One of my favourite results of thinning out my cleaning products is being able to see and use what’s left after I’ve decluttered.
This is one category of items people rarely declutter. Decluttering them — scaling them down to the best and most useful — has a huge impact on your cleaning and in the long run will save you time and money.
Here are some cleaning products and tools you can get rid of right away:
Reduce the amount of cleaning products you have.
You don’t necessarily need a different cleaner for every little cleaning task. Look for products that are versatile so they can be used for various cleaning tasks. Not only does this take up less space, but it also makes it faster to switch between cleaning tasks. Use the least amount of product as needed to get your cleaning task completed. More is not necessarily better! Using too much product can actually increase your cleaning time and any residue left behind can attract more dirt and grime as well as unsightly streaks leading to more frequent cleaning.
Spray bottles that don’t work.
Whether you have a clogged nozzle, the spray comes out all over the place and leak, or the trigger works only half the time, no one wants to fight with a spray bottle as they’re cleaning. Get rid of any of these broken bottles. I like to add my homemade cleaners to glass bottles, this way I can see how much of the product I have left but it is important these bottles work and are labelled clearly.
Ripped holy cloths
Your rags don’t have to be perfect, but once your cloths begin to become worn through and holy, it might be time to get rid of them. You want to maximise the cleaning power of your cleaning cloths and getting a hole stuck on a faucet is frustrating and time consuming. It is so important to look after your cleaning cloths to get the full cleaning power from them, check out my how to guide.
Worn down brushes
Again, you want your cleaning power to be well spent. Scrubbing with flat brushes isn’t well-spent energy. Replace them or trim them down and consider whether it would be worthwhile to spend a bit more money for longer-lasting tools. Don’t forget through recycled toothbrushes always make a great cleaning brush, perfect for getting into those nook and crannies.
Old Magic Erasers.
You certainly don’t have to use a completely new Magic Eraser every time you use one to clean. But once your Magic Eraser is saturated, flat or crumbling then it is time to reach for a new one.
Duplicate tools.
If you have more than one dust pan and brush set, a cupboard full of mops or long dusters, then I bet you just have far too many cleaning tools and I bet you also reach for your favourite each time you clean. Keep those and only those that you use and love. The exception is if you have more than one kind of the same type of tool for specific jobs — and you use them all. For instance, it is good to have an outside broom and an inside broom and they both get used for their respective purposes regularly.
Keep your cleaning supplies where you are going to need them.
The less time it takes you to find your cleaning products, the more likely you’ll be to use them. As much as possible, store your bathroom cleaning supplies in your bathroom, your kitchen cleaning supplies under the sink etc. If you’re short on space, just store what you would need for a month’s worth of cleaning and keep the larger product bottles stored somewhere else in your home, maybe your garage or shed but if you only buy what you need you won’t need to find this extra space.
Optimise your storage space
If you’re short on space, look for better storage options to keep those cleaning supplies handy. I am a big fan of magic hooks, these are great to hang cleaning cloths, brushes and dusters. Categorise products using storage boxes and look at tiered under the sink storage options.
Create a portable cleaning caddy.
Take a little time to put together a basic cleaning caddy then it is easy to carry your supplies to various spots around the house that you don’t have cleaning supplies stored. Make sure everyone in the house knows where it’s stored so they don’t have any excuses for not cleaning up if they make a mess!
