There is a general saying that it is your responsibility to make your house a home. Your home is where you are supposed to find comfort in. But how can you have a home if it is dirty. The 10 essential home cleaning tools is what this post is about. Whether you already have a house and feel like you are not using the right tool for the right purpose or you just got a new house and will need guidance on the right tools needed to clean the home, look no further, for you are in the right place.
The 10 essential home cleaning tools are the tools needed to remove dirt from our homes and make them look good, smell nice and feel habitable. Some of these tools are: a scrub brush, a toilet brush, multi-purpose duster, sponges, vacuum cleaner, microfiber cleaning cloth, broom and dustpan, mop, bucket, and a cleaning solution to mention but a few.
So instead of drawing up a list of cleaning tools to buy, just go through this post and we have you covered. Recall, that the idea is “essential”, meaning you only have to get stuff that you need. You have no business buying a urine neutralizer if you do not have pets in the house.
So in no particular order, the 10 most essential home cleaning tools are as follows:
Cleaning fluid
To get that extra glow on the surfaces in your house, you will most definitely need a cleaning mixture or fluid. Sometimes, cleaning with a dry rag might not be enough. Your mixture can contain water and vinegar or it might be a water and detergent solution. This means you can even make the fluid up yourself.
If you get from a store, make sure it is multi-purpose. Multi-purpose in every sense of the word! Not you coming home with a multi-purpose cleaning solution that cannot be used to clean stainless steel tops. You’ll get more info about the fluid from the label.
Bucket
Of course you won’t have to carry water with your bare hands. And this is the least a bucket can do. I think a bucket is in fact underrated. A bucket can be used for transporting items in and around the house. Buckets are used for laundry. Buckets are used for storage. When you have to mop the house, guess what you also need? A bucket. The need for a bucket in the home can never be overemphasized. Make sure you get them in various sizes and colour to add a little spice to it.
Mop stick
When you saw bucket, I guess the next thing should be a mop stick. It is used for cleaning dust and other stubborn stain from off the floor. Whether it is hardwood, tile or any other type of hard floor surface, the mop can glide effortlessly on it. Mops these days come in varieties as well. It can have a stick and a sponge head, or it can have a handle with which you put a cleaning fluid. But a more convenient type is the steam mop. They are reusable and there’s no need to wring it out like the normal ones.
Dustpan and broom
You know anywhere you see one, you must see the other. When you finish using the broom to sweep the floor, you gather the dirt in one heap, put it into the dustpan and then dispose it. These two tools are also important to use before moping or using a vacuum cleaner. We recommend that you buy a dustpan that has rubber lips. This will help for better grip on the floor when you are sweeping the dirt in to it. You won’t want your dustpan wobbling when you are trying to move dirt into it. This will scatter the dirt even more and give you double work.
Microfiber cloth
These are towel like materials that are used to wipe dust off of surfaces. They are soft and gentle to the touch. So they can be relied upon to clean up glass surfaces without scratching it. you can use them to clean mirrors as well. Apart from cleaning away dust gently, you can use them to clean wet surfaces and stainless steel. Their towel-like material allows for absorption of fluid. And notice that once you use the microfiber cloth to clean wet or damp surfaces, it tends to make the surface dry up faster.
Vacuum cleaners
Yes, this machine is really needed. They are perfect for cleaning up hair, fur, dirt and debris on hard floor, carpet and rugs. Trust me there are lots of dirt your normal broom will miss that the vacuum cleaner will not. It tidy’s up the house in record time so you can have time for other things. However, there are things you need to consider before getting one. Things like the type of floor you have, the space it needs to operate in, if you have kids or pests etc. etc. All these factors will now determine the type of vacuum cleaner you will buy.
Sponge
This is another underrated tool like the bucket. What can’t you use a sponge for? From washing dishes, plates, pots and pans to cleaning surfaces that have been smeared with greasy substances or stubborn stains. We recommend that you get a two-sided sponge.
‘Two sided in that it has a soft side for dishes and a coarse/rough side for more difficult stain. It is also good to use non-metallic, non-abrasive sponges to clean cast iron pots. So that it will not scratch and wear off the surface which it is washing.
However, you might need hard sponges to scrub the floor and cooker top. If you use different sponges for different purposes, make sure you store them differently. Not you store sponge for plates together with sponge for floors.
Toilet brush
Take note, there are brushes and there are dedicated toilet brushes. And trust me, there is no other type of brush that cleans the toilet better than a toilet brush.
You need to keep your toilet clean because it is hygienic and you don’t want a foul odour from the toilet permeating the rest of the house. This could be embarrassing especially if you have visitors around. We recommend you buy one that has a stand so you can store it just in behind the toilet.
Some recent designs of toilet brushes have a compartment where you pour a cleaning fluid for ease and convenience.
Scrub brushes
This type of brushes do not mess around. Their handle is sturdy and the brittle is hard. They do an excellent job of cleaning bath tubs and sinks. They clean off stubborn dirt and leave surfaces shiny afterward. They now come with different brush heads so the degree of dirt will determine the type of brush to use.
Merely looking at it, you know this is the type you might need to get on all fours with and exert a lot energy when using so the stubborn dirt can go off.
Multi-purpose duster
When stuff like cobwebs become visible in the house, you will need a tool to remove them. Cue in the multi-purpose duster. The longer the wand extension is, the more you can reach spaces that are overhead. We recommend you buy a multi-purpose duster that is long enough to reach your ceiling and has a pivoting head, as your fan can be covered with cobweb before you even know it. With this tool, you can be able to get to nooks and crannies that other cleaning tools cannot get to.
Conclusion
All the home cleaning tools mentioned here are essential. Every one of them. You can feel free to add your own tools as your home expands or as your family grows. Do enjoy your cleaning.