Organizing Cleaning Supplies!

Updated on August 12, 2011
R.L. asks from Kirkland, WA
7 answers

Where do you keep your cleaning supplies? Are they all centrally located somewhere in your house, or dispersed throughout? Right now, I have most of it under the sink in the kitchen, some under the sink in both bathrooms, and a little hidden stash in our office. But, it seems that no matter what room I'm cleaning, the supplies I need are ALWAYS somewhere ELSE!! So, I'm looking for a new system. I want to try to avoid buying multiples, but aside from strapping a tool belt to myself with spray bottles, rags, vacuum attachments, and magic erasers hanging all over it, what else can I try??

I suppose, if all else fails, the exercise up and down the stairs is good for me. :)

For those of you who use vinegar to clean, what's your ratio? I'm fairly new to the vinegar solution, and I have 50/50 vinegar and water, but I imagine that I can't use that for everything (windows/mirrors, stains, shower...)

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A.L.

answers from Austin on

Shower caddy.

Dorm supplies are abundant right now, so you should be able to find a cute one.

Mine has glass cleaner, a couple of swiffers, an extra trash bag, some Pledge, a coule of paper towels, a couple of old socks, an old toothbrush (for scrubbing small spaces), and a timer.

Each bathroom also has a bottle of toilet cleaner, a toilet brush, and a canister of Lysol wipes. (The kitchen also has a canister of wipes, and extra baking soda.)

The timer is for my "five minutes per room" plan. Walk into a room, and set your timer for five minutes. Do everything you can. When the timer goes off, finish the task you are currently on (ie, don't leave the bathroom mirror half wiped or the desk half dusted or whatever), and move on to the next room. Pick ONE room to focus on in a deep cleaning. I find it makes the cleaning a lot less tiresome, when I know I only have to do it for 5 minutes at a stretch. You can do anyting for 5 minutes. (And you'd be surpirsed how much you can do in 5 minutes, too! Depending on the room, I also bring a small bin for "Things that don't belong in this room." When the timer goes off, I re-distribute the stuff into their proper rooms.)

3 moms found this helpful

T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

I keep mine in a plastic carrying caddy which sits in the laundry room next to a pile of rags. When it's time to clean something I just take it and few rags to whatever room I'll be working in.
I have a large house (over 3,500 sq feet) but I find I don't need that much: oil soap for the wood floors, glass cleaner, pledge and tilex, that's pretty much all I use!

1 mom found this helpful
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J.D.

answers from Phoenix on

I use a carrying caddy or shove it in a pail to carry to my second level.

I bought some plastic spray bottles at Walmart and fill 1/3 vinegar and the rest water. I label it 1:3 Vinegar water. I also have one that is 100% vinegar.

I use the 1:3 for basic shining of mirrors, countertops, sinks, my wood laminate floors, etc.

I use the pure vinegar for soaking hard water stains on faucets, water dispenser on the fridge, tough food burnt on the stove, etc.

I use baking soda/magic erasers on porclain sinks that are really dirty in the bowl area. I also use baking soda/water/dash of dishsoap on a scouring sponge to clean soap scum in the showers/bathtubs.

I use toilet wands on the hardwater stains in the toilet and lysol wipes on the toilet area. I also use lysol wipes in the kitchen at the end of the day as a last wipe down after soap and water.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

I have a tupperware container that holds my cleaning supplies under each bathroom sink upstairs. (I do have duplicate products. It makes sense so I do not have play hide and seek with my cleaning products running between bathrooms:). I also have an upstairs and downstairs Vacume cleanner. Downstairs I keep the cleaning products for the kitchen and FR under the sink and I keep the Powder room cleaning supplies in the coat closet (I have a pedestal sink) once again in a Tupperware container. I also do not use rags to clean, I use paper towels. I don't like to wash rags with my other laundry and I do not have enough rags to warrant putting the washing machine on.

1 mom found this helpful

S.J.

answers from St. Louis on

Do you have so many that you are unable to keep all of them in one area?

You can't keep clutter clean. Downsize your cleaning supplies. You don't need that many. I clean almost everything with Vinegar and/or Baking soda. Windex, maybe some Pledge, what else do you need?

I keep all of mine in the hall linen closet, top shelf. Only adults can reach, and they are all in one spot.

good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

I keep cleaning supplies in 2 places:
kitchen under sink w/child proof lock
and bathroom.

Having said that they are in a carrying caddy so I can tote them around.

Supplies:
Ajax
Sos pads
Windex
409 type cleaner for kitchen surfaces & bathrm counters (we mix r own)
gloves (those yellow ones)
rag
Pledge
Chlorox wipes (love those)

I keep broom, mop in garage.
Vacuum attachments in hall closet.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.F.

answers from New York on

Sounds to me like you really have alot of products. I keep most things in the linen closet at the top in a basket for easy access. The extra dish detergent is kept in the kitchen above the stove. Everything else is kept in the linen closet on the top shelf. It sounds like you have alot of products. I agree with Scarlett, you may need to downsize your selections.

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