Andrea Dekker

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The Ultimate List of Cleaning Products I Use In My Home

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure here.

Do you have a favorite cleaning product?

What about a go-to cleaning tool?

And do you use cleaning routines or not?

These are all questions I’m asked fairly regularly… so I recently went through all my cleaning supplies and made one giant list of every single cleaning product and tool I use, along with how I use these products and tools to keep our home neat and clean enough.

dusting the office desk

Of course, my ultimate list” of cleaning products is an evolving list.

Due to the nature of my job (and my personality) I’m always on the lookout for new, better, less expensive, more helpful, more natural cleaning tools to use in my own home (and to share with you.)

So while I can assure you that none of the links below are sponsored, I can’t promise I will always use these exact cleaning products forever and ever.

Deal?

A Quick List of My Favorite Cleaning Tools

If I had to pare down my cleaning products to the bare minimum — the ones I use every single day, this would be my list.

GENERAL:

LAUNDRY:

FLOORS:

favorite dust pan and broom

For those who prefer a more thorough list, I did a walk-through of my entire home this past weekend and compiled a list of all the cleaning products in our home, where I store them, and what I use them for!

In my experience, cleaning is more enjoyable when your supplies are easily accessible and somewhat organized.

If you need a little motivation to clean up and declutter your cleaning supplies, this post oughta do it!

making my own hand soap

Cleaning the Kitchen:

Although I spend a fair amount of time cleaning the kitchen, I actually don’t keep all that many cleaning products in the kitchen — just whatever will fit under the sink.

kitchen sink area

I clean our kitchen counters multiples times per day. And, in general, I try to wipe down the kitchen surfaces as often as possible.

Here’s a list of cleaning products I currently keep in the kitchen.

cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink

Related Reading:

Cleaning Our Master Bathroom:

Although our bathroom isn’t actually attached to our bedroom, we still call it the “master bath” because it’s the bathroom Dave and I use. Plus, it’s tucked back right next to our bedroom so it almost feels like a master suite!

how we clean our master bathroom

I clean our bathroom on a weekly basis — with a few touch-ups throughout the week as necessary.

We keep the following cleaning supplies in our bathroom — all tucked nicely under my sink (the left one).

Related Reading:

Cleaning the Kids’ Bathroom:

We are so thankful to have a separate, very large full bathroom upstairs for the kids.

We have done some work to update this space, but it’s far from “finished”. However, it’s super functional for the kids and meets our current needs just fine.

how to clean our kids' bathroom

I thoroughly clean the kids’ bathroom once a week, but I also wipe down the sink and the toilet almost every night (usually during Clara’s bath).

We keep the following cleaning products in the kids’ bathroom (in the red hutch above the toilet so little kiddos can’t reach).

  • Disinfecting wipes
  • Paper towels
  • Toilet brush and toilet bowl cleaner
the kids' bathroom

Related Reading:

Cleaning Our Half Bathroom

A couple of years ago, we turned our previously TINY laundry room into a fairly spacious half bath located right off our back door and mudroom area.

It’s perfect for our needs!

how to clean our half bathroom

Our half bath is in near-constant use as our kids always wash their hands immediately after coming inside, and this is the bathroom all guests use when they’re on the main floor.

Because of the heavy traffic, I clean this bathroom every night, often swapping out the hand towels multiple times per day so they aren’t soaking wet.

Related Reading:

We designed this room with a huge amount of storage, so we store the bulk of all our cleaning supplies in the half bath.

Under the sink:

In the cabinets above the sink:

extra storage in half bathroom

Cleaning Our Laundry “Room”:

As I mentioned above, our former laundry room is now our new half bathroom — and our former full bathroom (right next door) is not-so-patiently waiting to be transformed into a new (much larger) laundry room.

We’ve been waiting for 2 years already because once we finally decided how we wanted to renovate this space, my dad was too busy to help.

Hopefully it will happen within the next year!

For the time being, our only laundry area is in the basement. It’s not ideal, but it has worked for over 2 years now and I’m not complaining (well, maybe a little complaining every now and then!)

our basement laundry area

Because of the inconvenient basement location, we don’t keep many cleaning supplies in the laundry area.

I also don’t do much to clean this area — just wipe down the machines every now and then and sweep the floor.

These are the cleaning supplies I keep in the laundry area:

Related Reading:

folding laundry

Cleaning the Garage:

We’re outside a lot, so it makes sense to have a few cleaning tools in both our garage and outbuilding.

  • Paper towel
  • Baby wipes (for sticky, messy fingers)
  • Push broom and wicker broom
  • Buckets and dish soap for washing cars, bikes, scooters, etc.
cleaning the garage

We try to pick up the garage every evening before heading inside. I also sweep it out at least once a week. And we powerwash the floors twice a year.

Related Reading:

Whew… I think that’s everything!

But before I wrap up this comprehensive post, I want to share a few more of my favorite cleaning resources.

The cleaning routines that work for us.

I’ve always been the type to clean when it’s dirty and not worry too much about it in the meantime. But as we’ve added more people to our family and more schedules to our calendar, I realize that utilizing a few cleaning routines simplifies my days and make it easier to keep our home clean enough.

Here are a few of the cleaning routines that work well for our family.

And… 2 more links to round out this comprehensive post!

cleaning the kitchen cabinets

Now… for the vacuum:

I get so many questions about what vacuum I use or what vacuum I’d recommend, but I don’t have a great answer because I don’t think I’ve ever had one vacuum that I love for years and years.

We’ve used a handful of Hoover and Oreck vacuums over the last decade because I was a Hoover Ambassador for several years. I liked all the vacuums I was given, but I’ve never completely LOVED any of them. They all seem to die out after a couple of years of regular use and abuse.

We also had a Kirby when we were first married and it was so heavy I ended up selling it on Craigslist only about a year later.

Two years ago, I purchased a Sanitaire from a local vacuum cleaning store, but I’m already having some issues with it and the shop is now closed due to COVID.

my sanitaire vacuum

So… I’m back in the market for a vacuum and I’d love to get YOUR recommendations!

Our home is about 50/50 hardwood and carpet (with a little tile thrown in too.)

It would be ideal if I could find something that works well on hard floors, carpets, stairs, etc. I’d also like a few attachments so I can quickly do the baseboards and get under couch cushions. 

I don’t have a preference when it comes to bag/bagless or corded/cordless… but if it’s cordless, it better have a GOOD battery life!

Feel free to share YOUR favorite cleaning products and tools in the comments… as well as your vacuum recommendation.

Thanks for any suggestions you offer! 😊

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Comments

  1. Amanda says

    Central vacs are pretty great, if you are able to run the system through your basement somehow. I don’t know all the ins and outs of it. Our farmhouse had one when we moved in and I personally love it. I wouldn’t care to go back to the other types of vacuums available. The only issue is to be sure not to suck up something that could clog your vacuum hose. We have had some accidents with socks under the couch or something like that. My husband or son usually takes the hose and blows out the sock or whatever it was with an air compressor. Anyway if central vacs are a good investment, if you are interested

    Reply

    • Andrea says

      I was actually just at the vacuum store last week and the guy was trying to talk me into a central vac system. He showed me how the hoses aren’t as heavy anymore and just “suck” right back up into the wall. It did look pretty great — but I’m not ready for another construction project right now — LOL!
      I appreciate your vote for this though — maybe someday!

      Reply

  2. Diane says

    I love my central vac! Before I got it, I didn’t think they sounded too great but we got one anyway because my brother-in-low sold them. Now that I have had one for many years, I sure don’t want to go back to the other types. Central vacs are worth the money and they last a long time. It also helps people with allergies since they are exhausted outside.

    Reply

  3. Lauren says

    We’ve had a Dyson Animal since we got married 9 years ago and it’s still going strong. It has settings for heavy-duty carpeting, or light surfaces like hardwood. We have a dog who sheds a ton and it’s pretty gross what it picks up. Last year during Amazon Prime Day, we purchased a cordless Dyson for quick clean up on our new vinyl flooring and stairs. We bought the cheapest model and it’s battery life is definitely lacking. But since I use it for light cleaning only, I just try to work fast and get it done.

    Reply

  5. Annie says

    I love my Sebo Felix. I grew up with central vac, and was a little hard to please. It’s a bit pricey up front but I think we’re at 5 years with ours and its still going strong. It’s on the small side, but that’s what I wanted since I’d be hauling it up and down steps. Small also makes it easy to maneuver so my 8 and 9 year old can easily handle it. It can lay flat for going under beds etc. Mine came with 2 heads, one with brushes that can be adjusted for hard floor or carpet, and the other head is just for hard floors. We almost never switch to the one for just hard floors. It also has 2 attachments for the hose. Anyway, I’m sold on it!

    Reply

  6. Jean says

    I love my Miele and Riccar vacuums purchased from locally owned vacuum shop. More expensive upfront but they last, can be repaired and do a terrific job. They ultimately are a good value.

    Reply

  7. Michelle says

    I love my cordless dyson on the wood, tile, blinds and carpeted stairs. And the car. I love the upright dyson upstairs for the carpet

    Reply

    • Michelle says

      Also, search melamine foam on amazon. It’s similar to magic erasers but far less expensive. We’ve used it for years without issues.

      Reply

  8. Diane says

    I have had several over 50+ years of house keeping. Have had the pricy(dyson, etc.) and not. I honestly feel that the less expensive but older brands like a Hoover work best. The one I use now is going strong for the past 6/7 yrs. replacing a much more costly. It picks up well, the parts are uncomplicated and on board, what more can you want, oh, and it is bagless.

    Reply

    • Andrea says

      Wow you are the expert on vacuums then! 50 years of cleaning — good for you!
      We’ve had a few Hoovers over the years and I didn’t dislike them, but I do feel like they wore out quite quickly. Maybe I just vacuum too much — LOL!

      Reply

  9. JoDi says

    When we owned our own hardwood flooring company, my husband used a backpack vacuum at work, and I loved it so we got one for home too. I’ve been using it for over 20 years now. (Well, we’re on our 2nd one, but it’s the same model as the first.) It’s the ProTeam Super CoachVac. I have the horse hair 14″ hard floor attachment for the hardwood floors. They have a carpet attachment available too. I looooooove my backpack vac! Can’t imagine replacing it with an upright or canister vac. Speaking of Hoover, I have a Hoover LiNX Signature Cordless Stick Vac that I’ve had for at least 5 years now that I love for everyday quick vacuuming (we have dogs) and for the carpet runner on the stairs and the low pile looped carpet in the sunroom. I tried a lot of lightweight rechargeable and corded vacs before I found this one, and boy, is it great! Worlds better than any of the others I tried. Those are my two go-to vacuums that I can’t live without!

    Reply

  10. Jessica says

    We have a Shark vacuum and love it. Our home is mostly hardwood flooring and it does great. It’s easy to use, clean, and manuver.

    Reply

  11. Sandy says

    It’s really funny that you’re needing to know about this! Because just probably a week ago I commented to my husband more than once how much I love my shark vacuum cleaner! I like how it glides really well; I like how well it does on our carpeting upstairs and the hardwood as well… I can’t use it on my high pile carpet‘s in my dining room and my living room but those are the only two things that are any kind of what you’d call problem with it. I love my shark! I have the navy blue one it works really well and I’ve had it for probably three years. PS.. Not about the vacuum cleaner but I wanna rave about the blueberry muffin recipe… It’s the best! I’ve made it now twice since I first read it on your blog

    Reply

    • Andrea says

      what a coincidence!
      Also, I’m THRILLED you have enjoyed the muffins so much! They are always a hit around our house too!

      Reply

  12. Linda Bolt says

    I like my Shark Navigator vacuum. But I like my daughter’s even better: She has the newer one in which the hair automatically cleans itself off the brush roller.

    My experience with 35 years of vacuums is that they don’t make vacuums to last forever any more. I am happy if I get 6-7 years out of a vacuum.

    I also own a Roomba, and that has been great, especially when I had back surgery. My elderly parents have a Roomba, and it helps them a lot.

    Reply

  13. Angie says

    I recommend a Shark Professional vacuum. We bought one for our church and ended up buying a second one and one for our house as well. It’s bagless, we love that they are lightweight and maneuvers so easily! Even our 7 year old can run it very easily, and has been for several months. It’s affordable also!!!

    Reply

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