The Best Cleaning Products for Maintaining a Clean Home With Minimal Effort
Just before school was cancelled due to the Coronavirus, I was talking about mass hysteria and the pandemic with my psychology classes (if you are new here, I am a high school history teacher). We talked about the long lines outside of Costco and how crazy it was that people were buying such significant amounts of toilet paper and bottled water. The reality is, stacks of toilet paper and bottled water cases aren’t going to make the virus go away, but often times people overbuy items because feeling like they can prepare, offers a feeling of control, or comfort. I personally did not hoard any significant amount of supplies, however I can very much relate to this type of behavior and how it relates to control.
I love to clean, laundry not so much. But cleaning for me is very much cathartic and gives me a great deal of satisfaction. Whether it is the daily chaos of life with four children or a pandemic, going around my house and tidying up or cleaning has offered me a feeling of control, and helps relieve anxiety. Some people exercise, some read for pleasure, some listen to music, I scrub toilets, TO. EACH. THEIR. OWN.
The following tools and products are ones that I have used for a while and have a made a huge difference in my cleaning routine. As you read you may notice my enthusiasm for this stuff, well that’s because I am enthused. I refer to some of these as “life changing”, I mean that in the sense that it helps make cleaning far less of a grueling chore and more of a minimal effort daily routine. Our home is a good size and we clean it ourselves, it doesn’t feel overwhelming because we keep up with it daily so it doesn’t ever get out of control.
Toilets:
Lets start with toilets…we have a well/septic system and kids who often forget to flush, so needless to say I will openly admit that the INSIDE of our toilets can get a funky buildup which is first, hard to scrub off, and second is super stinky. I have tried Scrubbing Bubbles, bleach and all kinds of other toilet bowl cleaners but BY FAR the very best has been Barkeepers Friend Toilet Cleaner, I actually bought it on a whim for my own Christmas stocking but it is AMAZING. Best toilet bowl cleaner EVER.
For the outside of the bowl I have always used Lysol wipes. I typically wipe down our toilets with a wipe almost daily because my younger son tends to be a distracted pee’er.
Floors:
When our dog passed away the reality of how much of my children’s food landed on the floor became very evident. Without sweet Harley gobbling up all of the scraps I realized I needed to sweep. Sweeping stinks. So, I would pull my vacuum out, that was not convenient to do 5 times a day, so I tried to convince my husband that I needed the Dyson cordless vac that all of the influencers on Instagram are always talking about. I already have a Dyson, and he was not interested in spending 500 bucks on another vacuum. My husband did see the need though and did some of his own research and purchased this Makita. Trevor has many Makita tools and the battery pack is interchangeable with his tools so for us it is super convenient. I cannot tell you how much this thing has literally changed my life. It is lightweight, has great power, gets the job done and is SO quick and easy to use. My kids fight over using this thing! Since purchasing this at least four other people in my family have purchased the same vacuum. If I were to recommend anything on this list that is hands down worth every single penny and more, it is this stinking little vacuum, I even gave it a name “zippy skippy”, I’m not kidding.
Our house has central vac but I never use it, I just don’t like lugging around that long hose. I have a Dyson and I do really like it. I have had it professionally cleaned/tuned up once in the past 10 years that I have had it, and it still works great. Dyson customer service is also excellent if you have any problems.
When it comes to mopping my floors I used to be a Swiffer WetJet fan, but I found the pads to be expensive and wasteful so I transitioned to a microfiber mop/pad system and use Bona hardwood floor cleaner. I wasn’t feeling like I was getting deep enough clean though and saw a lot of buzz about the Bissel Steammop, so for Christmas I asked for a steammop (yes, I got toilet bowl cleaner and a steammop for Christmas). It is fantastic, you can truly feel how clean the floor is after you are done. Some tips though:
First, the cord is short which for me is annoying as our rooms are on the larger side. Second, in order for it to technically disinfect to the degree that is advertised you must go over the same area with 3 passes or so. Third, if you floor is super grimy I do recommend washing it first ( I’ll use the microfiber and Bona) to get off the first layer, then use the steamer to finish the job and disinfect. Last, I feel like the pads are hard to get really clean in the wash. I should really wash them separately with bleach but have not done so yet. But overall, I think the steam mop is GREAT and definitely worth getting.
Showers/tubs:
For my showers and bathtubs I am a Kaboom foam gal. I think the fumes are less harsh than other products and I find the foam to do a really great job.
Windows:
I know Windex tends to be the most popular go-to glass cleaner but I personally like Invisible Glass better, especially the foam.
Kitchen:
Barkeepers friend powder is AMAZING for kitchen use. I have cleaned my baking sheets with it, soaked my vent fan screens with it, pots, pans you name it, it makes them look brand new.
Our kitchen counters are soapstone, and although they are not porous I tend to not want to use harsh chemicals around food surfaces so I use this Ever Spring all purpose cleaning spray from Target. The scents are all really refreshing.
Dish Liquid…Dawn, always a Dawn fan, how can you not, they save all those cute ducks?!
Laundry Detergent: Tide/Tide Free and Clear. I have tried other brands, but i still think Tide reigns supreme. I also purchase Tide washing machine cleaner. I have a front loader and it gets funky and this cleaner works SO well.
Oxi-clean ( I buy the tub of the powder) works SO well for stains. I just spot cleaned my patio cushions with Oxi-Clean and they look new!
Dusting:
Swiffer dusters and microfibers cleaning cloths. Growing up one of my chores was to dust with Pledge and a rag. I don’t really have much wood in my house that I believe requires Pledge and I don’t personally like the smell and residue. I also use microfiber cloths.
Last, the tried and true Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, yes it is in fact magic. I clean my cabinets, baseboards, crayon markings, doors, trim, random marks on the walls, window sills, stubborn stains in the tub, these babies are in fact magic.
Cleaning products I DO NOT LIKE:
Dish cloths, not dish towels to dry dishes, but cloths to actually wash the dishes. Growing up my grandmother used dish cloths and they were always so smelly. Even if you hang them to dry at night, I just can’t get that nasty smell out of my mind! I actually don’t typically use dish sponges either, we prefer a brush. It does a great job, rinses well and doesn’t smell. You can find them on Amazon. If we do use a sponge my favorite is the “Scrub Daddy.”
Toilet brushes, I use a sponge or paper towel with gloves on to hand scrub my toilets and dispose of them when I am done. The idea of having a brush that is full of germs next to the toilet, hard pass.
Air fresheners. I am just not a fan of air fresheners, they give me a headache and I think that with proper cleaning you don’t need an air freshener. I will burn candles particularly in my kitchen after I have cooked and want to get the smell out, or open some windows!
Brooms. I have a broom but find vacuuming with the cordless I talked about above to just be so much more efficient.
The shower spray for every time you shower. That just seems like an excessive amount of chemicals to me.
On another note, I have tried more eco-friendly and natural cleaning products. I try to use the steam mop and microfiber cloths often to cut down on how much chemicals I am using and reduce how much disposable cleaning supplies I am using. But truth be told what I just shared are my personal go-to cleaning products that I feel have proved to do the best job in our home.
What are some of your favorite products? I would love your suggestions!!
Happy cleaning!!
-Nicole
PS. Last second afterthought, for kitchen towels, Williams Sonoma are by far the best!! I buy them at the outlet when they are on sale. But check online! They will last for years!
** The cover photo shows my son cleaning with just a spray bottle I filled with plain water. My kids actually love helping me clean but I never allow them to touch anything with chemicals.
