Minimize Your Cleaning Products!
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I don’t know about you, but I used to get pretty carried away with purchasing cleaning products. Something new would come out and it would promise greatness and be on sale and I just had to have it. And the cycle would continue.
Not only did I have cabinets bursting with cleaning products (many that had only been used a few times), but I was also spending a lot of money.
If you would like to only use a few products that pack a big punch, this blog post is for you.
Here are the products I recommend you start with (and really, this is all you need to clean your house from top to bottom!)
White Distilled Vinegar
Rubbing Alcohol
Baking Soda
Citrus Essential Oil (optional)
Pine Essential Oil (optional)
Let’s break this down by room:
Bathrooms:
For the bathroom I need an antibacterial spray for the sink, counter, tub/shower, and toilet. I use the Method Bathroom Cleaner for this.
For my mirrors I use THIS recipe from Clean Mama. I have found it to be the best non-toxic glass cleaner. It is also extremely inexpensive to make.
For the floors I use my vacuum or the Bissel Crosswave.
Bedrooms/Living Room/Etc:
To dust these rooms I use my microfiber cloths lightly sprayed with my glass cleaner. I have a few mirrored pieces and I clean these first and then dust the rest of the furniture without respraying the cloth.
I use this vacuum.
Kitchen:
I have quartz countertops. I use this recipe for my all purpose spray that I keep handy in my kitchen. (You need to determine what is safe for your countertops.)
16 oz Glass Spray Bottle
A small squirt of Dr. Bronners Sal Suds
3 drops each of Pine and Citrus essential oils (optional)
Fill with warm water and shake
I use this mixture on my wooden kitchen table as well and it has worked great for getting up the stickiest of messes!
Hardwood Floors:
I use the Bissell Crosswave on my floors. Once the mixture they provided ran out, I created my own through trial and error. Note: this is not a certified recipe from Bissel. However, I have used this for a while now and it works wonderfully and my machine still works really well.
1 drop of Dr. Bronners - ONE drop - don’t use a lot or you will have too many bubbles. The way the machine pushes the water through it suds up very quickly.
A few drops of oil. I love the citrus and pine combo for any cleaning.
Baking Soda - I keep a jar of baking soda under my kitchen sink. This works really well for pans with something baked on and I use it to clean my stainless steel kitchen sink. (Note - some sink finishes do not need baking soda. Find what works for your finish.)
Deep Cleaning:
I have the Powdered Tide on this list for major stains. This stuff is powerful. Just a teaspoon in a gallon of hot water goes a long way. I have used this on baseboards, carpet stains, stains on my cream kitchen chairs, and more. I do try to use mostly non-toxic cleaners, but this really works wonders on tough stains.
I know some of you will ask, so I will include my favorite cleaning tools:
Bissell Crosswave (this is the one I have, I found it for a great deal at Costco)
Bissell Cordless Crosswave (if you want to make the splurge, this one is awesome and I would love to eventually have it instead of the corded version.)
There you have it! You only need:
These 3 bottles and a few other items.
Glass Cleaner
Bathroom Cleaner
All Purpose Spray
So what do you do if you have a whole lot of cleaning products are are ready to minimize? If you want to immediately go non-toxic, find someone else who would use these and donate them.
Another option is to use all of the products you still feel that work and work your way through them until you use them up. Then begin with this minimal approach.
I have found that this saves me a lot of money. It also saves times because I am never out of what I need. One bottle of Dr. Bronners will last you a really really long time. The only thing I need to keep a back stock of is my bathroom cleaner.
I know many of you have found products that keep your cleaning supplies minimal. I would love to hear what you use!