If you’ve been to the supermarket lately, or tried to shop online, you may have noticed that there are a TON of cleaning products and accessories out there. In the spirit of starting the new year off strong, we wanted to put together a list of some basic cleaning essentials that you can purchase to ensure that your home or office is equipped to handle any cleaning task, next year or beyond! Let us know in the comments or on social media if you have any suggestions or additions to our list. We love hearing from you!

The Essential Cleaning Tools To Consider

We will get to the actual cleaning products later, but we first wanted to lay out some groundwork with these essential cleaning supplies. Some of these may sound like a no-brainer, but it helps to know that you have all of the supplies on hand that are called for in any given situation. 

• A sturdy broom with a dustpan
• A basic mop and bucket, preferably microfiber
• Scrub brush for dishes
• A large pack of microfiber towels for general cleaning tasks
• A vacuum 
• A smaller bucket, not used for mopping
• Several empty plastic spray bottles
• Heavy duty brush for tile and other bathroom messes
• Toilet brush
• Duster brush
• A toothbrush or two for smaller and harder to reach places (or a small brush)

Essential Cleaning Agents To Have On Hand

Now that we have the cleaning tools covered, it’s time to explore our options for the actual cleaners that are good to have around. This isn’t necessarily supposed to be an exhaustive list that will cover every situation, but it is a great starting place upon which more niche items can be added as you discover a need for them. 

• Baking soda
• White vinegar
• Concentrated liquid dish soap
• Lemon essential oils or all natural lemon juice concentrate
• Distilled water (to use for the base for some homemade cleaning sprays)
• Isopropyl alcohol 
• Bleach

With this mix of ingredients, you can make both an all-purpose cleaning spray that will be effective in most uses, especially around the kitchen. For a basic recipe, mix equal parts distilled water and white vinegar in a spray bottle and then add 10 drops of lemon essential oil and/or your other favorite essential oil like lavender, but lemon helps to kill germs and disinfect as well. For a toilet bowl cleaner specifically, we recommend getting a bowl and placing a cup of baking soda in the bow before adding about 3 tablespoons of distilled water. Start mixing until you get a thick paste consistency, you may have to add more water to get it where it needs to be. Place a generous amount of the paste on the end of your toilet cleaning brush and use it to scrub the rim and sides of your toilet bowl. Then, spray the paste with your homemade vinegar and water all-purpose solution and watch the bubbles go nuts! Once things have settled down, it’s time for a final scrub and then a rinse and you are set! The same paste can be used on tile and grout as well. 

For The Road

Putting together a full assortment of cleaning supplies is no small feat, but with a little preparation you can be ready for anything that comes your way this year. Contact us if you or someone you know may be in need of a residential or commercial cleaning service like ours. We can’t wait to hear from you. Give us a call or email us here. Have fun and stay safe out there!