I like to think that I run a tight ship as far as cleaning products are concerned. I’ve found that a few products are enough to handle most jobs. Case in point: underneath my kitchen sink:
Pictured:
- Method hand soap refill packet,
- paper towels (we swear by Bounty),
- Arm & Hammer pet stain and odor remover,
- Glad trash bags,
- bleach pen,
- germ-x,
- IKEA mineral oil for cutting boards,
- Febreeze (hiding behind the divider),
- dog food,
- Oxy-Clean, Windex,
- Method grapefruit all-purpose cleaner,
- dishwasher tablets (Finish brand),
- Swiffer furniture polish spray
- (Laundry detergent and dryer sheets are kept in the bedroom closet next to the hamper)
I know that for the majority of my life, that is, taking into account my parents’ house and my prior two living spaces, “under the sink” was something I avoided thinking about at all costs. Terrifying visions of avalanches, suspicious chemicals, and the possibility of bugs (which I always associate with dark enclosed spaces) made me avoid thinking about it–and subsequently avoid cleaning and organizing said space.
News flash: the only way to improve the quality of a space is to clean it! Get rid of all the products you hate or never use. When we moved last fall, I didn’t relish the idea of transporting cleaners and chemicals across the country. I had the notion that heat and elevation changes would result in a moving truck full of exploded cleaning agents. This probably wouldn’t have happened. We used up all we could and gave the rest of our cleaners to the new residents anyway.
When restocking the cleaning supplies, we relied on past experience and only got what we knew worked. I’ve been happy with all these products (with the exception of the pet stain remover, which is fine but not my favorite) and haven’t had to spend needless amounts of money on “the next amazing cleaning product.” I think it helps that I surf the internet with AdBlock engaged and we don’t watch TV (just Netflix and Hulu) so our exposure to commercials is pretty limited.
If I were to add two items to my arsenal, it would be white vinegar and a Mr. Clean magic eraser. They’re going on the grocery list right now.
Got any favorite products I need to know about? And hey, thanks for weighing in on my last two moving-related posts. Lots of great food for thought there.
My Friend Staci 
Over here at the Warner Casa, we use white vinegar for about 75% of all cleaning things. I have a couple other things for specific jobs like toilet cleaning, and our stainless steel sink. We have our laundry detergent, oxy clean, borax, dishwasher detergent, etc for those specific things. But, when it comes to stains, mirrors, dusting, and sanitizing we rely on the white vinegar and water mixture. On some occasions, I bring in the baking soda (like to help clean up a cat vomit, though these are very rare). I think getting really minimal with cleaning supplies is great.
When we moved, I didn’t bring any of our old watered down cleaning supplies that we had accumulated over the years. I started fresh! All I have under my kitchen sink is a jug of vinegar, a bulk box of baking soda, emergency carpet cleaner, dish soap, a jug of bleach, essential oils, and my homemade cleaners (made from the vinegar, baking soda, and essential oils!). It’s definitely freeing to open it up and not be overwhelmed by all the stuff!
I use white vinegar and/ or baking soda for most everything.
I keep a spray bottle with a 50/50 ratio of vinegar to water and use it for kitchen counters and windows. If something needs a little bit of elbow grease, I make a paste out of baking soda and water and just rub it into the stain (this works well for baked-on stuff on pans and hard water stains in the bathroom).
I use extra-heavy, chemical-laden toilet bowl cleaner, though. That’s the only way to keep my mind at ease on that subject.
We have the same grapefruit Method all-purpose cleaner! Love that stuff!
When we moved, we also tried to consolidate on our cleaning supplies. We really don’t have *that* many, but reading all these comments about natural cleaning supplies is inspiring me to do away with the chemical mess altogether!
I just started cleaning with white vinegar and while I don’t love the smell, I do love that I’m not invading our space with chemicals. Plus, once dry no smell remains! And ditto on not moving with our cleaners; I had the same thoughts!
Xo,
Ashley