As we just moved into our new town home, I would like to begin using great products in hopes of keeping the home looking fresh and new. I know many have there go to cleaner, and why they think it is the best; please share those products, tips, and why you think it works well. The area I seem to have not found a product I love is for the shower, although I have tried many. The cleaning lady says she likes to use dawn for the glass shower, something I have never used. When researching what the manufacturer of my new products recommended for cleaning, I was surprised how many preferred soap and water to commercial cleansers.
So, what supplies do you use and love? Hoping to replace almost all my cleaning supplies, from products, rags, mops, buckets, etc…
I use and love the Melaleuca cleaning products because they’re non toxic and they contain melaleuca oil. I’m only a consumer…not a distributor. Their Tub and Tile cleaner is great. The all purpose Tough and Tender is a nice go-to cleaner if I am out of the tub and tile. If I’m caught between my product order, I use plain vinegar and baking soda to clean my shower and glass.
If you have pets that have occasional accidents… Ewww Bissell cleaner is super. Spot Shot works great, too. If someone spills red wine on your light carpet, a solution of oxyclean will do the trick.
If you have hard water and end up with imperfect results from your dishwasher…try LemiShine. It’s powdered lemon juice, essentially. (sold by the dishwasher soap, as a dishwasher “booster”) My dishes come out spotlessly perfect every time. Dazzling glasses look brand new. Good stuff!
Also, if you have an electric teapot that gets cruddy? Sprinkle in a couple tablespoons of LemiShine and heat the pot of water as usual…it will make the inside sparkle and look brand new.
If you can spend a little time getting your shower glass really clean one time, I highly recommend an application of EnduroShield to keep it that way. I bought it at Home Depot on the recommendation of my glass/mirror installer. The package says it will last 3 years. I’m coming up on that mark and my glass looks amazing with very little effort. I wipe it down weekly with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water.
On untreated shower glass, I’ve had the best results with a 50/50 mix of original dawn and vinegar.
@BunsenBurner you know I only will use soap and water on my Cambria! Although I did speak with their customer service and was told using Simple Green, among a couple of other cleaners were fine even to use daily. The builders left behind some grit and grime in a couple of places where the soap was not doing the trick; Simple Green removed it all.
@partyof5 I have had others mention dryer sheets. Do they not leave a residue behind; do you have to rinse after?
My main concern is the shower grout; I don’t want that to end up discolored. For the shower we currently use Scrubbing Bubbles, and while it cleans fine, I don’t know long term how it will do.
@snowball yes, you have to drench a shower sheet, normally takes a few, then clean the glass. In my old shower I had a removable head so I could rinse the doors, but now I have to follow up with a glass cleaner because I don’t have a removable shower head. I’m thinking the next time I clean I will use the dryer sheets and try the enduroshield @GRITS80 mentioned above.
Apply RainX weekly to your clean shower glass to help water run off quickly before spots or buildup can form.
We have a commercial steamer that we use for everything: floors, toilets, glass, shower, countertops, cooktop, grill, etc… We rarely use anything but water.
Agree with the comment about eCloths which I learned about here. Thanks, CC!
We kept the obscure glass shower door when we renovated. We have two showerheads (original had them) and I usually rinse away any soap at the end of my shower with the sprayer one (kept from previous owner, I suspect it has more than the 2.0 gpm new shower head has). Like Lysol cleaner as good for soap scum- bathroom sinks and kitchen sink as well. Also use Soft Scrub (with bleach) on kitchen sink. Like Cling for toilets. Windex for Corian counters in baths and mirrors. Weiman brand for stovetop, granite counters and stainless steel. Lime away for calcium deposits. Zep for tile floors (was leery of brand but it neutral and works well- gallon container, no residue).
Your choice of Scrubbing Bubbles is fine. Citric acid is likely its main component (as in Lysol)- a mild acid takes care of (basic) soap. Product lingering odor counts in choices. Chlorine helps disinfect. Grout in a shower not likely to become dirty like in other rooms.
Method brand daily shower cleaner. It’s pretty much just a water softener to make the water slide off instead of drying in droplets that leave lime deposits. Of course all these recommendations depend on your water…hard, soft, iron, etc.
My favorite household cleaning product is the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I use them everywhere - but we need them much less since we became empty nesters.
Next, the steam mop is truly a wonderful invention for our floors.
Magic Eraser was a godsend when we prepped our house for sale. I asked the realtor if we needed to repaint, and he enthusiastically said “normally, I would recommend it, but your walls look great!” He was amazed that we have not painted in 18 years. I did not tell him that I went through a Costco-sized box of those erasers prior to the walk through.
Am I the only one who seems to have a knack for the Magic Erasers crumbling to bits and pieces kind of fast??? Love them, but it happens quickly it seems.
I am a fan of the Method wood cleaner for furniture. Beware of it on stair treads though - too slick!!! Also like Bar Keeper for kitchen clean up with pots/pans, etc.
Rapid disintegration is integral to its mechanism of action, unfortunately. I rip my magic erasers into 3-4 pieces and use each piece until it crumbles. That way, they seem to last longer.
