If you were stuck in a filthy room, and could only choose 10 tools to clean it up so you can get released, which 10 would you choose? Here are our picks based on feedback from our part time maids! If your picks differ, let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear it.
The mop is the one quintessential piece of home cleaning equipment. A traditional mop with a pail does fine, but can be a little messy. Recently, the swiffer mop has entered the market. These mops basically attach disposable wipes to a flat piece of plastic to mop the floor. It is a lot more convenient, and our part time maids are currently experimenting to see which is better. Will update y’all when we reach a verdict!
Ever tried mopping without sweeping first? An absolute disaster! Not only does the mop fail to pick up hair and crumbs, cleaning becomes so much harder when everything is wet and stuck to the ground. Remember, always sweep before you mop and don’t put the cart before the horse!
Ever since its invention in 1901, vacuum cleaners have slowly become an indispensable part of home cleaning. There really is no better way to clean up those annoying crumbs stuck in the cracks of your sofa, or those hard to reach crevices under your bed. We’ve gotten to the point where vacuum cleaners are smart enough to clean your house by itself! Haven’t heard of that? Check out the Roomba.
Nonetheless, vacuum cleaners can sometimes be confusing with their hundred and one different nozzles. Look out for our next article that explains exactly what each nozzle does!
That nasty brown stuff between your tiles is all but immune to mopping. But with a scrub brush, those bristles really get between the cracks and make quick work of tile cleaning. Particular useful if you have those tiny mosaic tiles.
Microfiber cloths are like your regular cotton towels on steroids. They are way more effective, and yet don’t leave ugly fibers like cotton does because it is made of synthetic nylon. So why is it a lot more effective you ask? Essentially, think about a net. Microfiber cloth as the name suggests have much smaller fibers which form a very tightly weaved net that captures even microscopic dust particles. Meanwhile, your regular cotton cloth have fibers maybe 10x the size, and the smaller dust particles just completely past through it! For a more detailed explanation, we found a good article here.
For its effectiveness, Microfiber cloths are actually pretty cheap. You can easily get 2 pieces from Daiso for $2.
One pail for the mop, another hand pail to bring around as you wipe down surfaces. That all you need for home cleaning!
There really isn’t any other tool that lets you clean a toilet bowl effectively while trying to stay as far away from it as possible. Unless you want to put your hand in and start scrubbing, this one is definitely on the list.
Don’t toss your old toothbrushes! They are super effective when it comes to scrubbing in hard to reach areas where the scrub brush is too big to fit. E.g. the corners of walls, the shower head holder.
Ever seen those window cleaners cleaning 80 floor glass buildings? Every single one of them has one of these things. Clean your windows like a pro with the squeegee, and impress your friends (maybe) with this weird sounding name.
Now we know that in Singapore the newspaper is another popular choices, but here are 5 reasons why you should swap the newspaper out for a sexy squeegee. (They cost less than $5 too!)
And last but not least, our trusty old scrub sponge. You probably already have this at home, and grew up with it. When it comes to stove cleaning, the flexibility of being able to get the grit out with the rough side and then soak up the mess with the spongy side is unparalleled.
Is there an amazing tool that you are using that is not on this list? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll be forever grateful!
