Best cleaning products that make things quick and painless

[DawnM]

I lay down something the Roomba can't get around so that I wall off portions of my floorplan. And I've never found it a huge deal to get things off the floor - its shoes around here - maybe the couch pillows have fallen to the floor. But I don't have little kids - although when I did have little kids, all toys went into a laundry basket - and we only ever had one laundry basket of toys out at a time. And my kids were never lego kids.

We have THREE 8' archways. One to the dining room, one to the living room, and one to the sunroom. They are just open, no doors, so I would have to lay out all of them. We also have 5 stools that I want vacuumed under, so we would need to remove the stools, put them in the sunroom, and find something to block off all three 8' archways that won't move. By the time I do all that, I could have run a cordless vacuum over the area quickly.

And if I have the roomba, I still want to quickly do the dining room and living room, which the roomba can't seem to do.

The living room has a sofa the roomba kept getting caught under too. It has flaps.

Anyway, it just didn't work well for us.

 

[GraysMom]

Fiberglass showers - impossible to clean until I found Easy Off Fume Free Oven Cleaner (blue can). It works like a charm...no scrubbing necessary if you do it often enough. The soap sum build up just wipes right off leaving the shower white and sparkling!

I rinse down my fiberglass tub after each bath (just dumping cups of water near the top edge all the way around to rinse off any soap scum/shaving gel) but when it's time to clean the whole tub/shower I spray Scrubbing Bubbles foam all over the fiberglass, let it sit for awhile with the vent on so the chemical smell is aired out, and then use a Mr Clean Magic Eraser to wipe/lightly scrub all surfaces. It really takes very little pressure to clean off the soap scum and then after I finish a section I rinse it down with clean water.

 

[crisi]

We have THREE 8' archways. One to the dining room, one to the living room, and one to the sunroom. They are just open, no doors, so I would have to lay out all of them. We also have 5 stools that I want vacuumed under, so we would need to remove the stools, put them in the sunroom, and find something to block off all three 8' archways that won't move. By the time I do all that, I could have run a cordless vacuum over the area quickly.

And if I have the roomba, I still want to quickly do the dining room and living room, which the roomba can't seem to do.

The living room has a sofa the roomba kept getting caught under too. It has flaps.

Anyway, it just didn't work well for us.

I use the stools to block the archways But yeah, not for everyone. For me, it likes to lock itself into rooms so I have to make sure doors get shut - its worse than the cat.

 

[DawnM]

I use the stools to block the archways But yeah, not for everyone. For me, it likes to lock itself into rooms so I have to make sure doors get shut - its worse than the cat.

I still would need something else, not enough stools for the large openings. It would be a puzzle and effort and then the dogs would be trapped. Honestly, I wouldn't bother, and anything I won't bother doing, doesn't get done.

 

[DawnM]

The bottom lip on our glass shower door was gunky and gross. I don't know why I hadn't figured this out before, but that little strip comes right off and can be washed and reattached!

 

[Judique]

Wonder if that oven cleaner would work on toilets? We remodeled 2 years ago and put in nice Kohler toilets. Problem is, unlike the cheap contractor grade toilets we had, you can't use any abrasive cleaners (comet, ajax, pumice stone) on the special glazed coating. We are having a tough time keeping mineral rings out. Lime Away, CLR, vinegar, bleach and all the typical non-abrasive toilet cleaners just don't cut it.

I used Pumi stone on the Kohler toilet and didn't have a problem. Didn't know it said not to.

 

[nugov2]

Like others have said clorox wipes are the best. I buy them by the case. Magic erasers are great in the bathroom. I make a lot of my own cleaners, window, wood and kitchen with all natural products. I do use heavier chemicals in the tub/toilets. I think its called kaboom with bleach. Its in a purple container.

I also just really stay on top of cleaning so it isn't overwhelming. I always keep my house picked up. Nothing left laying around when I go to bed. Dishwasher is run every night, emptied when I get up in the morning so dishes never sit in the sink. Kitchen and bathrooms get daily quick wipe downs and then i have weekly schedules that I stick to. I vacuum everyday downstairs/bedrooms once a week. I dust every couple of days etc. Most days i don't spend more than 30 minutes running through my routines and Sunday is my deeper house clean that takes a couple of hours. That is when I mop, vacuum whole house, wipe my blinds etc. Just works well for me and my house is always in a presentable condition.

 

[tvguy]

I used Pumi stone on the Kohler toilet and didn't have a problem. Didn't know it said not to.

It depends on whether it is one of the newer toilets with the "super slick" special coating or not. Older Kohlers didn't have this coating.

 

[Judique]

It depends on whether it is one of the newer toilets with the "super slick" special coating or not. Older Kohlers didn't have this coating.

Ahhh....maybe my Kohler doesn't have it. It's about 6 years old.

Did you get a Kohler NUMI? it says specifically that using in tank cleaners will void the warranty. But we still have to clean it.

 

[tvguy]

Ahhh....maybe my Kohler doesn't have it. It's about 6 years old.

Did you get a Kohler NUMI? it says specifically that using in tank cleaners will void the warranty. But we still have to clean it.

They are Kohler ADAIRS. The warning to not use abrasives came from our designer, from the fixture store, and in the care materials that came with the toilet. We replaced a toilet 30 years ago and the plumber then said never use in tank cleaners because they destroy the parts in the tank.

 

[nfceagles]

We have THREE 8' archways. One to the dining room, one to the living room, and one to the sunroom. They are just open, no doors, so I would have to lay out all of them. We also have 5 stools that I want vacuumed under, so we would need to remove the stools, put them in the sunroom, and find something to block off all three 8' archways that won't move. By the time I do all that, I could have run a cordless vacuum over the area quickly.

And if I have the roomba, I still want to quickly do the dining room and living room, which the roomba can't seem to do.

The living room has a sofa the roomba kept getting caught under too. It has flaps.

Anyway, it just didn't work well for us.

This has very much been my experience with both a Roomba and a Neato. Mine gets stuck behind my couch. It has enough room to go in, but for whatever reason won't turn around and come out so it stops. Under my kitchen table it gets stuck amongst the chair legs. I have a playroom open to my kitchen that isn't often picked up sufficiently. My DD's favorite hobby is polymer clay and I really have to make sure there aren't any scraps on the floor before vacuuming. Until recently, my DS didn't have enough shelf space in his bedroom so his Lego creations often lined the wall on the floor. Couldn't send a robotic vacuum into that. It just seems it takes more work than to just vacuum myself.

 

[DawnM]

Looking at getting a stick v

Thirding a roomba (although mine is a Bobi). We run it at 3am when everyone is asleep and I'll run it during the day if I need to.

We bought a stick vacuum for upstairs for quick vacuuming.

Those things that go in the toilet tank really help to keep the toilet clean and the bathroom smelling nice. Love the blue water.

I spray Method shower cleaner after the shower and it smells awesome and keeps the soap scum from building, but probably wouldn't work for the stone.

I don't think there's a lot of hacks. Cliche as it sounds, getting a room clean and then keeping it clean on a schedule is the best and fastest way to clean and keep everything looking nice.

What stick vacuum did you buy? Do you recommend it?

 

[aaarcher86]

Looking at getting a stick v


What stick vacuum did you buy? Do you recommend it?

It's a a Shark. I think it's a pet. The orange one that came with a microfiber pad.

Love it. We've always had great experiences with Shark.

 

[KarenAylwood]

I was super overwhelmed when we lived in our old house (moved after 8 years of living there) so I never cleaned as much as I should have. When I quit my job and became unemployed I spent a lot of time getting ready to rent it out. Man did that take a lot of work. I even had to repaint most of our baseboards because I couldn't get all the grime off even while scrubbing. I vacuumed without fail every week and after 2 months my MIL asked us if we'd gotten the carpets professionally cleaned lol. Cleaning every week made a world of a difference. It's frightening the amount of dirt that I get up with my dyson every single week.

Then we moved into a new house (and 700 sq feet bigger!) and I got another job. Over my time unemployed while looking for a job I cleaned a ton and realized things that worked for me, and what I could get away with doing less than others. Now I've been employed for almost 6 months and my house looks immaculate- my neighbors have asked how I do it and marvel at how clean it is. Like really clean, not just picked up clean. AND I have a 2 year old boy lol.

We're getting a roomba sometime in the next year. I want something to run while we're gone on the first floor because it's mostly hardwood.

I could not live without my dyson, stick vac, dust buster and swiffer duster.

I use the dyson on all of our carpets every weekend.
I use the stick vac on all of our hardwood every weekend but I'm hoping to cut down on that once we get a roomba. This is my stick vac: Hoover Corded Cyclonic Stick Vacuum, SH20030. It's on amazon for $63. There's a cordless version too. It will go between bare floors and carpet but I only use it on my small pile rugs and if I need it quickly on the regular carpet for something dry that spilled.
I swear by swiffer dusters- I use one every weekend to dust the entire house including the baseboards. For 2700 sq feet it takes about 25 minutes to do the whole house. This is one thing I won't bend on. When you do it every week it doesn't take long just to run the swiffer across furniture and baseboards. Once I've done the whole house I do the bathrooms and dust the toilets last before throwing it out. If you don't want to bend down get one of the long handled swiffers they have for fans and whatnot. The swiffer duster really traps the dust instead of just moving it around.
I have a dust buster for quick messes but I've also realized it's SUPER easy for all the hair we end up getting on the bathroom floor. I just zip around with the dust buster and it's all gone! Also good for crevices that you can't get with the vacuum.

Also think about protecting your furniture/rugs. I scotchguarded the carpet under our kitchen table which makes cleanup so much easier. Same thing with furniture (fabric scotchguard instead of the carpet kind). Change your air filters regularly so you're catching as much dust as you can- buy the cheapest ones possible so as not to put too much stress on your HVAC system.

 

[Sagginit]

I used to try to be green but living in an apartment and being short on time I had to start buying some additional cleaning products in the last few years. Here are some of my favorites:

- windex wipes. i keep in the bathroom for a quick clean (do once a week and then a deep clean every two weeks since there are only two of us and neither work from home). i start with the mirror and then use the wipe on the sink/vanity (super small). i then wipe down the top of the toilet, the handle, and the move onto the seat/bowl rim. i follow behind with a paper towel to wipe up moisture. the toilet bowl comes after with toilet bowl cleaner and the shower gets a spray of scrubbing bubbles and a quick wipe down.
- clorex bathroom wipes but in the kitchen. they are like magic to scrub off grease/oil splatters on the back of the stove (where the time display/buttons are) as it is this weird vinyl material, the stainless steel around (they put it on the cabinet next to the stove and the range hood above) as well as the front near the knobs where it builds up. it won't come off with most other cleaners but like magic grease comes off with those wipes. i wipe it all down with water afterwards so i don't have the chemicals lingering around.
-vinegar/water in a spray bottle. for quick spray downs of the counter and stove in the kitchen. i also microwave a bowl of this mixture and let it steam up in there before wiping down to clean the microwave. i then use the solution in the bowl on a washcloth to wipe down the counters/shelves, and stove in the kitchen instead of just dumping it.
-my husband had a miele vacuum before we got married and i love it. i had a $40 hoover type one i got at big lots. this has amazing suction on it and we get a lot of dust in our apartment. the only thing is its not easy to whip out like a shark upright electronic broom thing, but with the power and function i can see past that for now. if we have kids we may need to invest in something for everyday little messes.
-dr bronners soap in orange scented. i keep this with water in a spray bottle too for quick cleanups. i also sometimes put a little of this water mixture on a rag and use it to wipe down baseboards and walls. believe it or not they get dusty too and with the nooks/crannies this seems to be the most effective way to get it all.
-tilex for the shower/bathroom. the fan/vent doesn't work so well and the window is in the shower and permanently stuck closed. this leads to little spots of mold on the grout and even ceiling at times. i use tilex to kill it and clean it up. this is why i had to stop being green, the green stuff just wasn't getting the grime and mold is worse for my health than tilex i figured.
- cheap sponge mop for the hardwood floors. believe it or not i use one of those cheap sponge mops for all of my hardwoods in the apartment with a hardwood cleaner. i like that it is rectangular and slim, i have a tub that is just wider than it (old plastic storage container) and replace the sponge often. its super light so its easy to get around and so slim it fits in the space between the fridge and cabinet next to it.

 

[Squishypig]

My husband got me a cordless Dyson for Christmas and it is fantastic. So easy to just pull it down for quick jobs. It is also great for stairs!

Clorox scrub singles are great. I will bring one into the shower with me a few days a week and give everything a good wipe down after my shower. Has cut down on on soap scum and mold.

I also like the Clorox toilet wand system. I scrub the toilet and just throw the grossness away. If I think it needs more than a swipe I will squirt in some Lysol toilet cleaner first.

 

[jedijill]

I use The Works toilet cleaner to get ride of the mineral stain/build up. It's $1 at Walmart or the Dollar Store and I've never seen anything cut through the mineral build up and I didn't notice any damage to the toilet finish.

Jill in CO