My Favorite Cleaning Products and Supplies

 

Here’s a list of the products you will need to keep your home spotless. Where a name brand is not listed, I have no real preference. Where I list a specific product it is because it works the best.

If you’re not sure about a new product, many sites like Amazon and have product reviews you can read before trying something new!

Keep these in (or near) the bathroom-

• A squeegee and/or Daily Shower Spray.
• Lysol All Purpose Cleaner
• Clorox Clean-up or Tilex mildew remover
• Glass cleaner
• Paper towels – Brawny or Bounty plain white
• Toilet bowl cleaner (Original Lysol – Blue Label – smells the best and works fine for most people. if you have hard water and rust, use Lysol Black Label for Calcium and Rust.)
• Toilet brush
• sponge
• terry cloth rags
  

 Method is my favorite daily shower spray. It smells great.

Lysol All Purpose Cleaner is my new favorite spray cleaner since the coronavirus episode. It was on the CDC approved list, and it works well.

Always Always read the labels on any cleaning products.

*Magic Erasers cannot be used on high gloss finishes – semi-gloss or gloss paints, range hoods, stainless steel. I’ve ruined a couple of things by not reading the box first.

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner

You can use this as an all purpose cleaner. It has spread far and wide on the internet as a magic solution for water spots on glass shower doors. I’ve tried it, and it did not work, and its very hard to rinse. But I have been happy with it for cleaning the stove, the range hood, stainless steel sinks, walls, and more. Just use it sparingly.

¼ cup white vinegar

¼ cup blue Dawn dish soap

clean spray bottle

Heat vinegar in a glass measuring up in the microwave to just boiling. Microwaves vary. Just watch carefully.

Pour in the Dawn and mix well. It gets creamy.

Let it cool a minute or two.

Pour into the spray bottle.

Keep these in the kitchen-

• Use our homemade for cleaning above cabinets if that area is open. Otherwise, you probably don’t need this.
• Dawn
• Scotch Brite sponges
• glass cleaner
• paper towels
• Clorox Clean-up
• vinegar
• Soft Scrub
• Cascade with Dawn for the dishwasher
• Jet Dry Liquid
• Method granite cleaner if you have granite
• Weiman’s Stainless Steel Polish and microfiber cloths if you have stainless
• Murphy’s if you have wood cabinets
• Lemon oil if you have wood cabinets

For Floors

Vinegar is the most versatile and safest floor cleaner. Safe on any floor. Just not great for heavy dirt. These days I only use just a bit of vinegar on wood floors.

If your tile floors are really dirty, I like either Mr. Clean or Pine-Sol. Just don’t use too much or you will leave a film.

For the rest of the house, you will also need-

• Orange Pledge Polish (not oil), or your favorite scent
• Pledge Multi Surface (for those laminate surfaces that should not be polished) *
• Good feather duster. Mine is a Libman.
• Cut up T-shirts
• Microfiber cloths
• Good Vacuum
• Murphy’s Oil Soap
• Febreeze
• Lysol Spray
• Magic Eraser
• Glass cleaner
  

You may also need a silver polish and/or a brass polish.

If you have a chandelier, the glass plus wipes are handy for a quick cleaning of the crystals without taking it all apart.

In natural products, I like the Method line. They work reasonably well and smell wonderful.

* The all in one multi surface cleaners like Pledge Multi Surface work reasonably well – I just happen to like a nice polished look on my wood furniture.

The Windex multi-surface stinks. Leaves terrible streaks.

Ironically, the cleaner you keep your house, the less cleaners you will use. I rarely have to buy cleaners.

Again, notes on the Magic Eraser… Be careful using the Magic Eraser on shiny surfaces. It is very abrasive and can scratch or even remove finishes. Never use on your stainless appliances!

So here would be my preferred shopping list

• Squeegee (and/or Method Daily Shower Spray)
• Lysol All Purpose Cleaner
• The Works Limeosol if you have rust
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner – Lysol (or The Works if you have rust)
• Scotch Brite sponges – the green ones
• Sparkle or Windex original glass cleaner
• Clorox Clean-up
• Soft Scrub

• Pledge Polish (not oil)
• Pledge Multi Surface
• Weiman’s Lemon Oil
• Murphy’s Oil Soap
• Febreeze
• Lysol Spray (always good to have on hand)
• Mr. Clean or Pine-Sol
• Magic Eraser
• Dawn
• Cascade with Dawn for the dishwasher
• Jet Dry Liquid
• Granite cleaner/polish
• Weiman’s Stainless Cleaner/Polish
• Electronics cloths and cleaner
• Paper towels – Brawny or Bounty, plain white
• Vinegar, plain white
• Good feather duster. Mine is Libman *
  
• Microfiber cloths
• Cut up T-shirts
• Good Vacuum

I know it sounds like a lot, but many of these are used so little they will last you for a very long time.

I would have set up Amazon links, but honestly when it comes to cleaners you can pick them up cheaper in your neighborhood stores.

 

* The Libman feather duster I have only found at Menards and Amazon. It does a good job and holds up well.