What cleaning products do I NEED in my stash?

[NeedToGetMyShitTogether]

Hi everyone. As the name implies, I’m trying to get “life” a bit more organised. Part of that is getting on top of cleaning and making my house more appealing. Appealing to myself mostly, but also to guests. This has left me pondering over cleaning products!!

Until recently we had a huge shelf in a storage cupboard full of cleaning products. Some part used, some duplicates, some in rusty old aerosols because they’d been there about ten years!!! So I’ve had a massive cull, but after having too much, I now don’t know what I NEED in my stash.

We have tiled floors that I steam mop, without detergent. This gets the floors nice and clean but doesn’t have a smell, and I’d like it to smell fresh when I’m done! Would a spray of something on the floor first help give it a fresh/clean smell?

I have mostly high gloss laquered furniture with glass tops. I’ve always cleaned this (laquer AND glass parts) with glass cleaner. Again this doesn’t particulalry have a scent, but seems to do the job. Would you use anything different on this type of furniture?

Other than that I use a bathroom spray, an antibacterial spray on kitchen surfaces, and bleach down the loo.

I don’t ever feel like my house smells fresh and clean. Do I need different/more/better cleaning products?? Or maybe air fresheners and candles are what is lacking? I want to love my house a little more... 🏡

Bleach doesn't clean, so we agree there.

I hardly ever buy coffee outside home, only if I was meeting someone and they wanted one, I suppose. I carry a bottle of water (refillable of course) if I am out and about and just have the odd sip as needed.

I don't know what HG is but you can get mould and mildew sprays in pound shops. I have the Stardrops one and it worked but it is quite harsh. Astonish do one too.

Another must have is rubber gloves. I tend to use the disposable vinyl ones, which is not very eco-friendly of me.

Sugar soap. Cleans everything.

Bog brush is a necessity here. Dreaded but useful. I also have the horrible pedestal mat. Would prefer not to but it is not just me using the loo.

Zoroflora is grim. Nasty synthetic fragrances that give me a horrible headache and longer around for ages

Method wild rhubarb is amazing, as is the mint bathroom cleaner spray
Yes it's £3 a bottle but it works so well that you hardly have to use any of it so bottles last for ages and ages

Method grapefruit multi surface cleaner is great for glossy surfaces and smells of happy.

The method things do smell nice.

I've bought the HG mould spray from B&Q, but some big supermarkets may carry it. Does smell quite harsh though so take care to ventilate the room!

You can buy HG products on amazon.
The bath shine is brilliant. Pun intended.

Bleach is an essential purely for the reason its the only thing that kills norovirus. At the end of the day when that sick bug comes calling bleach is the only option. You're methods, dettol, zofloras, harpics, will not kill norovirus.

What is the environmental effect of bunging vinegar down the loo? It cleans lovely for me. I use it in washing as laundry softener, squirt it in bins etc I was considering using it as a cleaning spray (with washing up liquid) when my current spray runs out.

Method Multipurpose Spray (avoid antibacterial sprays)

Method Shower Spray

Method floor spray

Bleach for loos and kitchen sink

I think norovirus outbreak is the only time you need to use bleach.

And agree zoflora, dettol spray etc are just as damaging to the environment and your immune system. The marketing on these products is stunning. Hot water and soap kills nearly all bugs so washing up liquid does the job.

As you can tell I use vinegar and soda crystals for most cleaning. You need to be careful with air fresheners as they can damage lungs in susceptible people. And personally I'd rather open the window as I find many fragrances so synthetic. It always makes me wonder what is being covered up by it...

When I've finished cleaning the bathroom I put a little tea tree oil on a damp cloth and have a final run round with it. I think it's a lovely clean smell. Also Bergamot is another favourite.

Hot water and soap doesn't actually kill germs. It just cleans the surface so as the germs can get washed off said surface. You're not actually ridden the germs, more moving them on.

But killing all the germs is not actually the best thing to do hotwater that’s the point. It’s bad for the environment, bad for our immune systems and bad for antibiotic resistance.

Germs keep us healthy!

There are bacteria everywhere. God knows how many a human encounters by touch in the course of a day, it must run into the hundreds of millions. 90% of the cells in our bodies are bacteria too!
Many are benign, and we have an exquisitely engineered immune system for dealing with those that are not. You cannot - repeat, CANNOT - clean them all away! Sensible cleaning and sensible personal hygiene are fine for a household of healthy people; there's even some evidence that exposure of children to germs early on leads to fewer allergies.

Oh don't get me wrong i agree, a sterile house is not a good thing. Kids need exposure to bacteria. I'm just saying a sensible approach would be to cherry pick where the germs are most hazardous and least beneficial. I wouldn't bleach for a quick everyday wipe over the kitchen tops but I would use bleach if someone walked in the kitchen floor with dog mess on their shoes. I will also have have no misgivings this afternoon when i pour bleach over the germs residing in my toilets as I don't see what benefit germs from a toilet can offer. Bleach has its place in my opinion.

Can I steer the convo back to Method please?

I bought it whilst on offer a few weeks ago, and my how I love the smell of my toilet now

Can more recent users tell me if it tends to be on offer in January? I ask because MySupermarket has taken the brilliant business decision to abolish the market trend graph at the bottom of the product page. The only thing that beats Method IMO is Method when its on offer.

More loyal users. More LOYAL is what I meant.