Remember those party buckets I found alongside the road a few weeks ago?
Well after painting the {awkward} little cubby in the bathroom I decided to use one of the buckets to hold our laundry supplies.
As I was standing there looking in the bucket I realized the only things we use for our laundry is detergent, bleach and dryer sheets.
I don’t know why it made me pause and think about all the other cleaning supplies we have in our home. And after a minute or so I ran downstairs to check under the kitchen sink to see what was there.
The only items we had were a bottle of comet, a tube of stainless steel wipes and some dishwasher tabs. That was it.
Other than dish/hand soap, these are seriously all the cleaning supplies we have in our home. How does this compare with what you have at your house?
Call me crazy but it seems like our supplies are a little on the minimal side.
But maybe you have even less than I do?
~Mavis
P.S. Is there a specific cleaning product you can’t live without? Curious minds want to know.
Janie says
Laundry detergent, dish soap, bon Ami, scrub pads, vinegar and water.
That’s it.
Brianna says
My laundry supplies are just boring sensitive detergent, bleach, and wool dryer balls.
My household cleaning chemicals found in each bathroom: toilet bowl cleaner, Lysol wipes, spray bottles with distilled water, and e-cloths.
My kitchen/household cleaning supplies: oven cleaner, dishwasher tabs, meyers concentrate for tile, a spray bottle of vinegar-distilled water, and dish soap.
That is it. I got into the e-cloth and natural cleaning years ago since I have a kid with severe allergies. I use a lot of distilled water and e-cloth to clean just about anything. Each bathroom has a set of easy to use cleaning products because my kids all have been shown how to properly clean a bathroom and are expected to clean their own bathrooms.
I am always amazed when I go to an estate sale and all of the cleaning household products they have. When we bought our house, the guy left it all behind (cleaning and yard chemicals) and I had to figure out what to do with it all. It filled the bed of our truck!
Mallory L. says
Curious – what do you used for general purpose cleaning? That’s the only thing that seems “missing” to me? Something for counters, light switches, stove top, etc. Any of those I might use diluted Dawn on, but typically if I only really want to scrub and have the extra moment to make sure there is no soap residue.
You should check out wool dryer balls – ours are 10 years old and going strong. Dryer sheets can leave a buildup on your clothing/towels over time – which affects their absorbency.
We are pretty minimal (the people we bought our house from left a ton of cleaners of various kinds, so I am using them up, but would not repurchase them).
Kitchen – diluted Lysol concentrate for disinfecting; Dawn; dilute vinegar (w/ orange peels) for general cleaning; Bar Keepers Friend; vinegar; dishwasher powder.
Bathrooms – hand soap, toilet bowl cleaner, diluted Lysol Concentrate ( I use this for mopping floors as well, or vinegar).
Laundry – free & clear detergent for kiddo, powdered Tide for everything else, vinegar, small bottle of dawn for stains. Oxy Clean for soaking badly stained kid clothes.
We also keep rubbing alcohol, 98% acetone, Iron Out (we have hard water), and Bleach for when a little extra or targeted cleaning aggression is necessary. I keep squeeze bottles of Dawn in both bathrooms for clothing stain pre-treatment as well. Lots of cleaning cloths.
Mavis Butterfield says
I just use dish soap and water for general purpose cleaning. Dryer balls work great! https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/diy-wool-dryer-balls/
Mona R McGinnis says
Laundry soap (hypoallergenic; low waste laundry sheets); dryer sheets (1/2 sheet works every bit as good as a whole one & I often reuse them); liquid stain remover
Household: liquid & powder cleanser; liquid soap; dishsoap; vinegar, bleach; steel wool; sanitizer wipes for quick cleanups in the bathrooms
The best cleaner? – elbow grease!
Karen says
White vinegar as a “fabric softener” for towels. It removes the soap buildup in the terry cloth. I use it as a fabric softener, too. White vinegar and baking soda help keep drains cleanable instead of chemical drain cleaners.
Dawn says
I probably have a few more things than you but not much. Laundry spray because I make a mess when I eat or cook. Carpet spray because I have dogs and cats. Oven cleaner because it makes short work of cleaning the top of my stove.