What Cleaning Supplies Should We Use?
I’ve had a few questions lately on what cleaning supplies I use.
And I have hesitated to share, because when I ask that type of question, it’s because I recognize that what I’m doing isn’t working, and I see that what someone else is doing IS working, so I think I should try the products they are using.
But here’s the thing:
The products don’t make a difference.
It’s the routines that make the difference.
1996… I hated cleaning. I didn’t want to be bothered with it, so I would clean when it got so bad I wasn’t able to ignore it anymore. But it wasn’t easy to clean stuff that had built up for 6-12 months.
So I would buy harsh cleaners, I would pay attention to commercials, and try whatever was recommended.
None of them worked as I thought they would.
There was never a spray-on, wash-off, tub-sparkles, and angels-sing type moment.
Why???
Because when you have 6 + months of soap build-up, it takes physical scrubbing to remove it.
The cleaners aren’t bad. But they only work with a week’s worth of build-up. They weren’t created for more than that.
So I will gladly tell you what items I use to clean the house, and why I like them, but please remember that the magic is not in the product, it’s in the frequency of a cleaning routine.
Magic Erasers
I found these work well to clean the tub. Our tub is very old, probably cast iron and when we moved in, the bottom was a very dark grey. I tried so many things to try to bleach it, and finally using a magic eraser made it white again. Now I use this weekly to clean the tub and it keeps it looking clean.
CLR
This I use when I wash the shower curtain, as well as getting the hard water build-up off the sink and faucet. Very minimal use, but makes those tasks easier.
Norwex
Norwex is a network marketing company that has been around for 27 years. “Instead of relying on chemicals, we use physical power to clean. Norwex Microfiber lifts, grabs, and traps dirt and grime, and can remove up to 99% of bacteria from a surface using only water.* Chemical-based wipes and cleaners work to sanitize or disinfect—if you follow the directions properly—but they can leave behind a harmful residue.” (quote from their website)
I do not sell Norwex, but I have a few friends that do and will link to my friend Rebecca’s website, if you have any questions, there is an option to chat with her and I would definitely recommend doing that, she loves helping people!
Norwex products I love using:
The large mop, (wet & dry options)
The dusting mitt
Enviro cloth and window cloth
Other “cleaning” items I have
For the kitchen:
- Dropps Dishwasher Detergent Pods use the code NM25 for 25% off if you are a new customers or NM15 to save 15% if you are an existing customer. (affiliate link)
- Kirkland dishwashing soap (We use this in our foaming soap dispensers)
- 3 hand towels
- 3 tea towels
- 12 dishcloths
- 2 pan scrappers
- 1 stainless steel scrubby
- 10 cleaning rags/towels (We use these for spills, instead of paper towels)
For the living/dining room:
- iRobot (Now that I’ve had this one for a year, I would probably shop around a little more and find one I could program based on rooms, so I could just tell it to vacuum the dining room or a bedroom, rather than the entire house)
For the bathroom:
- Toilet bowl brush
Again, I want to emphasize that these are things that I’ve found work for me, but they aren’t magic. If you want a home that is easy to clean, declutter a bunch (so you don’t have to work around clutter) and then develop a weekly cleaning routine.
It wasn’t until I was consistent in my cleaning routine that I realized that was the magic to keeping a clean house… actually cleaning it!
I had to start with just regular daily cleaning – tidying up the kitchen and doing the dishes.
And then a moved on to developing a weekly cleaning routine.
If you need help with that, I created the Home Reset Checklists for this purpose. Because I needed something easy to follow that would tackle all the problem areas without overwhelming me and making me feel like I was spending all my spare time cleaning.
