Consider the following tips when choosing cleaning materials for your home.
Brooms
- Varieties are nylon, straw, copra, bristle and polycarbonate.
- You can use a long-handled nylon broom as a mop if you wrap an old t-shirt around its head.
- Straw brooms are good for large areas such as driveways, paths, verandahs, garage floors and patios.
Buckets
- Square, oblong and round are the most common shapes.
- Round buckets are either standard or nappy size.
- Choose ones with a pouring spout and lid.
- Use them to soak clothes, store washing water and transport items.
Clothes’ Baskets
They can be plastic, cane or wicker. Plastic baskets come in a variety of colours, are light and easily cleaned with a little dishwashing liquid on a damp cloth. Cane baskets are popular but wear more quickly, take less weight, and collect mould because they're unsealed.
Cloths
The best cloth is an old cotton t-shirt or old cotton knickers with the gusset cut out. Both are lin-free and can be rewashed in washing machine on a hot setting.
Cluther Bucket
Select whichever size suits you best.
Dusters
The best duster is an old cotton t-shirt, which picks up dirt really well, is easy to wash out and won't scratch surfaces. Fluffy dusters tend to spread the dirt around the house so it just settles elsewhere.
Garbage Bags
You have tie tops or drawstring bags as choices.
Gloves
They can be disposable, rubber, cotton, gardening, polyurethane or acid-resistant. They protect your skin from chemicals, abrasion and heat and can also help with grip.
Hair Dryer
This is very useful for dusting (particularly delicate fine china), helps remove wax and can be used to apply heat to an area to speed up the drying process.
Mop
It can be made of rag or sponge, although newer ones combine the two and have spongy rags.
Old Stockings
These are great non-scratch scourers, especially when cutting through soap scum. They're also handy to wrap around the back of taps to clean. And they're cheap to buy if you don't have any old ones around the house.
Old Toothbrushes
Use them to clean difficult-to-access areas, such as around taps and in tight corners.
Old T-shirts
Use them for mopping, dusting, polishing and wrapping over the vacuum cleaner head to protect surfaces. They're also very absorbent. If you don’t have any old T-shirts, buy them cheaply at second-hand stores, which is cheaper than buying new sponges at the supermarket.
Paper Towels
They are great for mopping up spills and clearing grease.
Rag Bags
They are used for storing old t-shirts, clothes, tea towels and towels to use as rags for cleaning. Old woollen jumpers are great furniture polishers. Just make sure you remove all buttons and recycle them in your button box. Make your own rag bag using an old pillowcase and simply attach it with hooks, tacks or screws to the inside of a cupboard or the back of a door.
Scrubbing Brush
It has tough bristles and a wooden or plastic top. You can use a nylon or bristles-made dishwashing brush as a scrubbing brush.
Sponge
Use different coloured sponges so you don't contaminate your areas. Use green sponges on benchtops, pink on the floor, and yellow and blue ones in the bathroom.
Spray Bottle
Buy the cheapest product that comes in a refillable spray bottle, use the product, clean the bottle in warm water then reuse. Check if the bottle has a spray or mist option on the nozzle. Use removable labels and mark the bottle clearly. You can use them as air-freshener for your bathroom.
Squeegee
Its operates like a windscreen wiper on a car. Use it to clean windows and the shower screen, or to pick up dropped eggs from the kitchen floor. You can buy one at the supermarket, petrol station or discount shop.
Storage Box
It could be an old cardboard, plastic or timber box in a variety of shapes and sizes. Select one according to its use.
If you don’t have the time to clean your home yourself, seek the help of the cleaning experts in Australia.