The number of different cleaning products you have might surprise you. Even the number of different bathroom cleaners alone may make you wonder. If you can relate to this, then you’re not alone. There’s a whirlwind of home cleaning products out there! But they say this one’s special for your brand new countertops, and it’s on sale, and you’re not sure if you have any left so you better buy more of it, and so on and so on. So here’s the truth. Most cleaning agents, or at least natural ones, are made of the same basic ingredients. It’s like making pancakes. Whether you add a little bit of salt, one egg or two, a little more milk, or vanilla extract for flavouring and aroma, they’re still pancakes. You can clean every type of surface with just five cleaning agents, and perhaps one or two specialty surface cleaners. Anyone who tries to convince you otherwise is selling the product. Some surfaces might not even need any chemicals at all or just plain water (with a tiny bit of vinegar if desired). If you can’t fit all the cleaners standing upright side by side in a 4 gallon bucket, then it’s too much. Now, you could just buy the ingredients that make up most housekeeping products and make them yourself, and there are plenty of sources online for doing this, but you could also look up pancake recipes too. It’s just easier to buy it premixed. The five key cleaning products are as follows:

1. Bathroom Cleaner – for tub, tile, ceramic, chrome, and other non-porous bathroom surfaces
2. Toilet Bowl Cleaner
3. Glass Cleaner (which we’d rather call shiny surface cleaner)
4. All Surface Floor Cleaner – a concentrate, to be diluted in a bucket (make sure that is safe on wood)
5. All-Purpose Cleaner – could just be diluted all surface floor concentrate put into a spray bottle

It’s also a good idea to pick one product line so that everyone in your family knows what to buy when you send them shopping and because it can be more easily remembered if you’re running low. Also, the product line should be one that you and your family will feel safe with having in your home. Harsh chemicals are unnecessary for getting a surface clean in a well maintained home. It’s just as effective to use plant based environmentally friendly cleaning products that will allow you to breathe easy. Student Suds cleaning brand of choice is Method because it’s safe for the environment and has a very pleasant aroma. One specialty product you might include could be a degreaser for the kitchen, but everyday liquid dish soap works well too. Another might be CLR, which is great for getting rid of stains on non-porous surfaces, and is newly formulated to be safe for the environment. We usually will bring a bottle of CLR on the first cleaning of a home, just in case there are stubborn rust stains in the bathroom.

Besides cleaning products, you will also need a few other cleaning supplies, or applicators, for various types of surfaces:

So you see, what you use to clean your home doesn’t have to be a mess of its own and doesn’t have to take up much space. Keep with having one product/applicator for each broad type of surface and cut out the rest. Until next time, happy cleaning!

The first step to keeping organized is to de-clutter your living space by donating items you no longer use and creating smart storage places for the items you do use. Put a toy chest at the end of the kids bed to store all their toys in, or make use of decorative baskets for storing hats, mittens, scarves and other winter wear in your entranceway. Using baskets is a great way to de-clutter your space and make it more visually appealing because items are placed out of plain sight. Baskets are also handy if you have little in the way of storage in your kitchen and have lots of space between your kitchen cupboards and ceiling. Using vertical space in this way will allow you to turn the dead space in your home in to usable space.

The next step to keeping organized is to make it a part of your daily routine. Every item in your household should have a home of its own. Make it a rule to yourself and your family to put everything immediately back in its place when no longer in use. It all starts with one. It’s easy to put one thing away after using it but things can quickly get out of hand if you and your family don’t work together and apply this rule each and every time.

Now that the working surfaces in your home are kept in a constant state of organization, cleaning them will be a lot faster and more effective, and also cheaper if you do decide to hire a professional company. Clients often tell me, laughing, “When we stay at a friend’s house for dinner, after the nights over, I tell them I need to get home to tidy up because Student Suds is scheduled to clean my house tomorrow.”