I Cut my Kitchen Cleaning Budget in Half – Again!


One simple thing I did to cut my kitchen budget in half. Such a simple, green way to save some money!

With one purchase I cut my kitchen cleaning budget in half!   I am always looking for ways to streamline, improve, and cut costs in my homemaking routines.  So, when I can cut one of my expenses by half, it is a no-brainer for me!  And I am so excited about my latest cost-cutting measure that I just had to share here.

But first a little story.

A while back we had our granite installers in our home (installing granite – of course) and I pulled one of the guys to the side to grill him about the proper care and maintenance of granite.  It is such a large investment that I wanted to make sure I was caring for it properly.  He generously took the time to show me how to take care of my granite counters and I passed on the information to you. It is still one of my most popular cleaning posts.  

But what surprised me during my session with the granite guy is how he told me to take care of my granite every day.  He said to only use soap and water.  I had previously been using Method’s Granite cleaner – religiously.  But he assured me that ALL I needed to take care of it was soap and water.  He even said that those products can leave more build-up that I would just have to clean away.

So, I stopped using my Method cleaner (boo!) and started using soap and water with a microfiber towel.

But I didn’t like the microfiber towel for every day cleaning.  I couldn’t feel the mess through the microfiber very well – meaning I was missing some of the spills – leaving my countertops less than clean.

A few months later, Bounty started making those really cool Dawn-infused paper towels and I won a sample of them to try!  These were AMAZING!  Because I knew that I only needed to use soap and water on my granite, they made it really easy to tear off a sheet, get it wet and then wipe up the messes on my counter top.  And I really liked that I could rinse and reuse the towels at least one time (and still get suds) and then wash and reuse to rinse the counters with just water (by the third rinse almost all of the Dawn is gone).

So, I started using my Bounty towels with Dawn – religiously.  Like 2-3 times a day (or more, cause I have 3 kids 4 and under).   By the way, the paper towels are actually cheaper than using the Method cleaner – that is the first time I cut my budget in half.

And then I started to hear rumblings about a company called Grove Collaborative a couple of months ago.  I was really, really resistant to the idea of trying them because I couldn’t peek into their site without signing up.  It was like some secret society and all I wanted was a peek, but I wasn’t willing to part with my precious email address to find out about it.

And then I purchased the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle (life-changing, seriously!) and included as one of the bonuses with purchase was a whole bunch of goodies that gave me the push I needed to try it out.  By the way, the $30 in the description below is talking about the value of the set, not the price I paid.

grove collab.

I mean, I love a gift with purchase!  So, I finally got in and found out just what what behind the curtain!

So far, the best thing I have found is Full Circle’s Squeeze Cellulose Sponges.  They were actually included in my first box when I set up my account (more on how to set up an account in the video at the bottom); and I took them out of the box thinking I didn’t need them.  But as I looked around the site for a little bit, I kept thinking about them.  And I kept thinking, “Maybe those would be better than my current paper towel situation.”

So, I clicked to put them back in my cart.

Sometimes, I am smart like that.

When my first Grove Collective box arrived, the first product I knew I was immediately going to try out was those sponges!  And guess what?  They work better than my paper towels!  They are thicker than paper towels and WAY more absorbent.  And they are not only microwave safe, but dishwasher safe.  So, I if I feel like they are getting germ-y and gross, I can toss them in with the dishes in the dishwasher for a long hot bath.  Or I can pop them in the microwave for a few seconds to sanitize them!

I really think these are the solution to my paper towel problem and I did the math (yes, I do get a little homemaker nerdy every now and then)…the math is really good.

I estimated that I was using around 2-3 of the Bounty with Dawn paper towels in my kitchen each day.  And there are 32 towels per roll at a price of 4 cents a towel.  If I use three a day for 60 days, I would be spending $7.20 every 60 days.

The price on the Full Circle Squeeze Cellulose Sponges is $3.99 for THREE of them!  Even if I go through all three in a 60 day period (highly unlikely!), I will still be saving about half of my previous paper towel budget!

I am excited about a number of things with this new kitchen cleaning solution.  But the big ones are I feel like

» I am keeping my kitchen counters cleaner and

» spending WAY less money.

» Oh, and there is that whole thing of not wasting a whole bunch of paper towels!  🙂

If you are like me and are hesitant to sign up for websites where you can’t browse before you buy, I have a little something for you.  I put together a quick video of the sign-up process for Grove Collaborative and my tips for what to put in your first cart.  And since I linked to a specific product in this post, I gave you a sneaky way of looking behind the curtain just by clicking on one of the links to Grove Collaborative («– like this one).

One simple thing I did to cut my kitchen budget in half. Such a simple, green way to save some money!

Let me know if you give Grove Collaborative a try and let me know if you end up using those sponges.  I would love to hear how other homemakers like them! 

Note: This post includes affiliate links.  That means if you make a purchase based on my recommendation, you get an amzaing product at no extra cost to you, and I get remuneration for referring you.  No pressure.  I only share things I love and use myself.  


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