There’s a reason why most house cleaning services carry a cleaning kit whenever they go to someone’s house. Having a bottle of all-purpose cleaning spray in one room, cleaning cloths in another, and the broom and dustpan in a third means that you will have to go from room to room gathering supplies every time you need to clean. However, by keeping all your tools together in one kit, and keeping that kit in one area, you will always know where your supplies are. If you’re interested in putting together your own home cleaning services kit, and you’d like to know what to include in it, read below for some of the essential tools and formulas that can be found in a Grand Rapids house cleaning services kit.
1. Broom and dustpan: A broom and dustpan is essential to clean loose dirt off of hard floors before mopping. A broom with an angled head works best to get in corners and underneath furniture. There are two types of dustpan to choose: a long handled one to match your broom or a handheld one with its own brush to pick up piles of dirt, dust, hair, and crumbs.
2. Microfiber mop: With a microfiber mop you can clean a variety of floor surfaces including regular mopping of tile or buffing and shining wooden floors. Microfiber scrubs and attracts dirt and grime without having to mop as hard as a traditional cotton mop. In addition, a detachable microfiber head on the mop is easier to throw in the wash to clean.
3. Cleaning cloths: Cleaning cloths are the workhorse of any Grand Rapids home cleaning services kit. There are a wide variety of cloths available from microfiber to terry cloth, and they can be used in place of paper towels. To clean them simply throw them in the wash. Choose different kinds of cloth in for different surfaces, you can even use old t-shirts, towels, and other absorbent cloths that are no longer useful.
4. Brushes and sponges: Like cleaning cloths, you’ll want to keep a variety of brushes in your kit for different surfaces. These can include: an old toothbrush for getting into small spaces and cleaning tile grout; a large handheld brush with medium-soft bristles, good for cleaning the tub or kitchen sink; a toilet brush; and a handheld brush with dense natural bristles for brushing lint off furniture. The most useful sponges will be tough without leaving behind marks and scratches.
5. Cleaners: Different types of cleaner have different purposes. Some are highly specialized while others can be used on a range of surfaces. When putting together your kit take a cue from house cleaning services, which buy large bottles of the cleaners they use the most and dilute them into their own spray bottles.
- All-purpose cleaner: A strong all-purpose cleaner will clean almost everything from the walls to the countertops. In addition, most all-purpose cleaners can be added to hot water for use in mopping.
- Wood cleaner: If you have wooden floors or furniture in your house you’ll want to invest in a wooden cleaner. Do not use all-purpose cleaner on wood because it could damage or stain it.
- Wet or dry scrub: Scrubs are used to clean the bathtub, toilet, and sinks. Try to pick a scrub that isn’t overly abrasive because you don’t want to scratch porcelain or ceramic surfaces.
- Glass cleaner: Windows, mirrors, and glass table tops will need glass cleaner to avoid streaks and dull fogginess that can occur when using all-purpose cleaners on glass.
- Specialty cleaners: Depending on your needs you may also want to invest in small bottles of specialty cleaners such as oven cleaner, leather cleaner, and fabric spot cleaner. Since you won’t use these as often as the rest of your cleaners it’s okay to purchase them in small bottles.
Jessica Miller offers Grand Rapids cleaning services at LessMesswithJess.com.