I have this funny memory of going over to my childhood best friend's house for a sleepover. We were bored and were talking about what to do. I said, "I know! Let's clean your room to surprise your mom!" which basically sums me up as a child.
Always the lover of cleaning, I even got a few cleaning jobs to make extra money over the years. I don't really do that now (although I do miss that extra money!), but I absolutely love keeping my house in order.
After all that extra cleaning, I developed a sensitivity to strong smelling products. To combat that I started experimenting with lots of DIY cleaners! I still love all of those cleaners, but fortunately I've been able to narrow it down to just a handful of trusty cleaners. I thought I'd share what's currently in my cleaning caddy with you today.
Bathrooms
If you were to tell me that I would narrow my cleaning products in the bathroom down to one a few years ago, I'd never believe you! I use my DIY Thieves cleaner on all my bathroom fixtures. I start by spraying down the tub, sink and toilet. I find that it works best when allowed to sit for a few minutes. I swear by Magic Erasers in the tub! Just: spray, wipe and rinse.
In addition to the Magic Eraser, I use a cleaning cloth to wipe down the sink counter, and another to wipe down the outside of the toilet.
For the mirrors, I use...water! And my trusty ECloth. These cleaning cloths are game changers. For the bathroom I use the glass polishing ECloth and a spray bottle of water. In fact, I use this method on all mirrors and chrome that needs to be polished in the whole house.
Kitchen
My kitchen has 4 spots that need constant cleaning. (Besides the dishes anyway!)
Our countertops are shiny, and have always streaked when I've tried different all purpose sprays. Now, I just use the general purpose ECloth and water. You don't have to soak the cloth, just ring out until they are damp.
We have stainless appliances, and you know how difficult those can be to keep polished. I used to use these stainless wipes, which worked fantastically. To cut down on products I use though, I switched to using the Ecloth on them as well! I will say, at first the Ecloth did not work perfectly on my stainless-but I learned that was because there was still product left on it from when I used the wipes. Now the Ecloth alone works great. (I use the general purpose one, but sometimes go back over it with the polishing cloth.)
Our ceramic cooktop is also a big pain to keep shiny. For that I use the Mrs. Meyers Baking Soda Cream Cleaner. I also use this cream cleaner on my stainless sink when it needs a thorough scrub. (It works great on tubs too if it's extra grimey! Although, I'm sure a homemade baking soda paste would work just as well.)
Air Freshening
I make my own room deodorizer! I use this spray bottle from Grove, and all that's in it are essential oils and water. It takes about 15-20 drops of essential oil. Any combination will do! Currently I have the Purification oil from Young Living, but I equally love the Clear The Air oil blend from NOW.
Pet Stains
With three pugs, accidents happen. When that happens on the carpet I swear by this cleaner called Jackson Galaxy Stain & Odor Remover. (Seems expensive on Amazon, check your grocery store!) This stuff works like a charm on pee or even blood.
Okay, but in all seriousness, I bought this for the first time because of the crazy guy on the bottle. Leave a comment below if you think he looks like Tobias from Arrested Development!
Dusting
I am trying to eliminate disposable items all together, but one I still love to use is the Swiffer duster. I don't use them regularly, but I think they are great for blinds, tvs, and ceiling fans.
Otherwise, I'm using my thieves cleaner! This cleaner does have soap in it, so it's not great for shiny surfaces, but it's fantastic for all other hard surfaces. Works great and smells good too.
Floors
For my floors, we have a Roomba robot vacuum that really helps maintain a clean floor. However, I still vacuum, sweep, 'swiffer', and mop with my weekly cleaning routine. I found reusable swiffer and mop pads on Etsy and that was a great way to save some money and cut down on waste. I use the thieves cleaner on my floors too!
Tools
In addition to Ecloths and Magic Erasers, I use scrub brushes and sponges from Grove Collaborative. In fact, I get a whole lot from Grove! I use the Grove brand hand soap, dish soap, dish towels, reusable ziplocs, q-tips, cotton rounds, lotion...and more. The spray bottles for my DIY cleaners also come from Grove. 10/10.
If you don't shop at Grove you can use my link to sign up at get a free 5 piece gift set. And if you don't have an account already make sure you use Ebates when you do sign up for a couple bucks back on top of that gift set!
Let's Talk! Let me know in the comments your #1 favorite cleaning product! Do you have a whole arsenal full of cleaners, or do you use a few trusty ones? Are you as obsessed with cleaning as me?
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