Cleaning Supplies I Use Regularly

Between quarantining and the change of seasons, I have been on a cleaning spree. I am calling it spring cleaning, it’s definitely the quarantine. We haven’t had a cleaning service prior to this so I’ve been doing it. Frankly, I enjoy it. (At least for now, with no kids and 2,000 square feet, it’s totally doable.)

I don’t have an exact schedule that I follow, I prefer to do everyday cleaning every day and then spend a couple of hours on the weekend doing more of a deep clean. Pre-quarantine we had people over to our house at least once a week for dinner and that’s the best motivator for me to keep things deep cleaned all the time. Now we are just here all the time and we make a lot more mess and it’s just the two of us. Sometimes it seems impossible that only two people created such disorganization! Ha!!

EVERYDAY TIDYING:

I don’t spend more than 30 minutes throughout the day tidying. It’s more like, okay, the coffee is percolating? Let me empty the dishwasher from last night and sweep the floors. On the phone with someone? Let me just dust these shelves mindlessly. And I don’t necessarily do all of these things every single day. Although now that I’m typing the list out, I think I maybe do do everything on the list every day without realizing.

– Counters

– Light dusting

– Sweeping

– Mirrors

– Pillow fluffing

– Dishes

– Vacuuming

– Light organizing

WEEKLY CLEANING:

I love to spend time on Sunday doing a deeper clean so the week starts off feeling nice and fresh. Mike has been doing all of our yard work (and our yard has required a lot of work) so while he’s outside I take advantage of having the house “to myself” to get into the nooks and crannies. I mostly keep the living spaces of the house pretty clean with the everyday cleaning I do, so it’s mostly the laundry and bathrooms and floors that take the most time.

– Bathrooms (floor, toilet, counter, linens, shower)

– Laundry (personal, towels, bedding, couches)

– Mopping (I would do this every day but it requires moving furniture and now that everyone is home, it’s more challenging to keep dogs and people out of rooms to let it dry!)

– Deeper dusting

– Deeper organizing

MONTHLY CLEANING:

– Car

– Office “piles”

– Fridge/pantry

– Bookshelves

– Wet-vac the rugs

– Windows

– Porch/patio

WHAT I USE

I love my cleaning supplies and tools. Like, really love them. It’s a joke whenever I pull something out from the basement and I say, “This is 30!!!!” (instead of “This is Sparta!”), I find the supplies that thrilling. Maybe this isn’t the case for everything, but if you have the right tools, cleaning is also not that bad. I find it enjoyable and satisfying more than I can even describe. This isn’t an exhaustive list of everything I use, but thought I’d round up some of my favorites for what I find works best, at least in our home!

Scrub Daddy & Mr Clean Magic Erasers // I’m putting these in the same category. Nothing ground breaking here, I’m sure you’ve heard of and/or use both yourselves. I am constantly putting these on reorder. I use them both everywhere. One of my favorite things to do is to take the Magic Erasers, pop headphones in with an audiobook, and walk through the house cleaning off marks. Our stair’s kick boards, doors where hands have left prints, walls with mysterious markings. The Scrub Daddy I use for dishes, but also for cleaning bathrooms. We have SUPER HARD WATER and so I go to town with it to scrub off hard water marks in the bathroom, sinks, etc.

Blueland // I bought the trio-cleaning pack from Blueland and have been really pleased. You buy reusable spray bottles and then you purchase the cleaning tablets which you dissolve into warm water. It’s genius (why ship water!). The first pack of my bottles weren’t the best– they cracked. But Blueland sent me a new one and told me they had redesigned the bottles to make them more secure. So far, so good. The tablets are also really great.

Paperless Towels // We have significantly cut back on our paper towel usage. Instead, I bought a pack of these paperless towels. OBSESSED. I keep a huge stack of them in the drawer next to the sink and then a couple in each bathroom. They wash beautifully.

Swiffer // I really like Swiffer products for quick cleans. I use these more on an everyday basis than for deep cleanings. The Swiffer cloths for great for dusting– I think they trap the dust better than anything. And the Wet Jet mop is super handy for doing quick clean ups in the kitchen and bathroom floors. (Perfect for when I’m lazy and just need to quickly hit the floors without needing to plug anything in.)

Bissell Steam Mop // GUYS. DO NOT WAIT. If you don’t have a steam mop, you need one. I wish I had bought one years ago, it’s changed the game. Magic really. We have some very difficult to clean tile floors and this works wonders. It’s quiet and it works. It’s so fun to do that I sometimes feel like mopping just for the satisfaction, not because the floor “needs” to be cleaned. This one is a mop and detaches so you can clean other places as well– like counter tops, grout, behind toilets, stoves, etc.

Dyson Vacuum // I splurged on this when we moved into our house and it’s been a great thing to have on hand. Is it worth it? I think it depends on your budget, but I will say the vacuum is fantastic!!!! Personally I think it makes vacuuming less of a chore which is a win for me. It’s also cordless so I’m never sitting there debating whether or not it’s “worth” setting up. If I need to vacuum one tiny spot in the kitchen for a spill or one area of the rug where one of the dogs left dirt, I don’t think twice. I also LOVE the attachments for it and that it’s cordless so I can bring it anywhere (the car, garage, the front porch, etc.).

Bissell Vacuum // We also have this more traditional upright vacuum that is FANTASTIC. It’s more affordable (under $100) and does an insanely good job. I raved about it so much during a vacation with Mike’s family once that three people bought it on the spot. I’d definitely recommend this, especially if you have a heavily carpeted home.

Bissell Wet Vac // Now this is another machine that I don’t know how I lived so long without. It’s so great that I have friends who ask to borrow it for carpet stains. It’s one of those deeply satisfying cleaning machines too… the dirty water tank will horrify you. Even on carpet that looks clean– your mind will be blown at the amount of dirt and grime that is sitting in it.

OxyClean White Revive // This is my “secret weapon” for keeping things white… I talk at length about it in this post, but it works so well.

Broom/Dust Pan // Call me crazy but as much as I love a gadget, sometimes you just can’t beat a broom and dust pan. I think out of everything, I use this the most. I love to sweep.

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