Quick floor cloth

Need a quick and cheap way to brighten up a room? Use a floor cloth... or rather, a blanket as a floor cloth. Some blankets are quite pretty and stylize, especially the nonwoven kind. If you don't have any extras handy, thrift stores often have them. Even if you have to buy one new, they're cheaper than buying a floor cloth or area rug.

Clean your floor for free

Catch a bucket of hot soapy water from the washer when it spins the first time and use it to mop your floor. It works well for cleaning woodwork, too. You can probably find other uses for it if you look around. Saves on water and cleaner.