As winter comes to a close, now is a great time to de-clutter, clean, and prepare your home for spring. It’s an exciting time, but if you’re not careful, costs can add up quickly. Luckily, here at Ascend, we’ve curated a list of creative cleaning solutions that will allow you to prepare your home for spring without breaking the bank.

Repurpose supplies:

Take inventory of the cleaning supplies you currently have before heading to the store to buy anything. You may find that you have most, if not all the supplies you’ll need to tackle your spring cleaning.

DIY Solutions:

You may take inventory and find that you’re missing necessary cleaning items—before you head off to the store to buy them —check to see if a DIY solution exists that is just as effective. Here’s a list of DIY solutions you can use for all those hard-to-clean places around your home:

Use a lemon for cleaning stainless steel sinks and faucets. Slice a lemon in half and rub the fruit against hard water stains and rust spots in your kitchen and bathroom. You can also sprinkle on some baking soda for really stubborn marks. The stains should now lift easily.

Steam-clean your microwave. Grab a microwave-safe bowl, fill it with 1-2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Microwave this mixture for five minutes, and the stains inside your microwave should scrub off with ease!

Wash your windows.  Create a homemade solution with 1 teaspoon of mild dishwashing soap added to several gallons of water. Pour your homemade solution into an empty spray bottle and use old newspapers to wipe away the grime. Keep in mind that sunshine can make your windows dry too quickly and leave unsightly streaks behind, so you may want to leave this job for an overcast day.

Clean your shower heads with white vinegar. Fill a sandwich bag with white vinegar, and then use a rubber band to secure it around your shower head. Let it soak overnight. The water stains and calcium buildup should wash right off in the morning.

Use a lint roller to dust. Instead of sticking brushes and feather dusters into every little corner of your home, use a lint roller. Run the roller over your light fixtures, mantels, and shelves. For corners that are super-dirty, use a strip of duct tape for stronger pickup power.

Use a hair dryer to get rid of water rings. If you’ve been putting drinks on a table without a coaster, remove those water rings by blasting a hair dryer over them until they start to fade and disappear. You can also rub olive oil over the area to return the wood to its original shine.

This list is far from exhaustive, but it may get the wheels turning in your mind about how you can get your spring cleaning done without spending lots of money. Setting aside a budget specifically for spring cleaning can go a long way in alleviating financial stress. If you’d like to learn more, check out our blog on starting a budget in four steps and check out our free budget worksheet so you can begin managing your money wisely, today.