1. Make Your Own Cleaning Products

How much money do you spend in a month on laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent, fabric softener, all purpose cleaner, sponges, paper towels, etc?

If you don't know, it might be good to figure out.

When I thought I was at my most frugal, I was spending $10 every 4-6 months for laundry detergent. I thought this was pretty good until I realized I could get a year's worth of detergent for the same amount just by making it myself.

Likewise for my other cleaners. I wasn't buying them all that often, so I thought the expense was fairly low, but when I was looking for more ways to squeeze a little more out of my budget, these tips helped.

Here was my cost breakdown:

• 3 pack of sponges [lasts 3 months]: $3.79
• 210 oz. Laundry detergent (140 loads) [lasts 6 months ]: $9.99
• 42 oz. Seventh Generation dishwashing detergent (about 20 loads) [lasts 1 month]: $4.50
• 103 oz. Liquid fabric softener [lasts 4 months]: $5.49
• 32 oz. All purpose cleaner [lasts 4 months]: $2.99
• 23 oz. Window cleaner [lasts 4 months]: $3.14
• Toilet bowl cleaner [lasts 1 month]: $3.84
• 12 Rolls of Paper towels [lasts 3 months]: $16.00

Per year:

• Sponges: $15.16
• Laundry detergent: $19.98
• Dishwashing detergent: $54.00
• Fabric softener: $16.47
• All purpose cleaner: $8.97
• Window cleaner: $12.48
• Toilet bowl cleaner: $46.08
• Paper towels: $64.00

Total Spent: $237.14

What if, instead, you were to make your own cleaners?

DIY laundry detergent

Ingredients:

• 1 55 oz. box Washing Soda
• 1 76 oz. box Borax
• 1 bar natural soap, grated (Fels Naptha, Dr. Bronners, Kirk's Castile, Ivory, or ZOTE)

Directions:

1. Grate soap.
2. In a large bowl, mix ingredients together.
3. If you'd like the detergent to dissolve more quickly, place mixture (in batches) in a blender or food processor and pulse until it's a fine powder. Allow the dust to settle before removing the lid. Wash your food processor thoroughly before using with food.
4. Store in an air tight container.

Yields 136 dry ounces. (1 dry ounce = 2 tablespoons.)

158 loads [lasts 8 months]

To Use:

• For small loads: use 1 tablespoon per load
• For medium to large loads: use 2-3 tablespoons per load

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 DIY dishwashing detergent

Ingredients:

• 1 cup borax
• 1 cup washing soda
• 1/2 cup citric acid
• 1/2 cup kosher salt

Directions:

1. Mix ingredients together
2. Store in an air tight container (one that you're not going to use for anything else).

Yields 24 dry ounces

48 loads [lasts about 2 months]

To use:

• Use 1 tablespoon per load
• Hint: if you need a rinse aid, use white vinegar.

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DIY all purpose cleaner

Ingredients:

• Water
• Vinegar ($2.99 / 168 oz.)
• Tea Tree Oil ($4.49 / 15 ml)
• Spray bottle (re-use old spray bottle or buy a new one for $1)

Directions:

1. Fill spray bottle with 2 parts water to 1 part vinegar
2. Add 20 drops (1 ml) of Tea Tree Oil
3. Shake well before each use

Other base cleaning ingredients:

• Baking Soda: cleans and deodorizes
• Soap
• Lemon: kills bacteria
• Borax: cleans, deodorizes, disinfects
• Washing soda: cuts grease

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DIY toilet bowl cleaner

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup liquid Castile soap
• 15-30 drops essential oil (Lavender, Tea Tree, or Citrus)
• Hydrogen Peroxide (or Vinegar)

Directions:

1. Using a small funnel, add the water and the liquid Castile soap to a bottle (you can re-use a dish soap bottle or a squeeze bottle).
2. Add the baking soda and shake well to combine.
3. Add the peroxide (or vinegar), making sure to leave 3-4 inches of space at the top. Close the lid and shake to mix. Baking soda and peroxide will cause pressure to build up and will expand, so it is best to leave the top uncapped for the first 24 hours (otherwise it might explode all over the place).
4. You can also leave the Hydrogen Peroxide out of the equation and add it after you've scrubbed the toilet bowl with the baking soda / soap / essential oil mixture.

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Replace your fabric softener with distilled vinegar

168 oz. distilled (white) vinegar: $2.99 [lasts 4.5 months]

Pour a 1/4 cup in with the rinse cycle, or if you have one of those Downy balls, pour the vinegar in that and toss it into the washer.

Cost per year: $7.97
Savings per year: $8.49

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Replace your sponges with knit scrubbers

It may sound odd, but for $5 you can buy a skein of dishcloth yarn and knit your own dish scrubbers. 1 skein can knit 3-4 scrubbers, depending on how big you want them. The best part of it is that they can be thrown in the washer (and dryer) when they get dirty and can be used for years. They work just as well, if not better than the store-bought sponges and scrubbers that tend to fall apart and mildew.

Initial Cost:

• Yarn: $5
• Knitting Needles: $5 (one time expense)
• Total: $10

You won't need to replace these as often, maybe once every couple of years.

Savings (per year): approx. $12.50

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Replace your paper towels with cloth towels

Admittedly, this was a hard one for me. I like the ease and the disposability of paper towels, but the truth is, they're not cost effective and they're certainly not great for the environment. Like the dish scrubbers, cloth towels can go in the laundry when dirty and can be reused for years.

Cost of a cloth dish towel: $3.99 (for a set of 4)

Savings (per year): approx. $60.00

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Total yearly savings: $146

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more...

Look for generic or cheaper versions 

Do you like those Magic Erasers? Did you know that they're just Melamine Foam? Did you also know that you can buy Melamine Foam from a variety of eBay sellers for pennies of what it costs you to buy Magic Erasers from the store?

• Name Brand Magic Eraser (set of 4): $5.49
• Melamine Foam (set of 20): $1.73 from eBay (with free shipping)

That breaks down to $.09 per eraser compared to $1.37. That's a cost differential of $1.28 per eraser (or a savings of $25.65 for 20 erasers).

Don't need or have space for 20 Magic Erasers? Go halvsies with a friend (or relative)—or sell them to your friends/neighbors for 10¢ a pop.