I probably get a little too excited about cleaning products, but the right cleaning products can make cleaning your home so much easier (and much more exciting).
This list of cleaning tools has simplified and streamlined my cleaning routines.
The Cleaning Products Every Home Needs
Libman mop
The Wonder Mop is my all-time favorite mop. I love the fact that you can wash the head in the washing machine, and you can buy replacement heads so you don’t have to replace the entire mop every time the head gets worn.
Vinegar
Vinegar truly is the ultimate cleaning product. It has antibacterial properties and it’s not a harsh chemical. Best of all, it’s cheap! You can buy it online, but this is one product that I buy in my local grocery store.
The “regular” vinegar is all you need to get a deep clean. Heinz sells a “cleaning vinegar” with 6% acidity, but I just buy the store brand vinegar (5% acidity) and use less water in my cleaning solution.
Words of wisdom: don’t use vinegar on natural stone, like granite counters.
Dawn dish soap
I love the “blue” Dawn dish soap to clean just about everything. It’s a great stain remover and it’s also a powerful cleaning product. My favorite way to use it is to mix it with vinegar to make a bathroom cleaner. It’s magic in a bottle! 😉
Streak-Free Microfiber Cloths
These microfiber cloths are amazing! My mom found some at a flea market and bought me one, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
You can easily wash windows and mirrors with only these cloths – no Windex needed. They do a great job and don’t leave streaks (something I could never manage to accomplish when I used Windex and a paper towel).
The best part? These microfiber cloths are reusable. You can even wash them in the washing machine (I put mine in a lingerie bag so that they don’t get damaged).
Bissell Brush Sweeper
This takes me back to my waitressing days in high school, but the Bissell Brush Sweeper is a handy tool to have for quick cleanups. My mom just bought one, and I love cleaning up after my kids at her house! 😉 She promised to get me one for my birthday (is it sad that I get excited about receiving cleaning products as birthday presents?!?).
The Bissell does a great job on both floors and carpets. It’s perfect for a quick cleanup after dinner. It’s also light enough that the kids can use it.
Vacuum
We have a Kirby vacuum, which I love, but wouldn’t recommend to a friend (I bought it from a door-to-door salesman a week after I had my first child, and let’s just suffice it to say that his high-pressure sales tactics worked on me in my super hormonal state).
The Kirby has all the bells and whistles (a shampooer, attachments to vacuum everything from the bed to the walls, and even an attachment to buff the floor), but it’s SO heavy. It was also really expensive, and I had a hard time justifying the cost, especially considering that I had to worry about paying for a new baby. That said, the Kirby is an excellent vacuum that is practically unbreakable, but I’m jaded from the salesman. 😉
We also use a Roomba (I “borrowed” my grandma’s) for quick cleanups at the end of the day. Roombas can also be expensive, but considering that my grandma’s is almost 12 years old, they’re clearly well made. The only catch is that my toddler has a love-hate relationship with it.
If you’ve been thinking about getting a Roomba, watch for it on Amazon’s Deal of the Day or in the Warehouse Deals.
I would be lost without some of these cleaning products! Are there any products that you can’t live without?