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Monday, February 28, 2011

Frugal Cleaning Products

As always, I am inspired by Funny About Money, fave blogger, who put together a post on frugal and green cleaning supplies. Anyone who knows me is rolling on the floor laughing at the thought of my expertise in anything domestic: I am probably in the bottom 1% of the population in terms of housekeeping skills.

Still, no one would deny my reading skills. And it was a happy day when I discovered Don Aslett, cleaning expert and scourge of clutter. I find his books real motivators. Nothing like owning a cleaning service (as Don does) to make you see the true cost of clutter.

Don is also a wonderful writer. He has zillions of books now. In fact, my one gripe with him is that his numerous books (many on overlapping topics) constitute a kind of clutter in themselves. His two greatest are

From the first you learn to de-clutter. From the second, you learn how to clean. Don says you only need three products, all of which can be bought as concentrates and diluted.

He even sells the products on-line. Usually, I don't trust such products, but so great is my love of and trust in Don that I WOULD buy one of his cleaning kits. However, Mr. FS pointed out that you could get the same cleaners at Home Depot. Here is his Green Cleaning Kit (around $45):

* 1 Quart Foam N Flush
* 1 Quart Tub N Tile
* 1 Tub N Tile Spray Bottle
* 1 Quart Max Clean
* 1 Max Clean Spray Bottle
* 3-pack Window Cleaner
* Window Cleaner Spray Bottle
* Toilet Bowl Caddy - holds Foam N Flush & Johnny Mop
* 1 Johnny Mop
* 1 Shaw';s Pad
* 1 Grout Brush
* 2 Multipurpose Microfiber Towels
* 1 Large White Scrubber
* 1 Ready-to-Use X-O+
* Cleaning Caddy


Check out his mini-essays too.

I spend a lot of time reading, including much that is obscure and high brow. But there is a place on my shelf for Don Aslett. His books have probably done as much to enrich my life as The Elements of Style.

7 comments:

Duchesse said...

Don't know these products but swear by the wonder product Orange A-Peel: www.orangeapeel.com

The price may seem expensive but is extremely concentrated.

Funny about Money said...

Thanks for the link!

Interesting... Have you tried these products? Too many "green" products don't seem to work as well as home-made concoctions.

I've stopped shopping at Home Depot, now that their foisting a membership card for customers to qualify for a fair price. Are the products available at Ace?

Annabel said...

I disagree. Most of the green cleaning products work as well as the home-made solutions. Thanks for sharing this post with us and regards. End of Tenancy Cleaning

Boywilli said...

Ah, yes, the uncluttering books... I have a few of those, too, but not by your author. Interesting idea, books about housework. Sort of like how I first viewed a Jane Fonda exercise video - sitting cross-legged on the floor in my houserobe with a cup of coffee... Bill has a fetish for cleaning products, I've noticed, but not me! I've finally stopping buying books about running, though!

Funny about Money said...

LOL! I love that image: enjoying the yoga video with a cup of coffee. At least when you're sitting on the floor cross-legged you're in SORT of a yoga position. On my end, I'm given to watching yoga videos on YouTube with my feet on the desk, the threadbare deskchair leaned back, and the whiskey and water close at hand. ;-)

Glad to hear some of the green products are working better. Last time I tried one, it was disappointing...will try again! :-)

Frugal Scholar said...

@Duchesse-That is similar, because it has multiple uses and can be diluted. It is expensive to ship products made mostly of water!

@Funny--I will look at the Aslett book when i have more time. Basically, he says to get a concentrated degreaser, all-purpose ??, and one other thing. These do for ALL CLEANING pretty much. Then you dilute in a spray bottle.

@Annabel--I would love to hear your recommendations for effective products!

@Boywilli (is that you Shelley????)--Yeah, I know, but a 10 minute read often gets me to clean for 10 minutes. Not very efficient, but I am a rather hopeless case.

@Funny--I think many green products don't work very well. I did notice that my hero Don has some green products now--or at least greenish.

JustinBarley said...
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