Are you starting fresh and clearing out all of your old cleaning tools and cleaners? Do you have a child leaving the nest, and you want to make sure they are set up to clean their new home? It’s easy to stock up on all the newest cleaners and tools, but the question becomes: How much of these things do I really need? We have you covered. We have compiled an essential list of items you’ll want in your home (or your kids’ new place) that will keep your space looking spotless. Let’s get right into it.
TOP 8 CLEANERS
There is a cleaner for just about every corner of your home. One for the fridge, one for your windows, one for your countertops; we could go on. You can eliminate many of these by investing in some basic items that will save you money and can tackle multiple areas of your home.
WHITE VINEGAR – When making cleaners for your home, you need an acid-base which helps dissolve or break down sticky or dirty buildup. Vinegar, combined with other products like alcohol, will give you some serious cleaning power.
BAKING SODA – Like vinegar, baking soda can dissolve dirt when combined with water. It’s different in that it is a powder and also acts as a mild abrasive. You can combine baking soda with a variety of other solvents to help clean the toughest areas of your home such as the kitchen and bathroom.
ALCOHOL – The role of alcohol in cleaning is to ward off harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungus. As you might see on products like hand sanitizer, one of the main ingredients is alcohol. This is a great product to have on hand to sanitize various areas of your home. Just be sure it’s safe to use on the surfaces you need to clean.
BORAX – Homeowners have been using borax for decades as a cleaning agent. Borax is a powdery substance that can help get rid of stains, molds, and mildew in your home. As a bonus, you can combine borax with things like baking soda and sugar to get rid of several insects like ants and cockroaches.
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE – The power of hydrogen peroxide is useful on many surfaces that alcohol shouldn’t touch. It’s also a superior liquid to clean your cleaning tools with as well. You can make a two parts hydrogen peroxide and water bath and let your cleaning tools sit in it for about 10-15-minutes. This gets them clean and saves you from having to replace them more often.
LEMON JUICE – The intense power of citric acid is what makes lemon juice so powerful when used as a cleaner. Not only does it have natural antibacterial properties, but it also has a natural bleaching agent to it. Knowing this also means you need to be careful about what surfaces you use it on.
OLIVE OIL – While you might have olive oil in your home for cooking, you might be surprised to know that you can use it for cleaning purposes in your home. Olive oil can clean and protect many kinds of wood and leather furniture pieces. Even better, you can use it on things like sticky labels, stuck zippers, mosquito replant in your garden, polish stainless steel, or use it to slow tarnish on silver.
SALT – You can use regular table salt or kosher sea salts to help break up grime in your home. Another bonus of using salt in combination with things like vinegar; it will help deodorize items that hold on to orders such as fabrics and laundry.
TOP 8 CLEANING TOOLS
These are our favorite tools that every home should be armed with. You can always add more items to this list, but most of these tools will clean every space within your home.
VACCUM – There is no replacement for a good vacuum cleaner when it comes to caring for your carpets and rugs. Invest in a good one right out of the gate and perform maintenance on it regularly to ensure you get its full lifespan.
TOILET BRUSH – A toilet brush has one job, and it should likely stay that way. This brush tends to handle the most bacteria in your home so be sure to use some of the antibacterial products (mentioned above) on it once a month.
DISH BRUSH & SPONGE – While you might have a dishwasher, you likely have certain kitchen items that cannot run through it. Arm your kitchen with a couple of types of dish brushes and sponges according to the type of items you use or cook with.
BROOM & PAN – Your broom will be helpful in all kinds of ways beyond sweeping your floors. You can use it to clear cobwebs in hard to reach places, dust surfaces just out of reach, or even wet the bristles to clean things like your bathtub between deep cleanings.
CLEANING CLOTHS – Keep a variety of cleaning cloths in your home that can be used on different surfaces. You can have certain cloths for your floors and others for your countertops. Further, you might opt for different textures (like microfiber) to protect more delicate surfaces.
WET FLOOR CLEANING TOOL – Your broom and dustpan can only handle so much, there will be times when you need to clean up spills. A mop or similar wet broom will help keep your floors tidy.
COURSE BRISTLE BRUSH – When a cleaning cloth won’t get up the grime, a bristle brush certainly can. You will need this type of brush for things like tub basins, floors, and sinks.
MAGIC ERASER – Finally, we are hard on our homes, and this is especially true for households with kids and pets. Your home is likely to see its share of ink pen, high heel scuffs, and mysterious marks along your walls. A magic eraser (or similar product) is a valuable tool to have in your home when cloths and cleaners can’t remove this type of wear and tear.
We hope you got something valuable from our essential cleaning products and cleaning tool suggestions. With a little research and direction, you can make your own cleaners and use these tools to help your home sparkle.