These handy 15 Cleaning Essentials to Always Have On Hand will help you with all of your cleaning needs!
Spilled red wine. Muddy paw prints. Marker on the wall. Life sends us a lot of messy moments, don’t let them catch you unprepared. Everyone, from the 20-something in their first place to the well-established woman, needs their own go-to stash of cleaning essentials.
What should you have in your caddy? A curated assortment of tools and cleaning products to help you with everyday messes. While your collection may look slightly different based on the items you tend to regularly, this list should cover all your basic needs.
Cleaning Products
Most messes will need more than water and elbow grease. This assortment of sprays, liquids and gels will have your home sparkling in no time.
1. All-Purpose Cleaner
One good all-purpose cleaner can cover a multitude of surfaces. Targeted products do a better job cleaning their intended surfaces, but a multipurpose cleaner can take care of your whole home with a much lower cost investment. If you’re on a budget, you can live with this as your only cleaning product. Just know you’ll get a much better clean by expanding your repertoire.
2. Glass Cleaner
The next cleaner on the list can tackle everything from your windows to mirrors to the glass stovetop. It works just as easily as a multipurpose cleaner but will make glass surfaces clearer and offers a streak-free shine.
3. Disinfectant
One thing glass cleaner and all-purpose sprays can’t do is kill bacteria and viruses. They make your home look clean, but that’s it. A disinfectant is ideal for your kitchen and bathroom surfaces. You should also plan to use it regularly on door handles and light switches.
4. Degreaser
A dedicated degreaser will help you clean your stove much faster than a multipurpose cleaner. Its powerhouse ingredients cut through grease and baked on food leaving you with a pristine oven.
5. Dish Soap
This is the only cleaner you should be using on your dishes. Unlike the other options on this list, it’s food safe. You wouldn’t want to eat it straight out of the bottle, but any minor residue after rinsing won’t make you sick.
As a bonus, you can even use dish detergent mixed with water as a cleaning spray if you’re in a pinch.
6. Toilet Cleaner
A disinfectant product will clean the outside of your toilet just fine. However, the inside poses different challenges. You need a cleaner that can remove stains, disinfect, tackle lime or hard water build-up and remove odors. That’s a lot to ask from one product, but toilet bowl cleaners are up for the job.
7. Bleach
Bleach is a kill-all-clean-all type of product. It’s incredibly abrasive and potent, but it does its job well. Use this sparingly and infrequently, or you’ll do more harm to your surfaces than good. Throw some in a cycle with your whites and scrub your grout with it to get them looking brand new again.
8. Stainless Steel or Wood Cleaner
The final products on this list are very individual to your particular needs. A dedicated cleaner is ideal for wood and stainless steel because other formulations can damage them. If you have wood furnishings, hardwood floors or stainless steel appliances, you should consider getting targeted products for maintaining them.
Essential Tools
Your cleaning products need help to get the job done. This list of tools is exactly what you need to get your home looking great.
9. Cleaning Cloths
This item may be the most important in your arsenal. Otherwise, you’ll end up using paper towels with your cleaning products, which would be detrimental to the planet and your budget. Cleaning cloths come in a wide variety, from soft ones for delicate objects to microfiber for a streak-free finish. When you’re done, toss them in the wash and reuse them repeatedly.
10. Sponges
Sponges are excellent for jobs requiring a delicate scrub. They absorb soapy water and clean dishes exceptionally well. You can also use them for a quick spot treatment of your floors in between mopping sessions. Replace them often to avoid odors and bacteria build-up.
11. Scrub Brush and Toothbrush
Usually, a sponge or cloth will take care of any mess. However, more hardened on grime will need a little more power. A scrub brush and an old toothbrush will allow you to tackle all the tough spots in your home.
12. Toilet Brush
A toilet brush is undoubtedly a tool you don’t want to live without. Who would want to stick their arm into the bowl to clean it every time? A toilet brush gives you scrubbing power at a distance. I think we’re all thankful for that.
13. Vacuum
After all this cleaning, your floors are going to need some attention. Vacuums used to only be suitable for carpeting, but most models nowadays can easily transition from hard floors to carpets. If you can only get one floor cleaner, make it a vacuum.
14. Mop and Bucket
Your next most important floor cleaner is a mop and bucket. Similar to the difference between an all-purpose cleaner and disinfectant, a vacuum only makes the room look cleaner — a mop will eliminate the germs and hard-to-see dirt.
15. Broom and Dustpan
If your vacuum doesn’t work well on hard floors, or you prefer to have separate tools, you’ll need a broom and dustpan. They’ll allow you to clear out dust bunnies and stray crumbs.
What Are Your Cleaning Essentials?
Reading through this long list of cleaning products may seem overwhelming. However, your needs may be slightly different. If you don’t have stainless steel appliances, skip that cleaner. Do you have hardwoods throughout your place? You may be able to forego the vacuum. Tailor your cleaning caddy to your stage of life and housing situation.
Cora’s passion is to inspire others to live a happy, healthful, and mindful life through her words on Revivalist – wholeheartedly convincing them that everyday moments are worth celebrating. Cora has spent 5+ years writing for numerous lifestyle sites – hence her sincere love for both life and the beauty of style in all things. Keep up with Cora on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.
Want to stay in the know? I’d really love that! (((HUGS))) |
Like … on Facebook | Follow … on Pinterest | Follow … on Instagram | |
Clean
Leave a Reply