People enjoy a clean and healthy home but keeping the house in good nick is a bit tricky and requires effort and resources on a regular basis. Subjecting heavy duty areas of the house to regular cleaning is quite necessary as it keeps the rest of the place cleaner and more hygienic. Problem is that each room whether it be toilet or bedroom requires a specific cleaning approach, which may be a bit confusing and complicated in terms of obtaining and keeping stock of the right cleaning products and materials. Having said that, there are a number of basic yet essential cleaning products which should be present in the house (at least most of them anyway), here they are:
- Bleach;
- Formulated bathroom/toilet cleaner;
- Antibacterial cleaner;
- Floor cleaning product (depending on what floors there are);
- Window/gloss surface cleaner;
- Laundry detergent;
- Washing up liquid (detergent);
These are the essential cleaning products which should provide a sufficient scope when it comes to regular house cleaning.
Keep handy a good multipurpose cleaner – most small cleaning jobs around the house can be dealt with effectively using a good multipurpose cleaning product. Alternatively you can cook up your own – couple of table spoons of white vinegar and/or a spoonful of liquid detergent can be diluted in a litre of hot water (in a plastic bottle) for a highly effective homemade cleaning product. Pour the mixture in a spray bottle and shake well before use.
Have a mild abrasive cleaning agent handy – abrasives are invaluable help sometimes, especially when dealing with certain types of built up and residue on surfaces and materials. If you rather use a homemade abrasive then baking soda is your friend. Baking soda offers mild abrasive properties in combination with natural ability to dissolve various organic and nonorganic substances. Use of baking soda will prevent damage like scratches and clouding to most polished surfaces so you can scrub off residue without worrying about damage. A mixture of warm water and baking soda is suitable for cleaning the inside of the fridge and oven. For bathroom cleaning chores add some dishwashing liquid to the water and baking soda solution. Baking soda is also a natural deodoriser, if the fridge has developed ‘breath’ keep a bowl of baking soda stashed inside it to absorb any unpleasant smells, remember to change the soda bowl once a month.
White vinegar and/or lemon juice – both highly effective natural cleaning products able to replace baking soda, and cut through alkaline deposits like lime scale, rust, soap scum. Both substances contain acids though, which can possibly deem them unsuitable for certain cleaning chores. A good way to clean and sanitise surfaces in the kitchen is to wash them using white vinegar solution. Remove the acidy smell of vinegar by wiping down the freshly sanitised surface with a cloth soaked in lemon juice, this method works perfectly on glass. Another great application of vinegar and lemon juice is for cleaning drains (not unblocking them) pour some vinegar down the kitchen sink drain and follow up with hot water, then pour undiluted lemon juice to deodorise.
