Cleaning

Wait – That Bottle of Cleaner Isn't Really Empty!

August 8, 2008 /

Frugal homemaking causes us to find ways to eliminate wasting supplies and, in turn, wasting our hard earned money. Commercial cleaners which come in spray bottles can be pricey and seem to stop spraying before the cleaner is used up.
Don’t toss that spray bottle of cleaner when it stops spraying, though.  It’s not really empty yet!
Many people think that when a bottle stops spraying, it is empty enough to throw away.  I decided to find out just how much liquid is left inside a spray bottle of cleaner once pulling the trigger no longer makes liquid spray out.
I tested a popular kitchen cleaning brand’s spray bottle of kitchen cleaner.  Measuring the liquid that remained in the bottle allowed us to get a rough estimate of what percentage of cleaner would be wasted if you threw away the remainder.

  • Starting contents of bottle:  32 fluid ounces
  • Cleaner left inside after bottle stopped spraying:  5 fluid ounces
  • According to these measurements, 15.6% of the cleaner is still in the bottle when you can no longer spray it out.
  • If your cleaner cost $5, that 15% is worth 75 cents!
  • Multiply this by one bottle of cleaner a month, and you could possible be throwing away $9 per year.

Don’t waste 15% of your cleaning spray!  The remaining cleaner can still be used in buckets of cleaning water or in mopping water.  Here’s how:

1.  Unscrew the sprayer from the bottle and discard.
2.  Use a plastic zipper bag or plastic wrap and rubber band to cover the top of the bottle.
3.  Put the bottle with your cleaning supplies.
4.  When mopping or cleaning, add the remaining cleaner to a bucket of warm water.  This mixture will clean and disinfect using a sponge, scrub brush or mop just as well as if you were spraying it out of a bottle.

Never waste cleaning liquid again!  Cut your family’s household expenses by getting the most out of what you’ve already bought.  What other products can you apply this principle to?

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12 Comments

  • Kim

    August 9, 2008 at 4:27 am

    Great tip. I did this recently with the Bath and Body Works Anti-bacterial hand soaps. It was “empty”, so I filled it 3/4’s of the way with water and shook it up and I was able to make it last for a couple of more weeks.

  • The Chatty Housewife

    August 9, 2008 at 5:02 pm

    Another great tip is that if you turn the nozzle around to face the opposite direction (opposite direction than the photo above) so that the finger grips aren’t being used properly, the angle of the bottle as you are spraying makes it so much easier to use up those last little bits. I always use my bottles this way because it makes for easier handle pumping too- none of those pumps that just get air!

  • Home Ever After

    August 11, 2008 at 2:48 pm

    @Angie:
    I never buy the same brand twice in a row since I get whatever has the best price when I’m shopping. I don’t pour my leftovers into the next bottle because they are different cleaners and/or brands. Please be advised that you should never mix cleaners in the bottle, even different brands. The chemicals, both active and inactive, can be different (or even the same in different percentage) and can have adverse reactions when combined!
    Homemaker Barbi

  • Chrysa

    August 13, 2008 at 10:05 pm

    Great info. I usually end up opening the spray bottle and pouring out some of the last bits to clean, but it really doesn’t work that great! Please come on over to Thrifty Thursday at Thrifty Jinxy and post a link to your post. I’m sure my readers would enjoy it!