The Broke Person’s Guide to a Clean Home: The Cheapest & Most Effective Tips

Written by

Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
updated May 4, 2019
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(Image credit: Leanne Bertram)

One doesn’t always factor in cleaning when thinking about your home’s budget. But all those cleaning tools, cleaners, supplies and more can add up if you’re not careful. If you’re on a tight (or non-existent) cleaning budget but want an always-tidy, always-fresh space, consider these ideas for staying clean without a lot of green.

Plan your supplies runs

If you have a bad habit of just grabbing cleaning supplies at whatever store you’re at when you remember, you might be paying more than you have to. If you plan your groceries based on the best places to get deals, consider doing the same for your cleaning supplies.

Buy quality tools

It can tempting to go for the more affordable tools when you’re just looking for a new broom. But spending a little extra money in the beginning on mid-range and higher-end cleaning tools can help you save money in the long run by not having to constantly replace cheap tools that poop out on you in the middle of a cleaning session. 10 Cleaning Tools Every Home Should Have

Learn how to do some repairs and cleaning of tools

In the same vein as above, learn how to do simple repairs on things like your vacuum so you’re not giving up on perfectly good tools. YouTube videos exist that can help you fix a number of things. And be sure you’re systematically cleaning your cleaning tools. They don’t get clean just from cleaning your house (in fact the opposite) but showing your tools some cleaning love can help keep them in tip-top shape. How To Clean Your Cleaning Tools

(Image credit: Adrienne Breaux)

Don’t use as much product

If you adhere to the school of cleaning I usually do, just spraying a ton of cleaner on an area and then wiping up immediately might be making you waste more cleaner than you have to. Let things soak awhile before you try wiping, consider spraying your cleaning rag instead of the surface and put a little more elbow grease into the mix before you pour more expensive cleaner onto the problem.

Recycle old clothes into rags

Before you take your decluttered clothes to Goodwill, consider cutting up any textually appropriate fabrics into squares you can use for cleaning rags instead of spending money on paper towels.

Make your own cleaners

You can save a ton of money not splurging on brand name cleaners or generic ones, rather making your own from ingredients you probably have around the house. Not only will you save some dough, you’ll probably have a healthier home, too. 25 DIY Green Cleaning Recipes For the Whole House!

Don’t let it get VERY dirty in the first place

Undoubtedly the most unpopular item on this list, but one of the best ways to save some money on cleaning is to not have to spend a ton of time and cleaners scrubbing a real mess. By keeping on top of daily cleaning and tidying tasks, you may be able to get away with using less cleaners in the long run.How To Clean Your House in 20 Minutes a Day for 30 Days.

Re-edited from a post originally published 7.6.15-NT