Pinching Pennies: While Cleaning The Kitchen

I've been thinking about all the corners I cut to save money in the kitchen. Our budget has relaxed a bit these days, so we are eating better quality food, thank God - but we still need to keep our purse strings tight.

Here are some of the ways we Pinch Pennies while cleaning in the kitchen:

1) I only fill the dishwasher soap dispenser 1/3 up. Most manufacturers grossly overstate the amounts needed to clean dishes, and I think we can all guess why: it makes them more money! If you use a third of what you've been using in your dishwasher, your soap will last 3 times as long! I was going to make my own dishwasher soap to save even more money, but all of the reviews I read said that it just doesn't clean like the commercial stuff. I think there's a line there I'm not willing to cross - I mean, the dishes need to get clean...

2) I use Norwex cloths to clean my kitchen, which saves on cleaning supplies - and is GREENER!

3) My friend, Na, cuts up holey old sweatpants and t-shirts to use as cloths and dishrags. You are giving unusable clothes a second life, and there's no guilt when you throw them out when they get nasty because you already saved them from the garbage once!

4) As already posted, I use a Swiffer to mop my kitchen floors, but with Norwex cloths (or a micro-fiber cloth if you don't Norwex) and hot water instead of the disposable, chemical soaked wipes. It's free (if you already have a swifter) and GREEN!

5) If I am only doing the kitchen, I don't bust out my hoover - I just grab my broom. It's easier, but it saves a few kilojoules of energy too (did I even use kilojoule in the correct context?), and that saves a few pennies.

6) If I need a new scrubby dishrag, I knit one out of cotton from my stash. This wouldn't work for everyone (as I am a "highly skilled" knitter [there was mockery there in case you missed it]) but if you knit, it's a fun little project that even a beginner can do.

7) Instead of using fabric bibs, which need to be laundered after each wearing, I use a plastic moulded bib with a big pocket on it. It catches way more than a conventional bib, and it wipes clean with the dishrag when I am wiping the counters.

8) If you use a table cloth, consider putting a clear pvc cover over it - it wipes clean with a rag, saving regular laundering.

What are some of the ways you Pinch Pennies while cleaning in the kitchen?