparts. It may seem expensive at first if these are not items you typically keep at home, but once they're purchased, you can make several batches of cleaners. They usually cost much less than commercial cleaners.

Do you make any of your own cleaners? What's your favorite multipurpose commercial product? I'd love to hear your suggestions.

Photo courtesy of Hey Paul Studios via Flickr.