I hear everyone’s spring cleaning right now. I need to catch up! Meanwhile, I’ll dream of some of my favorite cleaning products. Here are some of my top finds:
1) Mr. Clean magic eraser… excellent for getting fingerprints off the wall; also good for cleaning sinks, showers, and stains on linoleum floors. I take it around to all the door frames and wipe those smudges right off. Get the deluxe version; it’s worth it.
2) Method daily shower cleaner (available at Target)…this deliciously-smelling product (it smells like Baby Magic because it contains one of the same ingredients, ylang ylang) is non-toxic, so you can feel good about it as you spray your shower after using it. The spray drips down, cleaning the grime off the sides of the shower, reducing my scrubbing to once a month. The added benefit is that your bathroom now smells like a clean newborn baby!
3) Shout color catchers … these wonderful inventions enable you to do a load of lights and darks together without ruining the lights. My teens do their own laundry, and often their clothes alone only make up one load, so these are handy.
4) Microfiber dusting and mopping cloths…the cloths clean so well, you don’t need much cleaning product. The mop cloths work on my kitchen floor with only hot water. I have a special mop that the cloths attach to. When I’m done mopping, the cloths go into the wash.
5) Swiffer wet mop pads…for those quickie kitchen mops when you don’t have time to do the whole thing but it needs more than just sweeping. Added bonus: they smell wonderful, and since they are more of a novelty than the regular mop, the kids like to do the job. Just toss in the garbage when finished.
6) Good old baking soda and vinegar: Mixed together in a paste, and plastered on for a few minutes or longer, they take care of a bathtub ring just as well as more harsh, abrasive cleansers. I like to clean the sink, showers, and tubs with a mixture of both. I also have vinegar in spray bottle with water (1/4 vinegar to ¾ water) as a non-toxic way to clean counters and other surfaces. And a little baking soda on a toothbrush is great for the dirty grout around my sink!
7) Foil…yes, foil! Crumple it up to clean the grill. Line the bottom of your oven with it to catch drips.
My trouble spots… I am no good at cleaning glass, and don’t like toxic cleaning products (which rules out ammonia). My mirrors are spotty. Who has a good suggestion for that?
Wife and homeschooling mother of three, Kim enjoys reading, writing, and watching old movies. A self-proclaimed chocoholic, she also loves to cook and bake. You can find more of her musings (and recipes) at thedaisymuse.com.
Our magic erasers are worn down to a flat, thin line (with all the precious ‘art work’ around here). I’ll be checking into these I haven’t heard about – #2 and #3. And I have learned so many uses for baking soda and vinegar in the last year – frugal. Thank you for helping make us sparkle with this post 🙂
I LOVE Magic Erasers! With 3 little boys at home, we go through them fast! I even have my 8 year old use them and he loves it! He even asks me to use them!
We also like swiffer dusters(the boys love to use those also)!
Another one of my favorites is Oxy Clean…great for baby spit-up stains, just be sure to rewash the clothes in baby detergent so there are no harsh chemicals left on the clothes.
For your glass…whatever you use(even water), the streaks are not a problem if you clean them with newspaper.
You’re right about frugal, Tricia! I first used them because they are non-toxic, but found them to be much cheaper, also. You can buy a huge bag of baking soda at Sam’s Club. I divide it into separate containers for upstairs and down.
I forgot to mention another favorite product…Folex. You can find it with the cleaning products at Home Depot. It is the best carpet stain remover ever! Club soda is a close runner-up, and the more frugal option. Both, I believe, are non-toxic and Folex comes in a handy spray bottle.
Heidi, thanks for the tip!
You know, Windex Crystal Rain is one of the only products I use that does have a warning on it to keep it from kids. I find the smell and shining power worth it. It is ammonia free though so I’m not sure why the warning.
I recently discovered the Magic Eraser after a crayon on wall incident followed by a Sharpie task force hit on the carpet, wall, bike, crash pad, futon cover in 3 minutes flat. I’ve just been using the Walmart generic though and it did the job on the crayon but took off some paint with the Sharpie.
I’ll be checking out the Method Shower Cleaner. Thanks
Club soda (soda water) for the windows and glass!
Have been enjoying your sight –
Thanks for the great cleaning products suggestions… I knew of a couple and a few were new to me. 🙂 Love this site and appreciate all of you sharing!
I love Folex too and I’m thrilled to know it is available at Home Depot. Wal-Mart used to sell it but it disappeared from the shelves like so many other things :/ Adding it to the shopping list now…
OH, late to finding your website… but my suggestion for spotty mirrors? I use a dampened microfiber cloth. I wipe down the mirror with the wet part, then dry with the dry part. Seems to work (so long as there isn’t geeb like toothpaste and such!).
Best product for windows. The Purple Rags from flylady.net. Just water and a rag …no streaks.
CAN I USE MR CLEAN MAGIC ERASER EXTRA POWER ON THE STEPS IN MY POOL