My inspiration for writing this post definitely came from you guys! I’ve been so pleasantly surprised at how much you enjoy cleaning with me. As I’ve said several times, I’ve been on a mission to establish a better home keeping routine – one that I enjoy so much it just becomes a habit/part of my weekly schedule. And I have to say, cleaning with y’all on Instagram helps so much to keep me motivated – so thank you!
I thought I’d tackle this post by first sharing my two main cleaning caddies – what I keep in them and when/where I use them. I’ll also cover kitchen and floor cleaning too!
Let’s get started.
The Lowdown on My Cleaning Caddies
I keep two caddies stocked and at the ready. One is mainly for bathrooms and the other is for dusting. Since I’m moving around between multiple rooms for both of these cleaning tasks, having a caddy pulled together and in an easy-to-carry container just makes cleaning so much quicker and more convenient.
Dusting Caddy
Microfiber is the key in my opinion when it comes to dusting. It traps dust and dirt so well and keeps it from just being pushed around. Microfiber cloths also don’t transfer fuzz the way normal cloths do. When I learned this simple little secret, I tell you what – it changed my cleaning game a ton! A little tip – when you’re buying cleaning tools, look for ones that use microfiber cloths as opposed to disposable supplies because you can usually machine wash the microfiber components, cutting down on cost and waste! As for my caddy itself, I got mine at TJ Maxx, but I also really like this one.
Here’s what I keep in my dusting caddy:
An all-purpose cleaning solution – I either use the Clean Mama’s cleaning label or the Smartly spray from Target for this. I use it to spray microfiber cloths and cleaning tools to help trap dust and I clean. For example, you’ll see me spray down our ceiling fan duster before I reach up to wipe the blades – it just helps ensure I’m not pushing more dust than necessary into the air/on the ground. Cleaning vs. displacing 😉 I also use it to wipe down surfaces that aren’t real wood.
Wood Cleaner – When we purchased this home we were lucky enough to replace some of our old, cheaper furniture with a few nice wood pieces so I wanted to make sure the solution I use on them won’t strip or damage any finishes. This wood cleaner/duster works well and smells great!
Glass Cleaner – As I go around dusting each room, I also clean any mirrors I come across. It’s also useful for lamps and other décor pieces that are made of glass.
Furniture Repair Kit – Did you see on my stories the other day when I shared how I repaired the big scuff in our coffee table? It’s super handy to have a kit like this while you’re dusting so you can give a little TLC to any spots you come across as you’re wiping down all the surfaces in your home!
Magic Eraser – I keep one of these around too for similar reasons as the repair kit. As I go around in each room I’ll use a magic eraser to get any marks or scuffs I notice on the walls. As Fischer gets older, I’m sure I’ll be getting more and more use out of them 😉
Cloths – I use a glass cleaning cloth and a microfiber cloth while dusting. I love this pack of 3 cleaning cloths. It comes with a cloth meant for scrubbing, one meant for glass and another meant for shining/drying surfaces. You’ll also see me using Clean Mama’s microfiber cloths!
Handheld Microfiber Tool – I found mine at TJ Maxx. It’s honestly not completely necessary, I just like to use it in lieu of a cloth sometimes because 1) it’s fun lol and 2) it makes it a little bit easier to reach behind pieces of furniture or decor things.
Lint Roller – Learning this trick was such a game changer! It’s perfect for dusting things like lampshades and upholstered furniture. I use it for our upholstered bed and sometimes even our couch in between washes!
These next couple of things don’t exactly fit in my caddy, but I use them to dust too! I just keep them tucked away in our laundry room.
Under Appliance Duster – This guy is great for dusting underneath appliances. I use it to get under our stove, fridge, washing machine and dryer. The microfiber cover is removable/washable! Just don’t wash it with whites – I made the mistake of putting it in with some of Fischer’s white cloth diapers and now he has some pink-ish ones 😉
High Reaching Dusting Tools – I love this set that I found. Our foyer is super tall and most of our ceilings are higher than the standard 8 feet. So without tools like this, dusting thoroughly is nearly impossible. The little round brush is used to get cobwebs out of corners and both of the other tools are bendable. They make it super easy to dust and clean ceiling fans, vents and AC registers, high shelves, ledges and window sills! To clean them, you can rinse the cobweb duster and the poofy round duster in the sink and let air dry – and the other attachment has a microfiber cover so you can just throw it in the washer with your cleaning cloths when you’re done!
And that’s it for this one! I don’t use every single component in this caddy EVERY time I dust, but I use each one at some point and it’s so nice to have them stored in one place ready for when I do need them!
Bathroom Caddy
Brush Set – I love this set of wooden brushes. I use the long one to scrub the inside of sinks and also around the toilet. The heavy duty brush is what I use to really scrub the bottoms of the bath tubs and shower. And then I use the small round brush in the kitchen (mainly to scrub the sink).
Toilet Cleaner – I recently switched from regular toilet brushes and toilet bowl cleaner to these Clorox wands and I LOVE THEM. I bought a big box of them at Costco that came with one wand and like 36 brush refills haha. If you have a membership, I’d look for them there first just to be cost effective – otherwise you can scoop them up here! The cleaning solution comes prefilled in the scrubber so it dispenses as you scrub and then you just click the button to dislodge it into the trash when you’re done! SO much more sanitary than the traditional way.
Bathroom Cleaner Spray – I’ll use the marble/granite cleaner (Clean Mama label) on the countertop in the guest bathroom, but everywhere else in the bathroom I use this cleaner. This cleaner puts my mind at ease as to killing bacteria – plus it smells great and won’t discolor your cloths or surfaces.
Glass Cleaner – Of course, I use this for bathroom mirrors and I also use it on our shower. I’ll also use it to clean our bathroom window while I’m at it.
As you guys may know, I finish up bathroom cleaning with a good vacuum/steam mopping. Instead of manufactured detergent I just use water and a few drops of essential oil in the liquid compartment that this Bissell uses to create steam. It makes the bathroom smell great and does such a good job at cleaning our floors!
Kitchen Cleaning
Surfaces – We have granite countertops, so I use the marble/granite Clean Mama label for surfaces and her all-purpose spray for appliances, cupboard and backsplash. When doing my weekly kitchen cleaning, I like to use these cloths, but if I’m just wiping up counters at the end of the night, I like to use these bar mops. They do a great job of absorbing and cleaning daily messes.
Sink – I recently started using CM’s nightly sink scrub and it’s AWESOME. It’s pretty much just baking soda and essential oils but it works just as well as my old cleaner (I used to use Barkeeper’s Friend) and it smells SO GOOD. I use lavender essential oil in mine, but you can add whichever scent you like!
Floors
You all know how much I love my floor cleaners. They are a perfect example of why you should find cleaning tools that you love because they can just make the process fun, enjoyable and they have the power to make your life sooo much easier.
Bissell Symphony Pet Vacuum/Steam Mop – I use this twice a week. On Mondays I clean the bathroom floors and on Thursdays I clean the floors in the rest of the house. I’ll be honest, it doesn’t do a stellar job on our kitchen tile, but it works fantastic on our laminate wood and the marble tile in our bathrooms. It’s a vacuum and steam mop in one, but you can use it to do either or – or everything at the same time. It also comes with two microfiber (washable) scrubbing pads! There’s really not anything that I dislike about this thing.. I just think it’s so cool!
Eureka Hard Floor Vacuum – I use this thing multiple times a day to clean up little messes and just do some daily vacuum maintenance in our high traffic areas downstairs. It also works really well on the thin, low pile rugs in my office, the dining room and our master bedroom (they’re all basically the same rug). This vacuum is super light, which makes it easy to bring out/use and I love that it can also be used as a dust buster for our couch and stairs. Note for you moms – I take the long handle off of it and let Fischer ‘vacuum’ while I’m using the Bissell on floor cleaning days – we both love it! 😉 What’s more is that it doesn’t have those spinning brushes on the bottom, so there’s nothing to kick around the dirt, cheerios, etc.. it simply sucks things up! Just don’t purchase this one if you’re looking for a carpet vacuum – it doesn’t do well on the higher pile or shag stuff.
Vacuum Cleaner – we also have a regular vacuum cleaner. I don’t recommend the one we have right now for usability purposes (it ticks me off lol). But once it becomes necessary to get a new vacuum, my plan as of right now is to invest in this one. I use it for our hallway rugs, kitchen rug, playroom rug and the rug in Fischer’s room.
And I think that’s it y’all! Did I forget anything? If you have a question that I didn’t answer here PLEASE leave it in the comments below so I can address if for you and others who may have the same one! I should also mention that I get soo many tips and tricks from this book and this one too. These ladies have outdone themselves in gathering so much useful knowledge. They also both have cleaning solution recipes in their books, so I love them for that too!
Happy cleaning, friends!
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