5 ways to save on cleaning products

Adding a few essential household cleaning products to your trolley can really push up the cost of the weekly shop. Here, the Financially Fabulous money team shares five thrifty cleaning tricks to make your cash go further...

1 RAID THE BAKING CUPBOARD

Bicarbonate of soda (£1.50 for 500g) is mildly abrasive and a great natural deodoriser. Sprinkle it directly on to a damp sponge to remove scuff marks from walls or banish lingering food odours from plastic food containers. Make up a paste, half bicarb and half water, to shift dried-on food from worktops, kitchen cupboards and the inside of the microwave. It will even deodorise carpets – just sprinkle it on, then vacuum it up after 15 minutes.

2 MAKE YOUR OWN CLEANING CLOTHS

Old T-shirts and towels that have been retired from use can embark upon a second career as cleaning cloths. Cut up pure cotton or towelling fabrics into squares roughly 40cm x 40cm. The soft, fine texture of T-shirt fabric makes it great for dusting, while towel scraps are great for doing the scrubbing. As long as they’re 100 per cent cotton, they can be washed on a 60°C or even 90°C cycle to kill germs.

3 VINEGAR – NOT JUST FOR YOUR CHIPS!

Ditch branded glass cleaners (around 59p for 500ml) and reach for white vinegar (39p for 568ml) to clean windows and mirrors. Mix one part vinegar to four parts water and pour this into a clean spray bottle. Spray on to glass surfaces, then rub with newspaper – yes, it really does work – for a streak-free shine. You can also use it on shower screens to stop limescale build-up. Undiluted white vinegar gets rid of the limescale round taps and bathroom fittings.

4 DIY DRAIN UNBLOCKER

Soda crystals can be picked up for as little as £1 for 1kg and can help keep plugholes and drains running freely. Pour half a mug of soda crystals and a litre of just-boiled water down the kitchen sink weekly, to dissolve and disperse fatty deposits. You can also harness the grease-busting power of soda crystals to clean a gunk-ridden cooker hood. Mix 1tbsp of soda crystals with half a litre of hot water; apply with the soft side of a sponge or a cloth.

5 UNLEASH THE CITRUS

Lemons are great for cleaning. Loosen caked-on microwave spills by heating a bowl of water, with half a lemon in it, on full power until the inside of the window in the microwave door steams up. Wait 15 minutes, then wipe away food residue. Rub a cut lemon over chrome – never gold – bathroom taps to make them sparkle.