The number one, sure-fire way to save on cleaning supplies is to avoid cleaning! Of course this would lead to future medical bills, more extensive cleaning and a visit from the health department. Not sure you can count this as a savings.
I've found the best way to purchase cleaning supplies is to stock-up up when there are great deals. My cabinet has several boxes of Electrasol, all of which I purchased in January with a $2.25 manufacture coupon (combined with a sale). My laundry room shelf also has a stack of Pledge Dusters (all obtained for free a couple of years ago when the CVS sale price matched the coupon I had.)
In the past, I stuck to traditional cleaning tools. For example: floor cleaner, water and a traditional mop are much cheaper than a Swiffer & the required refillable pads and bottles. This changed when we had our house on the market for nine months. I quickly learned it was impossible to clean an entire house in a few hours with traditional cleaners. I could move much faster with a Swiffer, Pledge Dusters, Mr. Clean Bathroom Cleaner and other "tools".
Once in our new home, I found a great deal on a Swiffer Wet Jet. Another Mail-In-Rebate yielded the required pad & bottle refills at more than a 50% discount. Recently, my bottles ran low and I dreaded spending $5-$10 on another bottle, especially since I have a huge Eco-friendly "bag" of Lysol all-purpose cleaner I bought for $2. After a quick Google search, I learned to open the Swiffer bottle using pliers. After a quick rinse, I filled the bottom 1 - 2 inches with my inexpensive Lysol & added water to fill the remainder of the container. After replacing the cap, I was ready to mop. I'm pleased with my clean floor & my savings!
