As I’ve mentioned before, my fiancé and I will be moving in together soon. We’re both very excited but we’re also worried about merging our bills and paying higher rent costs. So I’ve been looking into different ways that we can save money when we move in together. One thing that I’ve tried to cut back on are the costs of household cleaning products. What did people do before they had factory made chemicals to clean their house?

Well, I’ve found some great homemade household cleaning products that I’m excited about using in our new home.

Homemade Cleaning Wipes

Why do we love cleaning wipes so much? Because they’re convenient, right? Well, there’s no reason why we can’t make any on our own. There are two ways to go about this. You can do it the chemical way or the all-natural way. I’m going to cover both because I love cleaning wipes so much that I don’t want you to miss out on the homemade version.

Take a re-closable container (you can use Tupperware or one of those re-closable plastic coffee containers) and set it aside. Use an electric knife to cut a paper towel roll in half so that you have two shorter rolls. It’ll take a couple minutes. Don’t rush it or you’ll completely shred it and mess up your blade. Put one of the rolls in the re-closable container. Now take a solution of ¼ cup Pine Sol or Lysol to 2 ½ cups of water and pour it over the paper towel roll in the container. Let it soak overnight. In the morning, pull out the cardboard center (of the paper towel roll) and pull the center paper towel out just a touch.

Now drill a hole (or cut a slit) through the lid of the re-closable container and slip that paper towel through it.

Tips:

• Depending on how absorbent your paper towels are (and how big they are) you may need more or less cleaning solution.
• If you want to go the “natural” route, try this: 1:1 white vinegar and water. I suggest using 1 ½ cups to start.
• Unless you reuse a container that commercial wipes come in, the wipes will dry out a bit because of the hole on top. Just top it off and let it soak again, if necessary.
• If you’re worried about using too many paper towels because it’s a waste or because it is not green, I suggest getting some towels that you can keep in a little basket next to a bottle of spray.
• You can also try: 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, ½ tablespoon of dish soap, and about 8 drops of your favorite Essential Oil. However, if you use essential oils use a glass container instead of plastic.

If you’re not as interested in these wipes and want other cleaning solutions that are homemade, “natural”, and will help you save money, I suggest grabbing some basic ingredients that you can mix and match including:

• White vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Baking Soda
• Essential Oils (you can find them in big box stores or online)

However, my favorite go-to cleaner will always be a 1:1 ratio of water to white vinegar. It is a great all-purpose cleaner and is extremely inexpensive.

Sources:

Image by Jarmoluk (http://pixabay.com/en/cleaning-washing-cleanup-the-ilo-268126/