My Favorite Household Items for Cleaning

I'm exhausted since I was up late last night (this morning actually) and up early this morning. I spent hours at the Strawberry Festival today and I'm exhausted. Since I feel lazy, it seems like a good time for another list. This time I'll focus on my favorite household items for cleaning.


Microfiber Cloths - I bought these at the 99cent Store and I use these little babies every single day for so many cleaning tasks. Dusting, wiping up spills (with a busy toddler around, I ALWAYS have to wipe up something), wiping down counters and the dining room table, cleaning up my son's grubby face & hands (he has his own special cloth), and regular old dusting.

Plain White Toothpaste - Toothpaste is great for cleaning up silver. You read that right. I use plain white toothpaste on silver. It works well, it's cheap, I always have it on hand, and it doesn't smell bad. What's not to like about that?

Hydrogen Peroxide - Everyone has a bottle of H2O2 in their medicine cabinet, right? Peroxide is good for whitening dinginess away.

Baking Soda - What can't baking soda do? It can be used as a gentle scouring powder. It deodorizes. It can be used (with white vinegar) to improve drain function & smell. Seriously, the next time you notice that your drains are slow, do the baking soda + vinegar + boiling water trick and it'll clear things right up.

White Vinegar - So versatile! You can use it in cooking, cleaning, or deodorizing. I always have a spray bottle filled with water & white vinegar to handle light cleaning. It dries quickly and doesn't leave streaks either.

Ammonia - Why buy Windex when you can just mix up water & ammonia in a spray bottle? Your glass, windows, and mirrors will be just as clean and you'll spend far less money.

Bleach - Think beyond the laundry room, though it does keep your whites white. It is used most often in the house when one of us has been sick. I mix up water & bleach and wipe down all surfaces to avoid spreading illness throughout the family. It easily whitens up discolored white grout. I also use it when cleaning toilets and around toilets.

Soilove - My favorite laundry helper! Why don't any of my son's shirts have stains? Because I use Soilove! It's only 99 cents and it removes nearly any stain. I keep it in a spray bottle so I don't use as much product and I spritz almost all of my son's shirts prior to laundering.

Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner - I have hard water and I hate scrubbing toilets because the hard water leaves terrible toilet bowl rings. This stuff is the best I've found for removing toilet bowl rings and, if you leave it on for a few minutes before scrubbing, it is darn near effortless. It does have a strong smell, so open your bathroom window or turn on your exhaust fan while using it.

CLR - We have clear glass shower doors and we have hard water. This means that we are always fighting to keep those glass doors clear. We squeegee the doors and wipe them dry after each shower, but we still have problems keeping the glass clear. I used to spend hours scrubbing until I began spraying the doors with CLR. I use it once per month and they are nice & clear. It stinks, there is no other way to put it.

Limeaway - Another favorite since we have hard water. Every now & then I use this on our shower stall because the hard water deposits tend to build up on the shower floor. The smell is gross, but it works like a champ.

Clorox Wipes - I've been using these a lot lately. I use them to swipe lightswitches, door knobs/levers, faucet handles, telephones, remote controls, toilet levers, refrigerator handles, and my son's potty chair. I like the Orange scent.

Comet - I clean my kitchen sink every night and I use Comet. I like it because it smells clean and it removes any food staining - even red pasta sauce!

Arm & Hammer Essentials Heavy Duty Cleaner/Degreaser - If you have any greasy gunk around your stove, this stuff is for you. Spray it on and wipe it off - no scrubbing necessary. It smells reasonably pleasant for being such a strong cleanser.

Swiffer Wet - I don't prefer to use many disposable items, but I do like these things. I like how they smell and I use them when I'm too lazy to break out a real mop.

Shark Steam Mop - It hisses like a bag of snakes, but it works great! If you have any buildup on your hard surface floors, you really need to try a steam mop. It's also nice to use if you don't want to use cleansers on your floors. It's keeps my tile nice & clean with just plain ol' H20.


What are your favorite cleansers?