My Go-To Cleaning Products & Tips
I got this text message from my friend the other day:
Dear Simple Made Simple,
My bathrooms are a mess. What do you recommend for shower grout and bathtubs?
How about in my kitchen? What do you recommend for my stovetop?
Do you have a favorite countertop wipe?
Love,
Hopeless Cleaner
So cute. We all have our talents and things that seem to come naturally to us. This particular friend is an awesome teacher, is level headed when you ask for advice with a problem you may have, and is extra organized. When I was still teaching and had a situation with a student or a parent, she was always someone I went to to get objective advice. When she needs cleaning, cooking, or other types of domestic advice, she comes to me. Hence her super cute and creative text. 😉
I received this text and instantly smiled. And then got to work. She knows this is my bread and butter. About 30 minutes later, she had an email in her inbox answering all her cleaning questions complete with links to suggested products I may buy in categories for kitchen, bath, and general home cleaning. I'm a nerd, but again, this stuff is my jam.
Why only share with her when I could share with whomever happens to come across my blog? So here you go, readers. My favorite cleaning products and tips.
Note: I am not necessarily loyal to a brand. I am loyal to types of products that I know work and good prices. Some of the links I share may be my go-to, tried and true favorites but a lot are suggestions. Hope these help when you get down to deep cleaning your space :)
Kitchen
1. Multipurpose Cleaner
-- I always have a multipurpose, antibacterial spray cleaner on hand to wipe up any type of kitchen mess
2. Stone Counter Cleaner
-- Now that I actually have nice counter tops, I have a daily stone countertop cleaner for marble. Apparently regular daily cleaners are no good for your nice, stone countertops. Who knew? Now I do. Just make sure to read the cleaner to make sure it's good on all types of stone depending on what you've got in your home [marble, granite, quartz, etc].
3. Dish Soap
-- This seems obvious, but good ole' dish soap is for more than just dishes. Works well on a quick spill on your clothes, for example. I use a small drop or two when I clean my makeup brushes. Use it for a small floor/carpet spill. Grease on something? Dawn is perfect for food grease or any other type of greasy substance you may be dealing with - WD40, car oil, etc. I use it to wipe down my stainless steel appliances, too. Always have dish soap on hand.
Bathroom
1. Shower Cleaners
-- Clorox, Scrubbing Bubbles, or Kaboom Spray & Wipe Cleaners are the best. Spray, let sit for a minute or two depending on how much grime and shower yuckies you've got in there, and wipe. Saves time and elbow grease :) I use a double sided sponge for this job so that if there's some tough, set on shower grime, I can use the scrub pad side to really get the job done.
2. Clorox Wipes (or store brand because they're usually cheaper!)
-- This is what I use to wipe down my sink and toilet. Easy peasy. These are only good when I wipe down my bathroom like, once a week. More than that and I use an actual bathroom cleaner.
3. Bathroom Cleaner with Bleach
-- This is for when my bathroom needs a deeper cleaning than my once weekly wipe down of the sink and top of the toilet. Be careful with bleach; wear something you don't care about and keep it away from your bathroom rugs and towels.
4. Toilet Bowl Cleaner & Brush
-- This is a must have. I try to avoid having to stick my hand in the toilet at all costs. I have a child, so stuff is going to end up in there, but if I don't have to, I won't. Any cleaner with bleach is good for the toilet bowl, too. I like the particular brush I have linked because it's got a two way cleaning system: a brush for the bowl and a brush for the underside/lip of the toilet bowl where the nasty stuff likes to hide.
5. Method Daily Shower Spray
-- My mom turned me on to this product. I use it almost daily on my shower curtain. I find that my shower curtain is something that gets gross fast, especially because my blind eyes in the shower can't always spot some of the nasties on the shower curtain so I don't always think of cleaning it or changing it! I use this spray just quickly at the end of my shower and it seems to help keep some of that yucky mold and mildew that secretly grows in the folds of your shower curtain at bay for a little bit longer.
General Household
1. Windex
-- Love me some windex. I use this on all my mirrors and glass surface, and even on the top of my toilet sometimes. Works perfectly.
2. Carpet Odor Eliminator
-- I love this product from Arm & Hammer. It's a carpet powder that you sprinkle on about 10 minutes before you vacuum and let sit. It really does leave a wonderful, fresh scent in your carpet and home. I don't use it every time I vacuum, but when I do, I'm always happy with the freshness that results.
3. Hardwood Floor Cleaner
-- I've used Bona hardwood floor cleaner. I don't usually use it EVERY time I wipe down my hardwood floors, but probably every third time. It's good for the wood and really does leave a nice, clean shine. Bona also makes a polish. I have it, but haven't used it yet. You have to wipe it down and leave for an hour before walking on the surface. It's definitely a project I can't do alone, especially with a 9 month old crawling around everywhere. It'll be a project for one evening when my husband is home and can wrangle the babe for a few hours before bed.
4. Swiffer Products
-- I use a Swiffer duster for quick dusting jobs and some Pledge spray.
-- I use a Swiffer floor cleaner with the dusting rags and wet rags to do a quick clean up of my floors (both dry clean and wet clean).
5. Dust Buster
-- This is my favorite! I wrote a blog about this already, but I will always keep a dust buster on hand in my home after taking my sister-in-law's advice and buying one of these.
6. Lysol Spray
-- I always have Lysol spray on hand. It's perfect for refreshing your garbage can after taking out a stinky bag or spraying down door handles, the toilet, and other frequently touched surfaces after someone has been sick in your house.
7. Magic Eraser Cleaning Pads
-- I love these magic erasers! They pretty much work on most weird scuff marks on floors or walls. I even use mine on my monthly dry erase calendar I have in the kitchen for when the dry erase marker won't come off the board. I used them on every single scuff mark on the walls of my old apartment as I was cleaning before I moved out and they worked so well!
8. Pledge Multi-Surface Cleaner
-- I use this mostly when dusting or wiping down dusty surfaces. But, it's technically a multi-surface cleaner so I suppose you could use it mostly on everything! Read the back and see what else you can use it for.
Laundry
1. I don't really have a favorite laundry detergent; I mostly use what's on sale or what's cheapest and that's usually Purex.
2. One of my two go-to stain removers is Shout.
3. My other go-to stain remover is Fels-Naptha. I wrote a previous blog post on it, so check that out here. But, in short, it's a bar of soap that you'll use on tough stains and it really does work amazingly.
Cleaning Tips
I don't know that I really have any crazy revealing, mind blowing cleaning tips. Here are a few that come to mind:
-- My biggest tip is just to stay on top of your cleaning tasks. Keeping a clean kitchen and bathroom is not only more sanitary for your entire household, but reduces the frequency you have to do a deep clean.
-- Stay organized evening with your cleaning tasks. Set a day aside to do particular tasks. Make Saturday's your day to clean the bathrooms, for example. A once a week wipe down on a designated day will help it to become a habit.
-- Keep your cleaning products for the bathroom in the bathroom. Maybe this seems like a no-brainer, but if you've got some bathroom and tub cleaner, Clorox wipes, and Windex in the bathroom with some sponges and paper towels, you'll probably be more likely to quickly whip them out and spend 10 minutes wiping everything down. Going to another location to get the supplies and paper towels and a garbage bag for it all just seemingly adds time and is an extra annoyance. Keeping the products in the place where you'll need them and use them will hopefully motivate you to do a quick clean.
-- Stock up on sponges and paper towels. Obviously, you can't reuse the paper towels but the sponges just seem to get gross fast. Keep a few extra on hand.
-- Turn old t-shirts and wash clothes into cleaning rags. No need to buy rags when we've all got something we could recycle. When my husband gets a new package of white t-shirts, I take a few of his old ones and stash them away for cleaning rags.
-- Keep an old (but clean) toothbrush in your laundry room. When you've got a tough, set-in stain, using a toothbrush to scrub that stain just a bit before it gets thrown in the laundry can sometimes make all the difference.
-- Wash your plastic shower curtain. Yes, you can do this! I typically wash my shower curtain once when it seems like it's getting toward the time I'd typically change it. Throw it in your washer alone with some laundry detergent and a little bit of bleach. Wash it on hot on a quick wash and hang back up. This will get you a little more use out of it before you need to buy a new one.
So, Hopeless Cleaner, I hope this post helps you to stock up on some of the products you'll need in your household and gives you a few tips for how to tackle a not-so-fun task: cleaning your house. Happy Cleaning! 😉
My bathrooms are a mess. What do you recommend for shower grout and bathtubs?
How about in my kitchen? What do you recommend for my stovetop?
Do you have a favorite countertop wipe?
Love,
Hopeless Cleaner
So cute. We all have our talents and things that seem to come naturally to us. This particular friend is an awesome teacher, is level headed when you ask for advice with a problem you may have, and is extra organized. When I was still teaching and had a situation with a student or a parent, she was always someone I went to to get objective advice. When she needs cleaning, cooking, or other types of domestic advice, she comes to me. Hence her super cute and creative text. 😉
I received this text and instantly smiled. And then got to work. She knows this is my bread and butter. About 30 minutes later, she had an email in her inbox answering all her cleaning questions complete with links to suggested products I may buy in categories for kitchen, bath, and general home cleaning. I'm a nerd, but again, this stuff is my jam.
Why only share with her when I could share with whomever happens to come across my blog? So here you go, readers. My favorite cleaning products and tips.
Note: I am not necessarily loyal to a brand. I am loyal to types of products that I know work and good prices. Some of the links I share may be my go-to, tried and true favorites but a lot are suggestions. Hope these help when you get down to deep cleaning your space :)
1. Multipurpose Cleaner
-- I always have a multipurpose, antibacterial spray cleaner on hand to wipe up any type of kitchen mess
2. Stone Counter Cleaner
-- Now that I actually have nice counter tops, I have a daily stone countertop cleaner for marble. Apparently regular daily cleaners are no good for your nice, stone countertops. Who knew? Now I do. Just make sure to read the cleaner to make sure it's good on all types of stone depending on what you've got in your home [marble, granite, quartz, etc].
3. Dish Soap
-- This seems obvious, but good ole' dish soap is for more than just dishes. Works well on a quick spill on your clothes, for example. I use a small drop or two when I clean my makeup brushes. Use it for a small floor/carpet spill. Grease on something? Dawn is perfect for food grease or any other type of greasy substance you may be dealing with - WD40, car oil, etc. I use it to wipe down my stainless steel appliances, too. Always have dish soap on hand.
Bathroom
1. Shower Cleaners
-- Clorox, Scrubbing Bubbles, or Kaboom Spray & Wipe Cleaners are the best. Spray, let sit for a minute or two depending on how much grime and shower yuckies you've got in there, and wipe. Saves time and elbow grease :) I use a double sided sponge for this job so that if there's some tough, set on shower grime, I can use the scrub pad side to really get the job done.
2. Clorox Wipes (or store brand because they're usually cheaper!)
-- This is what I use to wipe down my sink and toilet. Easy peasy. These are only good when I wipe down my bathroom like, once a week. More than that and I use an actual bathroom cleaner.
3. Bathroom Cleaner with Bleach
-- This is for when my bathroom needs a deeper cleaning than my once weekly wipe down of the sink and top of the toilet. Be careful with bleach; wear something you don't care about and keep it away from your bathroom rugs and towels.
4. Toilet Bowl Cleaner & Brush
-- This is a must have. I try to avoid having to stick my hand in the toilet at all costs. I have a child, so stuff is going to end up in there, but if I don't have to, I won't. Any cleaner with bleach is good for the toilet bowl, too. I like the particular brush I have linked because it's got a two way cleaning system: a brush for the bowl and a brush for the underside/lip of the toilet bowl where the nasty stuff likes to hide.
5. Method Daily Shower Spray
-- My mom turned me on to this product. I use it almost daily on my shower curtain. I find that my shower curtain is something that gets gross fast, especially because my blind eyes in the shower can't always spot some of the nasties on the shower curtain so I don't always think of cleaning it or changing it! I use this spray just quickly at the end of my shower and it seems to help keep some of that yucky mold and mildew that secretly grows in the folds of your shower curtain at bay for a little bit longer.
General Household
1. Windex
-- Love me some windex. I use this on all my mirrors and glass surface, and even on the top of my toilet sometimes. Works perfectly.
2. Carpet Odor Eliminator
-- I love this product from Arm & Hammer. It's a carpet powder that you sprinkle on about 10 minutes before you vacuum and let sit. It really does leave a wonderful, fresh scent in your carpet and home. I don't use it every time I vacuum, but when I do, I'm always happy with the freshness that results.
3. Hardwood Floor Cleaner
-- I've used Bona hardwood floor cleaner. I don't usually use it EVERY time I wipe down my hardwood floors, but probably every third time. It's good for the wood and really does leave a nice, clean shine. Bona also makes a polish. I have it, but haven't used it yet. You have to wipe it down and leave for an hour before walking on the surface. It's definitely a project I can't do alone, especially with a 9 month old crawling around everywhere. It'll be a project for one evening when my husband is home and can wrangle the babe for a few hours before bed.
4. Swiffer Products
-- I use a Swiffer duster for quick dusting jobs and some Pledge spray.
-- I use a Swiffer floor cleaner with the dusting rags and wet rags to do a quick clean up of my floors (both dry clean and wet clean).
5. Dust Buster
-- This is my favorite! I wrote a blog about this already, but I will always keep a dust buster on hand in my home after taking my sister-in-law's advice and buying one of these.
6. Lysol Spray
-- I always have Lysol spray on hand. It's perfect for refreshing your garbage can after taking out a stinky bag or spraying down door handles, the toilet, and other frequently touched surfaces after someone has been sick in your house.
7. Magic Eraser Cleaning Pads
-- I love these magic erasers! They pretty much work on most weird scuff marks on floors or walls. I even use mine on my monthly dry erase calendar I have in the kitchen for when the dry erase marker won't come off the board. I used them on every single scuff mark on the walls of my old apartment as I was cleaning before I moved out and they worked so well!
8. Pledge Multi-Surface Cleaner
-- I use this mostly when dusting or wiping down dusty surfaces. But, it's technically a multi-surface cleaner so I suppose you could use it mostly on everything! Read the back and see what else you can use it for.
Laundry
1. I don't really have a favorite laundry detergent; I mostly use what's on sale or what's cheapest and that's usually Purex.
2. One of my two go-to stain removers is Shout.
3. My other go-to stain remover is Fels-Naptha. I wrote a previous blog post on it, so check that out here. But, in short, it's a bar of soap that you'll use on tough stains and it really does work amazingly.
Cleaning Tips
I don't know that I really have any crazy revealing, mind blowing cleaning tips. Here are a few that come to mind:
-- My biggest tip is just to stay on top of your cleaning tasks. Keeping a clean kitchen and bathroom is not only more sanitary for your entire household, but reduces the frequency you have to do a deep clean.
-- Stay organized evening with your cleaning tasks. Set a day aside to do particular tasks. Make Saturday's your day to clean the bathrooms, for example. A once a week wipe down on a designated day will help it to become a habit.
-- Keep your cleaning products for the bathroom in the bathroom. Maybe this seems like a no-brainer, but if you've got some bathroom and tub cleaner, Clorox wipes, and Windex in the bathroom with some sponges and paper towels, you'll probably be more likely to quickly whip them out and spend 10 minutes wiping everything down. Going to another location to get the supplies and paper towels and a garbage bag for it all just seemingly adds time and is an extra annoyance. Keeping the products in the place where you'll need them and use them will hopefully motivate you to do a quick clean.
-- Stock up on sponges and paper towels. Obviously, you can't reuse the paper towels but the sponges just seem to get gross fast. Keep a few extra on hand.
-- Turn old t-shirts and wash clothes into cleaning rags. No need to buy rags when we've all got something we could recycle. When my husband gets a new package of white t-shirts, I take a few of his old ones and stash them away for cleaning rags.
-- Keep an old (but clean) toothbrush in your laundry room. When you've got a tough, set-in stain, using a toothbrush to scrub that stain just a bit before it gets thrown in the laundry can sometimes make all the difference.
-- Wash your plastic shower curtain. Yes, you can do this! I typically wash my shower curtain once when it seems like it's getting toward the time I'd typically change it. Throw it in your washer alone with some laundry detergent and a little bit of bleach. Wash it on hot on a quick wash and hang back up. This will get you a little more use out of it before you need to buy a new one.
So, Hopeless Cleaner, I hope this post helps you to stock up on some of the products you'll need in your household and gives you a few tips for how to tackle a not-so-fun task: cleaning your house. Happy Cleaning! 😉
Comments
Post a Comment