How to Shop Smart and Spend Less on Cleaning Supplies

Is getting your house clean unnecessarily emptying your wallet? When you clean your house, each virtuous squeeze of the trigger bottle rids your house of dirt and grime, giving you the satisfaction of a job well done. But you may be pouring some of your hard-earned money down the drain if you overspend on cleaning supplies. Can you get the surfaces in your house squeaky clean without using high-priced cleaning products? Yes--once you discover the best stores and strategies.

Dollar Store Cleaning Supplies For a Fraction of Brand Name Cost

The local dollar store can probably save you a dollar or more on every cleaning item you buy. Below are some of the examples of bargains you can find at Dollar Tree. Comparable products cost 2.99 and up for costlier brands.

Pine Cleaner for $1.00 - A full size bottle of concentrated pine cleaner is a favorite bargain. The pine solution that Dollar Tree carries is better than the generic versions sold elsewhere.

Oxygen Cleaner for $1.00 (16 oz.) - The authentic name brand version and the Oxygen Cleaner from Dollar Tree will give you the same stain treating results. Buy the dollar version and save your hard-earned money while getting your clothes and other surfaces just as clean.

Window Cleaner for $1.00 - It's blue liquid and it gets your mirrors and windows clean. Why pay $2 to $3 more?

Daily Shower Cleaning Spray for $1.00 - If you spray your shower daily, you will go through shower cleaning spray faster than almost any other cleaning product. To pay full retail price for the name brand is truly money down the drain.

Admittedly, your local dollar store cannot always deliver the best values on every kind of item they stock. Some items may actually cost more than they do at "big box stores" like Wal-Mart and Target. In the cleaning department, however, the savings can be significant - two dollars or more per item. For savvy shoppers looking to stretch their pennies by comparing prices, visiting the dollar store delivers impressive savings.

Concentrated Multipurpose Cleaner: Many Uses, One Bottle

You can also find great values at wholesale clubs. These bargains also spare you the hassle of clipping coupons to attempt to save money on name brand cleaners that are overpriced.

Your local wholesale club probably sells concentrated Simple Green in one gallon jugs, which allows you to dilute it to the right concentration for the job, whether that is heavy cleaning, light cleaning or something in between. The best value is for light cleaning. Use it instead of paying upwards of $2.99 for household cleaner, and you can re-use and fill a 32 oz. spray bottle from 1 ounce of concentrate for around 7 cents.

You can also use concentrate to clean your kitchen floor for pennies. Mix just one pint of medium-strength solution and pour it on the floor, especially on the spots that need scrubbing. Fill your mop bucket with water, wet the mop, and mop up big savings as you make the floor sparkle. There is no need to mix up a whole gallon or more of solution. Use the plain water in the bucket to rinse the mop. This method allows you use less of the concentrate and thus save 75% each time you scrub your floor.

Multi-purpose concentrated cleaner can be used in countless other capacities. Having all-purpose cleaner on hand gives you options and saves time and gasoline too. If you run out of your favorite specialty cleaner, you can continue cleaning with your multi-purpose solution and restock other varieties later, rather than making a desperate trip to the store.

Overall Shopping Strategy:

1. Shop the dollar store first for specialty cleaning supplies.

2. Buy concentrated all-purpose cleaning solution at either the dollar store or in bulk your local wholesale club.

3. If there is anything remaining on your list, you can fill in the gaps at a discount retailer like Target, and buy the store brand.

4. Congratulate yourself on both a clean house and noticeable savings.