Cleaning Supplies

I am really grateful for some great cleaning supplies!

I love my Euro-Pro Hydra Canister Steamer (metal core). It heats the water like a pressure cooker. I think it wasn't produced for very long. My mom and aunt have a plastic version by different companies, but none seem to compare to mine. It heats about a quart of water and blows out the boiling steam for cleaning. I use it to clean my appliances like the dishwasher, the washing machine, the oven, and the microwave, in addition to bathtubs, tile, and grout. I will admit though that I think the use of this very cool machine may have contributed to the early demise of a microwave.

Another steam cleaner that I'm particularly fond of is my Bissell Little Green Machine. I'm on my second one of these after almost a decade. This machine got red wine out of a white carpet. I use this one for spot cleaning of any porous surfaces, like the couch, carpets, and rugs. I've even used this machine to suck up extra water that has spilled in areas that are just hard to get other wise. It is really great because the bear cub still spills a lot when drinking so I'm constantly cleaning up spots.

Another great cleaning supply is the steam mop. I will admit that I'm not as in love with my Shark model as I am with the first two machines I mentioned. It requires quite a bit of elbow grease and the water doesn't get as hot as I would like. However, if this thing were to break down, I would definitely replace it with another steam mop right away. I hate carpet and we removed all the carpet from the downstairs and replaced it with tile and laminate. I fill the tank with a vinegar and water mixture and make the downstairs smell like I spilled a big box of pickles, but it is a great deterrent to bugs, particularly roaches and ants.

I try to be extremely environmentally conscious, but there is one area that I will admit to being wasteful. I use a lot of sanitizing wipes (Clorox or Lysol usually as long as it is bleach free as I'm allergic to bleach). For most things that would require a paper towel, I use pieces of old towels and we go through very few paper towels, but after cleaning up almost anything, I wipe it with a sanitizing wipe.

The last thing I'm going to mention today on my cleaning supply list that I'm grateful for is an industrial black light. I have a few cheap ones from the pet store or Wal-mart, but they seem pretty useless in comparison to the ones I used as a drug and device investigator, so we use an industrial. They are great for making sure that areas are really clean and I sometimes use it to try to identify where a smell might be coming from or what it might be. It is also the reason that I'm satisfied cleaning with vinegar and steam instead of feeling the need for chemicals for things to be really clean.

Also, I love that cleaners come in lemon and orange scents. I love the smell of clean with a touch of the scent of citrus.