Five More Cleaning Supplies You Didn’t Know You Needed

For as long as I can remember, I have found that cleaning helps to clear my head more than most other things. Don’t roll your eyes too fast though because being wired this way does not then mean my house doesn’t look like a small bomb exploded in it at times. I have a full-time job, two kids, a dog that sheds and a husband that is tidy but still leaves his socks everywhere and thinks it’s ok to wash towels with delicate clothes. I am a real mom just like you and would cringe at the thought of someone coming over unannounced knowing it’s always hit or miss on how clean or disastrous my house is looking on any given day.

But when I find myself stressed, I will make it a point to find something to clean, a drawer to organize; something to clear my head. I love a rare Saturday morning where we have no sports games to rush to and I can start my morning sipping coffee followed by tackling some cleaning. I pop in my air pods, turn on a pod cast or music and get to work. It really is like a version of therapy.

A few years ago in the thick of the pandemic, I shared five cleaning supplies you didn’t know you needed including a seam ripper and a butter knife. I still regularly use these supplies but now I have more to share that have become a part of my regular cleaning routine.

Tweezers– I use tweezers to help things like tiny pebbles that accumulate onto window sills. You might have never even noticed the small dirt in those places so apologizes that I have now drawn your attention to it. I have a table with tiny gaps at the top perfect for the most annoying little things to get trapped. Similar to how I utilize a butter knife with a paper towel over it to reach those tiny spaces, tweezers allow me to reach even smaller areas.

Toothbrush (ideally electric)– No, don’t use an expensive Sonicare for this job. I got a $3 kids electric toothbrush from a Target bin and it works super well for things like shower grout. You could use a manual one too or if you really wanna get serious about shower tile, you can spend about $12 on a drill attachment.
Pro Tip– did you know that a manual toothbrush can also get Velcro to become sticky again? It works!

Tiny Vacuum- I love this item so much I also recommended it in my Must Haves for a Functional and Stylish Desk post last summer. I bought two more, one for the kitchen and one for my bathroom. They take up minor counter space. They are perfect for a quick swipe across the counter or getting things like spilt coffee grounds off the floor when you are not wanting to pull out the dust buster or vacuum.

Cleaning putty– Check this out for an easy DIY way to make this with items you likely already have at home! Or you can buy it too. I use this stuff not only in my car in areas like cupholders and vents but also in cleaning my keyboard or other areas that are difficult to get dust out of.

Melamine- You might not know you need this because you may not know what it is. Malamine is the material found in the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. I bought a 40-pack for literally the same cost as the name brand 10-pack. Apparently you can also make a similar solution with 1 teaspoon borax and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. I use melamine pads to remove stubborn stains in the shower and to clean shoes. They really do work like magic. They can be abrasive so caution to always spot test first and not to use on anything delicate. I also don’t use them on our walls as they can end up taking the finish off.

Have a cleaning hack or must-have tool to share? We’d love to hear!