Five Cleaning Supplies You Didn’t Know You Needed

Stay at home orders have brought out the best and the worst, depending on the day of the week. At least that’s how it feels in our house. I loved Kristina being transparent that her coping mechanism during this time is typically doing nothing while her husband is all about staying busy with chores. Early into this new way of life with homeschooling while working full time and basically being quarantined to our house, I learned my husband and I share the same coping mechanism.

We clean.

Now, before you roll your eyes over this, remember like many of you we also have two elementary school-aged kids at home. Our house is a school, an office, a restaurant, a one stop shop for everything since there is no other option. Despite our coping through cleaning, there is still stuff laying around. There are still dirty dishes I find in the play room because my kids were “too busy” to bring them up to the kitchen. There is no such thing as a perfectly clean house when it’s also a quarantined-with-kids house. It’s also amazing how quickly those weeds grow back and the lawn again needs mowing.

Some of my friends have said they literally just kind of shut down and stare out a window or lay on a couch when they think about the craziness we are all living in right now. When I feel stressed, I automatically need something to keep me busy. I think it’s a way of getting my mind off the stress which I am sure will result in the need for therapy since I am likely pushing stress down versus dealing with it. Regardless, I have discovered some awesome cleaning tools I didn’t even think to use a couple of months ago. Now, I can’t believe I ever lived without them.

If you are one that needs to keep busy or could just use some cleaning tips, here are my top five favorites:

Under Appliance Micro Fiber Duster– Ever think about how dirty it is under your stove or refrigerator? Ever try to clean it without moving them (which come on, who is gonna do that?)? This tool will fit under anything and extends to reach as far as you will likely need. You can also get it wet to really get those hard to reach areas clean. The cloths are machine washable so you won’t feel guilty throwing something away after each use.

Butter Knife-No, this is not a joke. Put a cleaning rag over a butter knife and you will finally be able to reach into areas like window sills and sliding door tracks. Wet the rag or use a cleaning spray to really help lift up the dirt. You may not have ever noticed how dirty those areas area now that you have been made aware, this easy trick will do you wonders!

Seam Ripper- Mom, you know how you will empty the vacuum out but the bottom of it is full of things like hair and lint (and gross, who really knows what else)? I was constantly trying to pull that stuff off and it drove me crazy. I would even try to use manicure scissors and it was just an impossible task. My husband saw this brilliant idea and it changed my life (as much as a vacuum pro tip can). In seconds, this seam ripper is small and tough enough to complete cut through any tangled mess that your vacuum has picked up.

Drain Snake for Hair– If you have never used one of these, get ready for a disgusting yet rewarding feeling. I use this one in our sinks and shower and it’s horrifyingly amazing at what comes up. Once in awhile I will also use my home made clog solution since I have heard Draino can be bad for drains.

Angry Mama Microwave Cleaner- A bit of water and vinegar put into this will result in a sparkling microwave. It will loosen anything that can then just simply be wiped out. Plus, my kids find it really funny when “angry mama” is steaming away in the microwave.

Those are my top five but don’t be surprised if I post more on cleaning as the stay at home orders continue for us in WA State. I’d love to read any comments on your tips/tricks!