Hey everyone, I’m Jake, and for the past seven years, I’ve been part of the By Spray team, working directly with contractors, facility managers, and small business owners who’re tired of guessing if their cleaning, pest control, or surface protection choices actually add up. The question I get most often—more than any other, even during busy peak season—is this: “Is using products by spray really cost-effective?” It’s a fair question. In a world where every operating dollar counts, you don’t want to drop extra cash on a solution that doesn’t move the needle. Today, I want to break this down, not as a sales pitch, but as someone who’s watched our products save clients thousands of dollars over the years, and also seen them walk away if it didn’t fit their needs. By Spray
First, let’s get one thing straight: cost-effectiveness isn’t just about the upfront price of a bottle. It’s a total calculation that includes how much product you use, how long it lasts, how much labor you save, downtime you avoid, and even how often you have to re-apply or replace materials. Most people I talk to only look at the per-ounce cost when comparing spray products to alternatives, and that’s where they go wrong. Let’s use a common example: commercial-grade floor disinfectants. A lot of big-box store disinfectants are cheaper upfront—like $0.12 per ounce. At first glance, that’s a steal, right? But dig deeper. Those products require three separate passes over a floor to get full coverage, take 20 minutes to dry before people can walk on it, and need to be re-applied every 4 hours for high-traffic areas. Our By Spray floor disinfectant? It’s $0.28 per ounce. But it covers the same floor in one pass, dries in 2 minutes, and has residual protection that lasts 12 hours.
Now let’s run the numbers for a 10,000-square-foot retail store, open 12 hours a day, with three cleaning shifts a night. With the big-box product: each shift uses 8 ounces (three passes = extra product waste), so 24 ounces a day, 720 ounces a month. Multiply by $0.12, that’s $86.40 a month for product. But labor? Each shift takes 45 minutes to disinfect the entire floor (three passes, waiting for drying time), so 2.25 hours a day, 67.5 hours a month. At a standard cleaning labor rate of $22 an hour, that’s $1,485 a month in labor. Total monthly cost: $1,571.40. Now with our By Spray product: one pass, 4 ounces per shift, 12 ounces a day, 360 ounces a month. At $0.28 an ounce, that’s $100.80 a month for product. Labor time per shift is 10 minutes, so 0.5 hours a day, 15 hours a month. That’s $330 in labor. Total monthly cost: $430.80. Wait—so even though our per-ounce price is more than double, the total cost is less than a third of the other product? That’s cost-effectiveness in action, and it’s why so many of our regular clients (from grocery stores to gym chains) switch and stay with us.
But cost-effectiveness isn’t one-size-fits-all. For a small café with 1,000 square feet of space, the story is a little different. Let’s say they’re using a multi-surface cleaner that costs $0.09 an ounce, and they use 2 ounces a day, 60 ounces a month, for $5.40 in product, plus 20 minutes a day of labor, 5 hours a month, at $22 an hour = $110. Total $115.40 a month. If they tried our multi-surface spray, which is $0.35 an ounce, and they only use 1 ounce a day, that’s 30 ounces a month = $10.50 in product, and 5 minutes a day, 1.25 hours a month = $27.50 in labor. Total $38.00. Even for a small space, it’s still cheaper. But I’ll be honest: I’ve had a few small café owners who say, “I only need to clean the counter once a day, why switch?” And that’s fine—cost-effectiveness is only valuable if it aligns with your actual usage. The key is to look at your specific needs, not a generic “lowest price” tag.
Another area where By Spray products shine is long-term durability, which most people don’t factor into their cost calculations. Take our industrial-grade protective spray for concrete. A lot of contractors use a cheaper sealer that costs $0.50 per square foot to apply, but it wears out in 6 months, so they have to re-seal every 6 months. Our concrete spray sealer is $0.75 per square foot to apply, but it lasts 3 years before needing a touch-up. Let’s say we’re talking about a 5,000-square-foot warehouse floor. With the cheap sealer: $2,500 every 6 months, so $5,000 a year. With By Spray’s sealer: $3,750 upfront, then a single touch-up at $1,000 after 3 years, so average annual cost over 3 years is ($3,750 + $1,000) / 3 = $1,583. That’s a difference of $3,417 a year—money that can go toward upgrading equipment or hiring extra staff instead of re-sealing floors. I’ve seen a construction company we work with use that extra money to add a safety training program for their crew, which has cut on-site injuries by 20%. That’s the kind of ROI that goes beyond just dollar signs.
Wait, but what about when you have a one-time job, not regular upkeep? I get that too. A local elementary school called me last year, needing to disinfect their auditorium before a parent-teacher night, and they had a tight budget and timeline. They were quoted $1,200 for a local service that used bulk disinfectant spray, but they were worried it would leave residue that would ruin the school’s new stage carpet. We offered a targeted application of our non-residual disinfectant spray, which cost them $350 for the product and a member of our team to apply it, and it was done in 45 minutes—half the time the other service quoted. They saved $850, and the carpet was fine. That’s cost-effectiveness for one-off projects, too. The mistake here is choosing a solution that’s designed for regular use when you only need a single application. Our team works with clients to match the product and application to their specific job, not push a one-size-fits-all solution, which is a big part of why we’re called By Spray—we focus on the application method as much as the product itself.
I should also address a common critique I hear: “By Spray products are more concentrated, so you might be over-diluting them and wasting money.” That’s a valid concern. All our products come with clear, easy-to-follow dilution ratios for every use case, and we include free training for every client, whether they’re a big facility manager or a new homeowner. Last month, a restaurant owner called me panicking because they diluted our kitchen degreaser twice as much as recommended, and it wasn’t cutting through the grill grease. I went out that same day, showed their staff how to use the proper ratio, and their degreasing time dropped by 30%—so they saved even more labor after that. We don’t just sell products; we make sure you use them the right way to get the maximum value. That’s part of the cost-effectiveness, too—no hidden waste from improper use.
Another angle is compliance, which is a huge, often overlooked cost for businesses in regulated industries—food service, healthcare, childcare, anything that requires adherence to EPA, OSHA, or local health codes. Using a spray product that’s not registered for the right use can lead to fines that add up fast. Last year, a day care center I’d been talking to decided to save money by using an unregistered cleaning spray they found online. A health inspection came through, and they got a $1,500 fine, plus had to re-clean all their surfaces with a registered product anyway. By Spray’s products are all EPA-registered, meet FDA food safety standards, and OSHA guidelines—so you avoid those costly penalties. For businesses in regulated fields, that’s a non-monetary cost that directly impacts your bottom line.
Now, I know this all sounds like we’re perfect, and we’re not. For some small, one-time tasks, a generic spray from the grocery store is just fine. If you only need to clean your bathroom mirror once a month, our premium glass spray isn’t going to save you money. But if you’re running a business, managing a facility, or doing regular maintenance on your home or shop, taking the time to calculate total cost instead of just upfront price will almost always show that By Spray products are the more cost-effective choice.
I’ve been in this industry long enough to know that when clients see real numbers, they get it. A tattoo parlor in downtown Austin switched to our sterile equipment spray last year; they told us their disposable wipes used to cost them $220 a month, and with our spray, they’re at $45 a month, plus a few extra minutes of their technician’s time that they now use to take on an extra client a week. That’s not just cost-effective—that’s revenue-positive. A local property management company we work with switched our pest control spray for their common areas; their monthly pest service costs dropped by $1,200, and they had 30% fewer tenant complaints about bugs. These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet—they’re businesses growing, staff working less, and clients happier.
By Material If you’re ready to stop guessing about whether your spray products are actually worth the money, or if you want to run a custom cost calculation for your specific space, give us a shout. We don’t pressure anyone to switch; we just share the facts, walk through your numbers, and make sure you get the solution that works for you. Whether you’re a small business owner, a facility manager, or a homeowner looking to save money on regular maintenance, By Spray is here to help you make a choice that’s good for your wallet, and good for your bottom line.
References
- Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). Cost-Effective Disinfectant Strategies for Commercial Facilities. EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2022). Labor Cost Impacts of Efficient Cleaning and Disinfection Protocols. OSHA Office of Occupational Medicine and Nursing.
- National Retail Federation. (2024). Total Cost of Ownership for Commercial Cleaning Products. NRF Retail Operations and Sustainability Department.
- Concrete Sealing Industry Association. (2023). Long-Term Durability and Cost Analysis of Concrete Surface Sealers. CSIA Technical Committee.
- Small Business Administration. (2022). Cost-Effective Product Selection for Small Service Businesses. SBA Office of Entrepreneurial Development.
Zhejiang Jigong Valve Co., Ltd.
Address: Dongou Industrial Park, Oubei Subdistrict, Yongjia County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province (within Zhejiang Yinhe Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd.)
E-mail: Sales@cnzjsk.com.cn
WebSite: https://www.ball-china.com/
