Budget Cleaning with Pantry Staples: Clean the House for Under $5 a Month

Ditch commercial cleaners and save. Kitchen, bathroom, floors, and more – here’s how I clean our house for a few dollars a month with pantry staples.

Household cleaners can take up a big chunk of the grocery budget, especially if you’re trying to buy the ‘natural’ or eco-friendly’ kind.

But they don’t have to.

You can clean your entire home with just a few basic ingredients — the kind you probably already have in your pantry.

I’ve been making my own cleaners since I left home in 2002.

And while I’ll admit I sometimes ‘cheat’ and grab a natural cleaning spray when it’s on sale (because life is busy, and my bandwidth isn’t always up for mixing potions mid-chaos), I keep coming to the basics especially now in 2025, with the grocery bill still going up every week. Cleaners aren’t in the budget.

Back when I first wrote this post in 2014, I could make all my household cleaners for under $3 a month. These days, it’s closer to $5 — still not bad, and a heck of a lot cheaper than commercial options.

Case in point: the cheapest ‘natural’ spray cleaner at my local Woolies is $4 for 600ml. Meanwhile, white vinegar is $1.85 for 2 litres, and bicarb soda is $2.45 for 500g — and they’ll both last me ages.

And here’s the thing: that $4 spray does one job. The vinegar, bicarb, and maybe one or two extra ingredients? They’ll clean the kitchen, shower, toilet, floors, and more.

There’s also the health side.

According to the American Lung Association, VOCs and other chemicals in household cleaners can increase indoor air pollution and contribute to chronic respiratory problems, allergic reactions and headaches, a concern supported by a 2024 research paper in Environment International.

And when they go down the drain? They can be detrimental to the environment. VOCs, other chemicals and potential microplastics can still pass through water treatment and end up harming aquatic life.

So DIY cleaners with pantry staples are a win-win all around – a win for your health, your wallet, and the environment.

These are the Budget Cleaning Ingredients I Keep Stocked

You don’t need a dozen different bottles with fancy labels to keep your house clean. Just a few humble pantry staples will do the trick (and maybe one or two laundry additions). Most of them have multiple uses around the home, not just cleaning.

Here’s what I keep on hand:

1. White Vinegar

This is the workhorse of homemade cleaning. It’s cheap, acidic (which helps break down grime), and has mild antibacterial properties. Great for windows, benchtops, bathrooms, loos, floors and more.

2. Bicarb Soda (Baking Soda)

My second cleaning favourite. It’s a gentle abrasive, so great for scrubbing sinks, tubs, and ovens. It also helps neutralise odours, makes your drains smell a bit less yuck, and is used in baking, like these ANZAC biscuits.

You’ll find it in the baking aisle, and it lasts ages. A sprinkle goes a long way.

3. Tea Tree Oil

This is optional, but I like having it on hand. It has natural antibacterial, antifungal, and possibly antiviral properties, and leaves a clean, sharp scent that doesn’t trigger my sneezing like artificial fragrances.

I use it sparingly — just a few drops in a spray bottle with vinegar and water is plenty. For cleaning, I usually just grab the supermarket brand. No need to splurge on essential oils for scrubbing the loo.

Storage tip: Tea tree oil keeps best in a dark bottle, away from sunlight. It can last up to two years if stored properly.

4. Dishwashing Detergent

A tiny squirt of this is handy for cutting through greasy messes — think stovetops or built-up gunk in the oven. It’s also good for cleaning skirting boards or doors with fingerprints, especially if you’ve got grubby little helpers.

I also add it to my cleaning spray as it helps mix the oil and water together, as well as giving the cleaning spray some extra oomph.

5. Washing Soda (Optional)

If you want to supercharge your cleaning, this one’s worth adding. Washing soda is a stronger alkaline cleaner, great for floors and part of my homemade laundry powder. We use it most often for soaking baking dishes with burnt-on food.

You’ll usually find it in the laundry aisle, often at the bottom, and it will last ages.

Clean Your Kitchen Naturally (and Thoroughly)

Both vinegar and tea tree oil have antibacterial and antiviral properties, making them great for the kitchen, and the vinegar is even edible.

For daily use, a homemade all-purpose spray made with vinegar, water, a few drops of dishwashing liquid, and tea tree oil does the trick.

For a deeper clean, sprinkle a little bit of bicarb over benchtops or sinks, then spray with the cleaner. You should hear a fizz. Give it a good wipe, then wipe again with a damp cloth to remove any residue.

Cupboard doors, fridge shelves, stovetops? Same deal: bicarb on a damp cloth, spray with cleaner, wipe down.

Oven looking a bit grim? Use dishwashing liquid on a damp cloth to cut through grease, then follow up with the vinegar spray.

Although, truth be told, if it’s really bad (as in you haven’t cleaned the oven for over a year, then cook pork at a super high temperature and everything is baked on…or, ahem, so I’ve heard), I’ve never found anything as good as commercial oven cleaners.

A Frugal Bathroom Scrub

Vinegar and tea tree oil can both kill mould, so it’s great to use in the bathroom. Spray undiluted onto the mould, leave for an hour, and then wipe away with a wet cloth.

Bicarb and spray cleaner on a cloth will take care of soap scum, although my plumber who installed the shower recommended plain dishwashing liquid – I’ve found both work well without the cost.

I keep a little squeegee in the shower, too — not that I ever have time to use it, but the kids love wiping the glass.

Spray a wet bath with the cleaner, sprinkle bicarb, and scrub with a cloth. I usually vacuum out the dry bath first to get all the dust before I get started.

Bench tops? Same method as the kitchen. Spray with homemade cleaner and wipe.

Cleaning the Toilet (No Nasty Chemicals Required)

Pour a little straight vinegar into the bowl and let it sit.

Then sprinkle bicarb around the bowl and scrub with a toilet brush.

Wipe the seat with a damp cloth and bicarb, then finish with a wipe-over using your all-purpose spray.

Clean Your Floors With Pantry Basics

Mop hard floors (like tiles and vinyl floors unless the manufacturer states otherwise, with hot water, a splash of vinegar, and maybe a small spoonful of bicarb or a small squeeze of dishwashing liquid. You don’t need to go overboard with the ingredients for it to be effective – in fact, too much will leave your floors feeling powdery or weird.

Or you could try my favourite floor cleaner with washing soda if you like.

For carpet stains, spray diluted vinegar and blot with a towel. Old terry cloth nappies work a treat here.

Save Even More with Reusable Cleaning Cloths

Microfibre cloths are effective at cleaning, and they are super cheap. But…they can shed micro-plastics into the waterways (less good).

Alternatives include homemade cleaning cloths from old towels, rags like old cotton T-shirts, or even knitted cloths that have a great texture.

Natural, store-bought cleaners are often just repackaged versions of what you can make at home. Why spend more when you can clean everything with pantry staples for under $5 a month?

Do you make your own cleaners or cloths? What’s your cleaning routine for frugal cleaning? Let us know in the comments below.