Recently I was so bored that I told my mom that I was going to clean my baseboards.
Yes.
While this is a totally productive way to channel boredom, I truly try to clean on a schedule now that I live alone. I have a roommate/renter, but she won’t really tell me, “Hey, the vents need cleaned”. Little things that you don’t conscientiously notice end up compounding into a gross “My guests must think I’m a heathen!” moments.
When I moved into this house, my mum and I spent a lot of time talking about what cleaners were necessary and which were merely ‘nice to haves’. Have you ever noticed how ridiculously expensive cleaners are!? Thankfully, the most often used cleaner in my house is now vinegar, which is good because I’m an overzealous weirdo with sanitizing things and vinegarabottom of this post is my cleaners shopping list- you may be surprised to see how many of these are already lurking in your house!
I clean on a schedule because cleaning everything at once seems like an onerous task to me. I live in a small townhouse so it’s really not, it’s all in my head, but breaking it up into little worknight tasks lets me feel like it’s no big deal.
Sunday:
- Vacuum house, move all easily moved furniture for better access
- Wash towels, kitchen towels, sweatpants, PJ’s (swap out hand towels and kitchen towels)
- Clean kitchen (this is mostly a function of me doing meal prep Sunday nights- I get my groceries, cook, and then give the kitchen a full clean- stainless steel appliances are windexed too)
Tuesday:
- Clean the bathroom
- Wash work clothes (usually one load of darks and one load of lights, all hung to dry)
Thursday:
- Dust (shelves etc, but also windows and vents because I live in a new house and dust grows here)
- Wash athletic wear & run cleansing wash (this is new, because my eczema is flipping out)
- Tidy bedroom & desk
Bi-Weekly cleaning:
- Bedding
- Clean floor
- Hand-mop entry way
- Sanitize switches, handles, cupboard fronts and railings
- Spot clean walls and carpet
Like I said, I use only a few types of cleaners to keep my costs down and the process simple. They are:
Bathroom:
- Vinegar for cleaning toilets, sinks and counters
- Windex for mirrors, glass shower doors and chrome
- Vinegar for shower
Kitchen:
- Vinegar for counters (if you have granite like me, make sure you dilute it and then use a wet rag of just water to cleanse it off, then dry)
- Palmolive for dishes
- “Scrunges” for glass cooktop
- Windex for appliances after disinfecting with vinegar
Cleaning floors etc:
- Vinegar dilution for hand mopping tile
- Vinegar for spot cleaning laminate flooring, railings, handles and light covers
- Swiffer dusters (you just can’t beat them)
Every now and again, if I’m feeling flush I’ll buy magic erasers, toilet bowl cleaner and a Pine Sol bottle. Those are great ‘nice to haves’ that keep the house looking great as well.
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