5 cleaning items you can't do without

Posted on 09/07/2014

To help make the cleaning easier, it helps to be prepared and have everything you’ll need to get the job done. There are a few things that no household should be without when it comes to cleaning, and things that will as a result make cleaning much less hassle and a lot quicker.

Cloths, sponges and scourers

These will be essential for all elements of cleaning, and it makes sense to have a good supply of all of them. Sponges can be picked up very cheaply and normally in bulk, and most of the time come with a soft side and a scouring side, so you can buy a good quality additional scourer for particularly difficult stains etc. Because they are so cheap, it makes sense to get a spare pack too, so you will have enough for a while. Getting about 4 or 5 good dishcloths should be enough, so that you have one for each room and a few spare that you can use when you are washing the others. Metal scourers are generally a good choice, as they are strong enough to remove lime scale or food stains that the sponges cannot.

Vacuum cleaner

What kind of vacuum you want will depend on how large your home is. You might even consider getting two if you have a lot of rooms upstairs, as this can save you from having to carry a heavy Hoover up and down the stairs. Generally, upright cleaners are best for general use, and normally come with a wide variety of attachments that mean you can tackle numerous tasks with them. That said, if you are considering a second Hoover, or have a smaller home, then a compact device can be just as good. These often come with cyclone technology as well, so aren’t lacking too much in power compared to their larger versions. While you can still get vacuums that use the traditional bag system, cyclone versions can be a lot less expensive in the long run, as you won’t have to keep replacing bags.

White Vinegar

While this may not be one of the first things you would consider to be important, white vinegar has a number of uses when it comes to cleaning and is very cheap. You can buy enough to last you for a long time, and this can either be used as your main cleaning liquid or as a back up for when you run out of other products. It can be used to clean surfaces, in conjunction with baking soda to clear blockages in the sink, and even remove lime scale and stains. It’s a very handy all purpose liquid that should always be kept handy.

Bleach

While this is mainly useful for bathroom cleaning, it can also be used, when watered down, to clean surfaces and harder to remove stains on hard surfaces. It should of course be kept well out of reach of children however, as contact with the skin can be dangerous. You can also use a little bit of bleach to clean your dishcloths, leaving them to soak in a small cup full of bleach and sink full of water.

Baking Soda

Another cupboard ingredient that is cheap, so you might as well make sure you have a good amount if you need it. This can be great at removing stains if mixed into a paste with white vinegar, and as mentioned very useful for clearing blockages in pipes or plugholes. While you can certainly use this as one of main cleaning items, it is very useful to have in reserve should you run out of the products you normally use, plus it is a lot cheaper.