10 Essential Cleaning Items for Home + DIY Cleaning Solution Recipes
white latex cleaning gloves, a sweater stone and, glass spray bottle filled with homemade cleaning solution rests on a granite counter top.
As we enter March, we’ve got ‘spring cleaning’ on the brain! And with that, we’ve rounded up our most useful/favorite products to share with you all.
This is certainly NOT an exhaustive list nor is it a suggestion for any time of organization or how to’s. For us, these are items that we find very useful to our daily lives and to aid in our cleaning routine. These are all items I HIGHLY recommend bringing into your home for use on daily basis.
I’m still wearing sweaters most days and each time I pull one out, there’s inevitably some sort of pilling. And for this, I use a sweater stone. Over time, friction can cause the lofty fibers on the surface of knit fabrics to develop pills. Breathe new life into tired-looking knits and extend the longevity of your clothing by removing pills with a sweater stone. A natural pumice-like stone that renews the look and luster of garments, a sweater stone can be used on sweaters, knits, cashmere, upholstery, towels, shirts, and bedding. Cells within the stone contain sharp edges that pull and remove pills and balls.
After cleaning out my wardrobe during no junk January, I definitely came across a number of shirts that required some sort of mending. While I do have all the tools and supplies necessary in my sewing box I do find my Fiskar’s Travel Sewing Kit to be super helpful, especially in moment when I’ve lost a button or found a lose button on a shirt or jacket. It’s a compact set, ideal for purses, backpacks and travel bags, that includes everything needed for mending on the go. Folding travel scissors are TSA compliant, and feature long-lasting stainless steel blades. Fix small rips, tears and lost buttons with this kit that also contains 10 colored threads (3 yards each), a 39 in. measuring tape, 3 hand needles, 2 safety pins, 4 straight pins, a needle threader and 4 buttons, all neatly kept in a clear, hard plastic case.
I often pull on a sock and notice my heel thinning out or see my big toe poking up through my sock. If you have a quality sock, the best option is to mend the sock. To do so, you’ll need a wooden mushroom darner. Stretch your worn sock over the top of the darning mushroom, and secure it in place with an elastic band or hair tie around the groove to easily repair your project. If you’re unsure of how exactly to mend your socks, here’s a quick video tutorial
A few times a year, the inside of my oven requires a deep clean. There are PLENTY of over degreasers available to use. Prior to making my own, I would have suggested using Bar Keepers Friend, but I’m going to share my homemade oven degreaser recipe with you. Mix 1⁄4 cup dish soap, 1⁄2 cup lemon juice, 1 cup vinegar, and 11⁄4 cups water in a spray bottle. Shake gently, spray inside the oven (don't forget the door!), let it sit to break down the grease, and wipe clean with a damp cloth. It's that simple! Your oven will shine like new without any toxic fumes.
Heavy use of paper towels is not particularly eco-friendly. And I do have my fair share of dusting wands but nothing even comes close to being as effective as dusting gloves. Now, full disclosure, these are microfiber (which is polyester) BUT you can wash these up to 500 times before losing durability. I use these gloves to dust my stair banister, electronics, tabletop surfaces, my blinds, and especially my artwork ledges.
Now that I have one of these, I have no idea how I made it so far in life without one. It’s perfect for having children, pets, and just general life. Little Green® Portable Carpet Cleaner is a lifesaver. There are plenty of cleaning solutions available to you, but I suggest making your own to avoid releasing toxins into your home. To make a DIY cleaning solution for a Bissell Little Green Machine, you can mix 1 cup of warm water, 1 tablespoon of dish soap, and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a spray bottle; this basic mixture is suitable for most upholstery cleaning needs.
For tougher stains: Add a teaspoon of baking soda to the mixture for extra cleaning power.
For odor removal: Add a few drops of essential oil like lavender or tea tree oil.
For delicate fabrics: Slightly dilute the solution with more water.
With Jerri’s 1 kid and 2 dogs, and my 2 kids and 1 dogs, we both have an extraordinary amount of toys and household items that get shuffled and left around our houses, that just make for clutter. Bins/baskets are the BEST answer to random pieces around your home. You can easily use them to carry up and downstairs to help return items to their rightful homes. I’ve tried a number of basket and bins but have found that rope bins from Target are simply the best. I’ve had mine for over 10 years and they still look like brand new. I love the leather handle piece, how easy they are to clean, and their neutral look to match the decor in my home.
I guess this is more of a gadget but once you get one, it’s kind of wild how much it makes recycling easier. My household is a HEAVY can usage family; we use canned tonic eater, sparkling waters, soda, & beer. As we live in a state that does not do can collecting for money, the collection of cans in the recycling bin can be easily overwhelming. So a can crusher is perfect for household like mine. I’ve attached it to the wall above my recyling bin and crunch my cans each time I’m done with them, taking up minimal room in my recyling bin.
How very housewife to list latex cleaning gloves but honestly, I use mine every.single.day. I often have cuts, bruises, & knicks on my hands that can easily get caught on microfibers and hand towels. I love that I don’t have to hold back on getting down and dirty during ANY task when wearing my gloves and I feel much better knowing that I’m not getting toxic ANYTHING on my skin while trying to clean. Eventually these will wear out, get smelly or wear holes and yo'u’ll need to replace them. I think I went through 2 pair last year.
This last one I write as a plea for a ‘laundry alternative’. BOTH Jerri and I highly recommend against using scented dryer sheets/liquids/or beads. These can all be considered "bad" due to the chemicals they contain, which can irritate sensitive skin, reduce the absorbency of towels by coating the material with “waxy” residue, potentially harm the environment, and contribute to indoor air qualities when heated in the dryer. Wool dryer balls are a natural alternative to help reduce static cling. You can drip a few drops of essential oils onto dryer balls if you’re looking for added freshness. My recommendation is to add a cup of white vinegar to the final rinse cycle while washing that can help reduce cling as well as eliminate odors and provide some “fluff” to your clothes.