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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

must have cleaning supplies!

50 replies

makeitpink · 25/04/2016 18:57

I am a pants cleaner, I hate housework. So I have cleared a whole weekend to really attack my home. Declutter and properly clean the whole house from top to bottom, in the hope that it might be more manageable then! So what I want to know are what are the essential cleaning supplies I will need? I have a Hoover and possibly some antibac spray. What else??

OP posts:
Kikibanana86 · 26/04/2016 22:49

Magic erasers are good for marks on walls and woodwork.

mathanxiety · 27/04/2016 02:18

I want to second the magic eraser sponges. Get lots of them. They cut through lots of dirt in little or no time, even hard water grime in your bath and on your tiles and shower door if you have one.

Wrt bleach in the loo -- a capful of bleach will do. Let it sit for a while before scrubbing with your loo brush. No need to tip your bottle of bleach into the bowl.

White vinegar and Fairy liquid mixed with hot water in a spray bottle will clean any surface including your kitchen cabinets, skirting boards, banisters, tiled floors, doorknobs (vinegar will kill off a lot of germs). I never use anti bac spray.

For streak free windows -- microfibre cloths plus cold black tea.

Ammonia and meths mix above^^ -- yyy to this.

Olive oil plus lemon juice (2:1 mixture) for wood polishing.

Microfibre cloths.
Paper towels.
Buckets.
Mop.

When you're throwing out crap, take everything out all at once and look at it. It will give you an idea of the scale of your task. Take out the crap first, before you do any cleaning. Aim to finish that job. Try not to get bogged down. Make decisions with a new, nicer home in mind. You can go all Marie Kondo and thank the items you are sending on the rest of their journey.

Do you have a final destination in mind for the crap or is it just going to sit around whispering to you to go through it again and take some most of it out of its bags and return it to its nest?

JamNan · 27/04/2016 08:32

Sugar soap is very good for cutting through grease that accumulates in kitchens. The liquid one is best but it's very caustic and you must wear gloves. You will need to rinse too as it leaves a slight residue.

A squeegee is good for windows and tiles.

Ready made chuck-it-in-the-oven meal to go with your Prosecco.

ExConstance · 27/04/2016 10:10

Make sure you get some nice wood polish, then when you have finished the whole house will have that smell of being tended to by someone who is seriously into cleaning

loresho · 27/04/2016 11:23

Yes yes to nice wood polish! The very last thing I do is polish the coffee table - it seems to fill the whole downstairs with a lovely beeswaxy clean smell, and I feel like a superwoman. that and a pretty bunch of flowers.

SouthDownsSunshine · 27/04/2016 11:41

ecloths. They're amazing. Use them for everything - windows, sinks, bath, kitchen etc.

Wine and plenty of snacks, you'll be burning off lots of energy!

Ibuleve gel for Monday morning ;)

Mandp76 · 27/04/2016 12:40

I use old toothbrushes for all the hard to reach places. And bleach in a spray bottle! Lots of it. Stardrops is amazing as well for the more gentle areas. Good luck. BrewCake

ShoesieQ · 27/04/2016 14:12

Frankly I'm rubbish at cleaning Blush , but can give advice about the chucking stuff out bit as I was rubbish at that too until I got that Marie Kondo book. Definitely get hold of a copy as it makes it SO much easier to get rid of loads of stuff out and sort out what's left.

NotQuitePerfect · 27/04/2016 17:27

Ioresho what polish do you use, please Smile

FretYeNot · 27/04/2016 19:21

I was agog at the price of magic erasers from Lakeland, poundland do them....

makeitpink · 27/04/2016 19:21

Ok I have a steam cleaner mop thing with a number of different heads (exciting!!) I have cloths, bleach, magic sponges, bin bags, an empty boot for stuff going to charity shops/the tip, willing boyfriend and plenty of wine!!

OP posts:
EllieHandMeDownBaby · 27/04/2016 19:47

Viakal for bathroom: taps, shower, shower/bath doors. We have hard water and it really makes a tough job so much easier.
Other than that, sounds like you're all set!
Am jealous of your steam cleaner!!

makeitpink · 27/04/2016 20:29

Ellie it has a nozzle attachment for cleaning between bathroom tiles lol Grin

OP posts:
Loobeemum · 27/04/2016 20:32

I swear by Magic Sponges. They really do work and cut down the cleaning by half 👍🏻

Tanito279 · 27/04/2016 20:33

Wet wipes. What more do you need?

Mandp76 · 27/04/2016 21:33

All this talk of cleaning, you made me do my house today! Lol. X

hallgreenmiss · 28/04/2016 19:18

I put some thick bleach into my white, (when it's turning brown), sink, fill up with water, leave for a while - stains gone with no effort. Otherwise I'm careful about using bleach too frequently, apparently it isn't good for you to breathe the chlorine fumes. I generally stick to Harpic 100% limescale remover for toilets.
Where can I buy Magic sponges?

NumptyMum · 28/04/2016 22:00

Oo ooo oo - can I add that I HATED cleaning windows for so many years (always streaky, using lemon/vinegar, and scrunched up newspapers which I don't even read now that everything's online) but then I got a plain and simple squeegee set from Lakeland and I LOVE it. I'm happy for the kids to draw on the windows now with their water-based crayons, as it's a doddle to wash off. Only draw back is the squeegee set I have has hollow handles, so they fill up with water if they drop into the washing up bowl that I use, and water spills out. The linked set is similar, but there are others...
www.lakeland.co.uk/24726/Smart-Window-Cleaning-Kit
PLUS my other great find from Lakeland was Bar Keepers Friend, which I discovered will take off the muck from the window surrounds/sills and return them to being white. I'm sure it's not great for them, as it's basically powder/grit and must scratch them, but it's probably a bit like picking at a scab: soooo good to get it off that even though you know it's wrong, it must be done.
www.lakeland.co.uk/8868/Bar-Keepers-Friend-Stain-Remover-Cream-250g
NB these are available from other well-known retailers...

shovetheholly · 29/04/2016 09:46

I have just discovered the Method wood polish, and it's amazing. Really gives a lovely shine to any wood (or wood veneer). I already use the tile and wood floor cleaners, which are ace.

I get through a fair bit of distilled vinegar for everything else.

makeitpink · 30/04/2016 12:23

Four and a half hours in and I'm on the toilet/bathroom. Still have bedrooms to do (aaaaah) opening wine now glad I have my bottle of water to keep me going!!

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 30/04/2016 15:16

Keep it up! Well done.

makeitpink · 30/04/2016 17:00

Finally admired defeat! Still got my room to do but every other room is done!!!

OP posts:
Mandp76 · 05/05/2016 17:26

Well done. Only problem is when you finish it all, you have to start all over again! Confused

Chloe94 · 10/05/2016 10:46

All I use is white vinegar (amazing stuff!!!) Flash concentrate for floors (when it runs out replacing with method version) and method daily kitchen cleaner as well as there deep clean version. I also have the granite cleaner by them and the bathroom cleaner - which is amazing!!! I use bleach in the loo once a week and have 2 Dyson one cordless and one wired, cordless is for everyday dirt and wired is for deep cleans :)

tonitaka27 · 10/05/2016 18:14

I love using eco-friendly and DIY cleaning products. I get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest. Just search for cleaning tips or DIY cleaning products. I use vinegar, soda, lemons and olive oil for cleaning a lot. Also the cleaning company I regularly use post a lot of useful tips on their website and Facebook page.

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