The Home Cleaning Bible, Part 2

Let’s talk about cleaning products!

There are SO many options and almost as many questions.  What should I use?  What is safe around my pets and kids?  Do all cleaning products do the same thing?  What is the most effective?  Back when I was a kid and my dad owned the business, he taught me how to thoroughly clean many different surfaces and how to properly maintain carpets and furniture.  My mom (being a germaphobe with OCD) was an expert on cleaning and maintaining the rest of the house.  So, this is my wheelhouse!  Here’s what I’ve found:

Products:

The first thing to note is that everyone is different.  Your lifestyle may be conducive for a product that just won’t work for me – but that doesn’t make it wrong.  I will say though, there IS a wrong way to clean.  But we will get to that.  I look for 4 things in a cleaning product.

#1. Directions.  Is it easy to use?  Many people buy disinfectant wipes thinking that it’s the easiest way to clean.  BUT, the directions require dwell-time and repetition for it to actually work.  Many reason, “well, it does something, right?”  All I have to say to that is: NO. WRONG. Clean is clean, dirty is dirty.  There IS no in between.  So read the directions.  Before you buy, determine if it makes sense to you and is easy to use.

#2. Label Warnings.  Many major cleaning product brands have warnings on their products that say “unsafe for humans.”  WHAT???  Yeah.  The most widely known companies aren’t necessarily the best for you, they just pay for the most ads!

#3. WHY it works.  Facts are great, but knowledge is power.  If you know what it does but not how it does it, do you really know if it’s working?  If you understand more, you’ll be able to actually see how it is working.  It’ll give you confidence in your cleaning as well, so you KNOW you have a clean home after you’ve spent hours slaving over it.

#4. Personal Advocates.  If you want to know how well it works and why – find out who loves it!

BONUS:  Check out the Company Reputation.  This really is isn’t a requirement for having a good product, but I’m a firm believer in bettering the world.  Companies with a good reputation for quality products, educating the public, and giving back have a much higher chance of winning my business than a company that has a good deal + a bad rep.

How:

#1. I literally can not stress this enough.  READ.  THE.  DIRECTIONS.  Cleaning products are NOT self-explanatory, really!  Wipes aren’t just wipes and sprays aren’t just sprays.

#2. Respect dwell time.  If a product says to let it sit for 10-15 minutes… Let. It. Sit!  That dwell time is what makes the product work, so if you cut it off mid-process, it will not have done its job.  You may very well have just spread the germs further around.

#3.  Work smarter, not harder.  One great example of this is the Top-to-Bottom method.  If you start dusting the baseboards and then move up to the frames on your wall, the dust from the frames will fall onto the baseboards that you JUST dusted.  Always work from top to bottom and from inside to out.  So start at the farthest end of your home and work your way towards the entrance.

That applies to all individual surfaces, too.  When cleaning your oven, start at the upper back section, working your way out and down.  (Another example of cleaning smarter, is to Clean first, and Sanitize after.  There is a difference and it’s an important one!  If you haven’t read Part 1 of this blog, you should check it out).

My Arsenal:

It’s hard to find a good product that is both effective AND safe.  I haven’t tried everything, and I don’t have all the answers. But there are a few products I absolutely love for my personal situation.  My home needs very thorough dusting, minimal chemicals, and all the cleaning needs to be both simple and easy to use.

Norwex Cloths: For removing every tiny, nasty, microscopic, bacterial protein from every surface in my home, without the harmful chemicals.

A Homemade Bottle of Disinfectant: I mix vinegar with a few drops of essential oil into a spray bottle.  This is safe on most surfaces, and I love knowing exactly what is in it.  I apply this with a paper towel on a few frequently touched surfaces (after cleaning) for extra measure.

Lemon Juice:  The acid in lemon juice naturally eats away at things, which makes it great for disinfecting inside garbage disposals.  It also helps eliminate odors!

Dyson Ball Animal 2 Vacuum:  The suction on this baby is unbelievable.  I don’t enjoy using the attachment because it’s not quite user-friendly, but it’s more than perfect for my home.  Carpet, hardwood floors, vents & baseboards, furniture – it gets into every nook and cranny.  Plus, it doesn’t use bags. Emptying the canister (which I do often because of all the pet hair) is so simple.

Do you have suggestions?  I’d love to know what you’re in love with and why it works!  Leave a comment with your favorite cleaning or disinfecting products!

 

Coming Up:

Part 3 includes instructions for each step of the cleaning process, including my personal home cleaning checklists.