When the Covid-19 pandemic first hit, the news was flooded with safety precautions that were necessary to avoid contracting the virus. Wash your hands. Wash your hands often. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. Use a disinfectant. Does disinfectant get rid of the virus, etc. Well, by the time it was all said and done, people had gone through rolls and rolls of paper towels and toilet paper and bottles and bottles of hand sanitizer and disinfectant and the stores were all out. 

Those who managed to find these products were price gouging. And those of us who panic when the gas tank reaches half full went into full gear to figure out how to stretch our cleaning and safety products and our dollars. 

We came up with the following hacks which should have you well on your way to keeping you and your family safe from Covid-19 and other germs and viruses, while avoiding spending a fortune. 

Don’t Buy Water. The shelves of your local Target, Walmart or supermarket are filled with disinfectant products in nice spray bottles that sell for $3.00 to $7.00 for as little as 12.5 ounces of product. For instance, a 32 oz bottle of Lysol multi-surface disinfectant sells for roughly $3.00 at Target and can of disinfectant aerosol spray sells for over $7.00. What if I told you that for the same price, you could get 36 bottles of the same product if you just supply your own water. Well, that is what I am telling you. A 12-ounce bottle of Lysol Disinfectant Concentrate sells for $3.94 at Walmart and makes 9 gallons of disinfectant. Similarly, a 144-ounce bottle of Lysol Clean & Fresh multi-surface cleaner sells for under $10.00 and makes 67-32 ounce bottles of disinfectant strength cleaner. All claim to kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. So, don’t buy Lysol’s water. Use your own, mixed with a concentrated disinfectant in a dollar store spray bottle, and your dollars will stretch much farther. 

Ditch the Paper Towels. Early in the pandemic, we found ourselves going through lots of paper towels at home. We used them to wash our hands. We used them when we went out to wipe down carts and to avoid touching door handles. We used them to wipe down groceries. During normal times, I am not a fan of paper towels, because I find them expensive for what they are. I usually use them 2-3 times before I throw them away (first for hands and then to spot clean floors). But, with Covid-19, that was no longer an option. 

So, rather than use more paper-towels, we cut up two old towels into 8 pieces reusable pieces. Now, when we go out or need to clean off packages and groceries that come into the house, we use the reusable towels, sprayed without our disinfectant from concentrate, and we’re saving hundreds of dollars on paper towels. Simply rinse the towels in hot water or wash every day or two on a 15minute speed wash cycle.  

Ditch Reusable Gloves. Wearing gloves in public is a great way to keep hands clean. But, wearing disposable gloves can get expensive, and they are not good for the environment. Removing them is difficult, and they are almost impossible to reuse.  

To save money (and the environment), ditch disposable latex or nitrile gloves for a pair of nitrile dipped work gloves. A pair such as those shown in the photo cost approximately $2.00 at Home Depot. The gloves are bulky enough that you are reminded to avoid touching your face and don’t want to wear them all day but with a breathable, comfortable fit. The gloves are easy to remove and can be sprayed with sanitizer or disinfectant to avoid contamination.  

Invest in a Bidet. When news broke that stores were running out of toilet paper and people started to crawl the internet for options, the bots at Google decided that it was time to take a full press approach to advertise bidets. For many, bidets are only for the rich and famous. But, there are actually rather inexpensive options such as the Luxe Bidet Neo 120 Fresh Water Self-Cleaning Non-Electric Bidet attachment that sales at Walmart for under $50.00. This and other inexpensive models fit right onto existing toilets. So, if the one pack limit on toilet paper has you down, a bidet might be an option to stretch your dollars and your tp.

Ditch Hand Sanitizer. Not only has hand sanitizer been scarce since the start of the pandemic, the recommended amount of alcohol content necessary to neutralize the virus has increased. Initially, reports said that at least 60% alcohol content was necessary, and now, some reports believe that at least 70% is necessary. With the increase in concentration requirements and scarcity, prices increased. This led us to ponder what are less expensive options. First, there is always good old soap and water. CDC guidelines recommend this over hand sanitizer whenever possible. Then, there is straight alcohol. If it works mixed with gels and moisturizers, it should work straight from the bottle. At $1 or $2.00 per bottle, along with a travel size spritzer, you’ll be well on your way to ditching the hand sanitizer and keeping your money in your pocket.