Essential Cleaning Supplies

With spring being “just around the corner” many of us are thinking about spring cleaning. Gearing up to tackle those many tasks can often be daunting to many of us. One of the simpler ways to tackle this and any cleaning project are to have your fundamental cleaning supplies all together in one easy organized space. I recommend you to purchase a bucket and place the majority of your cleaning supplies in it. It makes it easy to carry and use from room to room.

First however we will discuss what sort of products you clean with. With our economy being what it is today (on the downward slope) many people are looking for ways to save money with their cleaning supplies. Not just in the cleaning solutions themselves, but also in the type of supplies used for the cleaning.

Newspapers and Old rags

Look around your house and you will find at least one or two things you can use for cleaning purposes. Two of the easiest and most useful things would be: newspapers and old rags. Newspapers can be used for wiping down your windows and also for lining your litter boxes. Rags can be anything from an old shirt you’ve cut up to a lone single sock without a match. These types of rags can be used for dusting furniture, ceiling fans, shelves and even mopping your floors.

Take a look at the products you are using now

Now let’s look at what products and cleaning solutions you use for your cleaning tasks. Many store bought commercial products contain hazardous and dangerous chemicals. You won’t often find them listed on the product easily seen. Look at the labels closely; see what types of chemicals are being used.

Going Green

It’s better for the environment if we make our own cleaning solutions the “Green” way. Green products are so much better for you and your home. By going green you are reducing the risk of exposure to chemicals and harmful substances which could be putting your children, pets and yourself at risk.

You can easily make many of your cleaning solutions yourself. It’s really quite easy and cost effective as well. Not only are you reducing the risk of being exposed to chemicals but at the same time you are saving money by not having to purchase those store bought cleaners.

Vinegar, water, spray bottle -You can use good old fashioned vinegar and water for cleaning glass surfaces. This works well for your windows and any glass top tables you have as well as mirrors. Another great inexpensive cleaning solution is Baking Soda. It can be used for a multitude of things. It can be used for cleaning your floors and counter tops to scrubbing your bathroom.

Gathering up your supplies

Now it’s time to start gathering your supplies together. Think about what type supplies will be needed most? Think a few minutes about what it is you will be cleaning? If you’re like me you will start in one specific room from the top to the bottom. This includes your ceiling, walls, ceiling fan, and working your way down to your floor.

There are several products on the market these days which advertise a ‘quicker easier way to dust” but I still think the basics are the best. Take your rags you have made now and dampen them in a solution of water and baking soda and use to dust the annoying cobwebs from your ceiling. I slip the dampened rag over a broom and sweep them away. No stain on yourself by climbing up and down a ladder this way.

When you’ve worked your way over to the ceiling fan this is the time to get your “sock rag”. Dampen this in the same solution and slip over your hand and arm. Now this makes cleaning those fan blades much easier. When you’re done with your rags simply toss them into the wash to use again. No waste and no adding more to our overloaded landfills.

Next we tackle the walls. Simply do the same here. Take another clean dampened rag and put over your broom and wash “sweep” your walls down. Clean, shiny and now smelling nice. Baking soda as we all know is excellent for removing odors as well.

Working our way over to our tables and shelves is next. Place a new “old” sock on your hand and lightly spray with furniture polish. Dusting is so much easier and quicker this way. Plus you haven’t sprayed overly much and onto the floor this way.

Now it’s time to tackle those windows inside. Grab those newspapers and your vinegar and let’s make those windows sparkling clean. Newspaper is a must for a streak free shine. Once those windows are done it’s time to move onto our floors.

If you have various types of flooring in your home you will want to try to find one that is suitable and works well for them all. I have found several that work for anything from linoleum to wood floors. This is probably what you will be looking for yourself. This is about the only area of using the newer products and supplies that I will use. I prefer using the new type mops that have a single use pad for each room you clean. I do not like using a mop and bucket. To me the mop and bucket are only pushing around dirty water over and over on your floor each time. That is unless you constantly are replacing with clean water. I find it actually saves me more time and money to use the newer mops with the individual cleaning pads for this.

If you have carpets on your floors keep baking soda close to your vacuum for cleaning and removing smells from your carpet. Before vacuuming sprinkle your carpets lightly with the baking soda. This also helps remove any pet dander you may have as well.

Other critical cleaning supplies include the use of an anti-bacterial spray. This is used for your bathrooms and quite possibly your kitchen counters. So be sure and include this in your cleaning kit.

Put your supplies back in the carry all

At the end of each cleaning project place your supplies back into the easy carry all. When your supplies are easily handy and organized it makes the job of spring cleaning or your day to day cleaning that much faster and efficient.