For those who actually clean their own Home...tips on cleaning products-organic vs chemicals, and any life hacks you use (2 Viewers)

[Ministry of Pain]

Had a house cleaner for many years, wife of the building maintenance/groundskeeper, she was great until the pandemic started and then finally this year it became impossible to keep her.
Mrs works out of the house 3-4 days a week and it's very difficult to have cleaning going on while she is working which is almost all day, noise needs to be a minimum.
House cleaner was every other week, $100-$125 per visit so we're saving money but now somebody has to do the real cleaning and you can't just gloss over it all the time, sometimes you gotta roll up your sleeves and get dirty. I honestly don't mind but I wish I could find some cleaning products with less chemicals in them.

Not sure what works and what doesn't but the Shark steam mop is a god send. I can use that several times a week if need be on the tiles in the kitchen and dining room, bathrooms are pretty easy and it doesn't use any chemicals at all, just water and steam, which I wonder if that truly cleans the floor but it's nice to not have chemicals being used.

I don't think Mrs Myers is all that "green" but maybe I'm wrong. Plus I hear it doesn't clean so well.
We have a shark vacuum as well, bought it so the house cleaner didn't have to bring her own, little did I know how easy this thing works and makes vacuuming the carpet in the rest of the house, easy.

Curious how long it takes most to clean their homes? I only have about 1,600 sq feet I have to deal with, top to bottom if I don't stop is about 3-4 hours, but I'm lazy and will break it up over a couple days.
The toilet seems like it should be done a lot more often on its own. Even when we had hired help I would be cleaning this thing every few days
I know folks who clean them almost every day, and if you share it with others or have family/kids I could see having to do that twice daily.
Wife and I have separate bathrooms we use but I still like to keep mine as spotless as possible, plus she sneaks in there and uses it when she's working, don't let her fool you.

I started using "Pink Stuff" and I don't notice much scent to it, seems to clean glass doors in the showers pretty well, soap film comes right off but the paste gets a little messy.
Scrub Daddy? I own like 6 of them for the bathrooms

 

[El Floppo]

Very similar boat, mop. Will chime in later

 

[Yankee23Fan]

Pink Stuff is pretty good. Dawn Power Wash spray foam does a lot more than just dishes. Used it on grill after the winter and made it look like new.

If I just start and don't stop I can clean the whole house in 3 hours. We usually do it in stages though so one room or area is usually a war zone at any given time.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

When I lived in Los Angeles, had a buddy who used to rent a very small 1 bedroom apartment, little 2 story walk up that almost looked like an old hotel, doubt the building is still there along Hollywood Blvd, Musso and Frank, that area. Where they film the opening car ride between Pitt and Clooney in Ocean's 11.

-Place was a dump honestly but he kept the inside immaculate, just wouldn't allow dirt of any kind or filth to accumulate, very disciplined guy that ran and cycled, knew his way around the kitchen and cooked better than any food I ever ate out at a restaurant. He was Italian from Philly and old school in nature.

Dude use to bleach everything, he would use it in the bathroom, kitchen for the floors and counters as needed and then wipe everything down throughly. I read that bleach is very bad or can be but I will say his apartment, you could almost eat off the floors. He was neurotic and would clean almost every day as needed, part of his routine and kept him active I guess. He was one of my unemployed friends when i lived in SoCal, he had all the time in the world to cook n clean and that's exactly how he would fill up his day.

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

Another vote for Dawn Power Wash. Recently figured out it works great on old porcelain bathtubs. I spray it with powerwash, then get some baking soda (huge bag of it is cheap) and sprinkle around, the scrub with a scrubber/stiff brush. It makes it super easy to clean off soap scum, etc. Then hit the grout/corners with some cleaner spray with bleach. Dawn + baking soda will clean gunked up pots and pans and stove pans pretty well also. For homemade power wash solution, fill it up to the bottom of the words "Powerwash" (on the front label), add a TBSP of 90%+ isopryl alcohol and fill up with water.

Swiffer wet jet mop for quick cleanups. And pro tip: you can take the original bottle of cleaner and stick the top in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then you can unscrew the sealed top and refill with your own mop solution of choice. You can also replace the pads with big fuzzy socks (I cut them to fit precisely and cut holes for the jets to spray through). Heck of a lot cheaper than buying the refills for both the pads and the solution.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Another vote for Dawn Power Wash. Recently figured out it works great on old porcelain bathtubs. I spray it with powerwash, then get some baking soda (huge bag of it is cheap) and sprinkle around, the scrub with a scrubber/stiff brush. It makes it super easy to clean off soap scum, etc. Then hit the grout/corners with some cleaner spray with bleach. Dawn + baking soda will clean gunked up pots and pans and stove pans pretty well also. For homemade power wash solution, fill it up to the bottom of the words "Powerwash" (on the front label), add a TBSP of 90%+ isopryl alcohol and fill up with water.

Swiffer wet jet mop for quick cleanups. And pro tip: you can take the original bottle of cleaner and stick the top in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then you can unscrew the sealed top and refill with your own mop solution of choice. You can also replace the pads with big fuzzy socks (I cut them to fit precisely and cut holes for the jets to spray through. Heck of a lot cheaper than buying the refills for both the pads and the solution.

Thank You NRJ,
I gotta share this with you, was using the Swiffer wet mops and hated having to touch the pads and wrap them around into the fasteners, always drips whatever they are soaked in and gets all over my hands so then I gotta wash them off, I have sensitive skin.

-I saw several articles linking those Swiffer wet mops/jets to a lot of health issues and that's when I found this, it was actually recommended by MoP Jr

Amazon.com

No cleaning solution, the pads go right into the washing machine, you can buy some extra so you have a few around the house
I have pretty much fallen in love with this purchase/product

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

Another vote for Dawn Power Wash. Recently figured out it works great on old porcelain bathtubs. I spray it with powerwash, then get some baking soda (huge bag of it is cheap) and sprinkle around, the scrub with a scrubber/stiff brush. It makes it super easy to clean off soap scum, etc. Then hit the grout/corners with some cleaner spray with bleach. Dawn + baking soda will clean gunked up pots and pans and stove pans pretty well also. For homemade power wash solution, fill it up to the bottom of the words "Powerwash" (on the front label), add a TBSP of 90%+ isopryl alcohol and fill up with water.

Swiffer wet jet mop for quick cleanups. And pro tip: you can take the original bottle of cleaner and stick the top in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then you can unscrew the sealed top and refill with your own mop solution of choice. You can also replace the pads with big fuzzy socks (I cut them to fit precisely and cut holes for the jets to spray through. Heck of a lot cheaper than buying the refills for both the pads and the solution.

Thank You NRJ,
I gotta share this with you, was using the Swiffer wet mops and hated having to touch the pads and wrap them around into the fasteners, always drips whatever they are soaked in and gets all over my hands so then I gotta wash them off, I have sensitive skin.

-I saw several articles linking those Swiffer wet mops/jets to a lot of health issues and that's when I found this, it was actually recommended by MoP Jr

Amazon.com

No cleaning solution, the pads go right into the washing machine, you can buy some extra so you have a few around the house
I have pretty much fallen in love with this purchase/product

interesting, thanks! Could use an old cloth diaper or towel I think for similar results or as a temporary replacement. The socks method worked but took a little engenuity to make it work right.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

-Dawn Power Wash, 2 early votes on that

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I got robbed at Home Depot on these Swiffer Dusters, they work really well though.

Swiffer Dusters Heavy Duty Extendable Handle Dusting Kit - 4ct

Read reviews and buy Swiffer Dusters Heavy Duty Extendable Handle Dusting Kit - 4ct at Target. Choose from contactless Same Day Delivery, Drive Up and more.

www.target.com

$9.99 at Target, that was at least $13 at Home Depot,
There is a 6-ft one as well, about $$15-$16
They sell refills for these, it's a whole system of course

I just like to hand my wife the 3-ft one while I am using the 6-footer and say "Here. help us out around here"

 

[Dezbelief]

I'm a shopvac fan for crevices and corners brooms can't get to. I use the shopvac for cobwebs in the corner and on the ceiling. I use the shopvac to dust ceiling fans too.

 

[Dezbelief]

Ohh and one of the most overlooked spots, unscrew the air return vents for your HVac system and go to town with a shopvac. Most homes have never been cleaned there.

 

[odin33]

Third vote for Dawn Power Wash. If I've got something sticky or nasty (I grill and smoke a good bit so lots of mess) that's the bottle I grab first.

Barkeepers Friend Definitely not on the chemical free smell side, but if you've got a nasty pot/pan to clean, or want to keep a nice set looking nice. Also works wonders on our porcelain sink.

Stera Sheen For the Blackstone/griddle cookers out there. This stuff is legit. Again definitely not chemical free smell, it actually pretty awful. It does turn the cooking surface to more of a light gray/silver look but it'll clean anything off.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I'm a shopvac fan for crevices and corners brooms can't get to. I use the shopvac for cobwebs in the corner and on the ceiling. I use the shopvac to dust ceiling fans too.

I have the basic Shark Nv 352 and it can retail for close to $200 but Amazon is running a pretty good deal right now

https://www.amazon.com/Shark-Navigator-Lift-Away-Anti-Allergy-NV352/dp/B004Q4DRJW?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Navigator Lift-Away Lightweight Bagless Corded HEPA Filter Upright Vacuum for Multi-Surface in Purple - NV352

You can see there is quite a price difference depending on where you click, not bragging but I might have gotten it under $100 on Amazon during one of their Prime deals last year.

It has attachments that allow you to do a lot of the things you mention but sometimes a shop vac would be handy for messier assignments
That vacuum I'm pimpin' has to be emptied at some point/often and does not use bags. You want to do that outside of the house, trust me.

 

[Klimtology]

 

[kupcho1]

I have the basic Shark Nv 352

@Ministry of Pain , any reason I'd be dissatisfied with the Shark S3501? Available for $52.49 with coupon. I would only be using it on "hardwood" floors (i.e., laminate).
TIA, I'll hang up and listen

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I have the basic Shark Nv 352

@Ministry of Pain , any reason I'd be dissatisfied with the Shark S3501? Available for $52.49 with coupon. I would only be using it on "hardwood" floors (i.e., laminate).
TIA, I'll hang up and listen

That is a hot mop not a vacuum FYI
That's the one I use on our tile in the kitchen and dining room, bathrooms.
Just pour water into the opening in the front, make sure you seal it before lifting it back upright...seems obvious but you'd be surprised.
It warms up in about 15-20 seconds and you are hot mopping the floor without any chemicals, it's just steam.
The mop comes with 2 washable pads, you might want to buy a couple more but you can just wash them and re-use them.

This thing saves a lot of time and headaches

Shark makes excellent vacuums as well, I have carpet in some of the rooms

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

If you are cleaning your toilet twice a day, you have bigger problems my friend.

I use Bon Ami powder so as not to scratch the finish on my sinks, etc. Also, white vinegar is your friend. And when you are done cleaning, you can use it on your salad.