With so many of the convenient floor cleaning gadgets, devices and services in the world, you can easily spend almost as much on floor cleaning products in a year as you do on entertainment or eating out; maybe even more than food, depending on how much you cook at home.
There are disposable products that last fora few cleaning before having to be replaced, and there are machine you can by. With all of the expense, you might even be tempted to forego the floor cleaning all together. I used to know a mom of a five-year-old who never, ever mopped or washed her kitchen floor. I’m not sure how she got by, since I never visited her home, but for me, saving the money she would have spent on products wasn’t worth living with a dirty floor.
There is a nice middle ground, though, with ways that you can mop your floor and still save money. Here are some tips you can use.
Instead of buying specific mop buckets that add to your expense and clutter, use your trash cans as mop buckets. Not only will you save space and money, but the trash cans get a regular and through cleaning.
Forget the fancy mops and devices that spit your cleaner out for you. Here is the way I get my floors clean, passed down from generations of Italian women from Brooklyn, who didn’t have a lot of extra money or storage space. It does give you a little work out, but I count that as a bonus. I fill a bucket with hot sudsy water, into which I dip a stuff brush with a handle. I use the brush to scrub the floors, one section at a time. Then I use an old towel that is damp to wipe down the floors and get the soap and dirt up. I don’t bother getting on my hands and knees, I use my feet to move the towel around. This method even gets our 40-year-old linoleum floors sparkling.
But, if I can’t convince you not to give up your devices, such as your Swiffer Wet Jet, check out this idea for saving money on all of the replacement cloths and solutions. The Cheap Way to Use Your Swiffer.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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