Products to invest in instead of cleaning help

aliavi

Thu, May 21 2020, 1:04 am

amother [ Azure ] wrote:

What about a steam mop? Any thoughts on that? Any recommendations?

Yes!! That’s what I was going to post. No chemicals. It heats quickly and is cheap. Use filtered water. I have the shark. It cleans so much better than the roomba particularly on tile. I used it on our original refinished hardwood with great results. Removes staining.

aliavi

Thu, May 21 2020, 1:14 am

You can use a laundry steamer to break up soap scum on the shower. If you can keep safe products in each bathroom freshen them up when the kids are safely bathing.

Multi purpose products instead of items for each task make cleaning much easier and faster. Lysol all purpose can do anything and so can Windex Antibacterial. I use Trader Joe’s cleaner when I need a little more soapy clean. Never swifter or wipes.

Clean on a schedule throughout the week not just when it’s a disaster. If you don’t get to that task just do it the next scheduled time.

Redo your laundry routine. Whatever it is it can be streamlined. Seriously.

Delegate.

Special cup for each child. Only one.

ETA: so happy I could help whoever was grateful enough to hug me!

Last edited by aliavi on Thu, May 21 2020, 10:07 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Jade

Thu, May 21 2020, 7:10 am

aliavi wrote:

I would have thought that the steam is bad for wood floors. I would love a dream mop since the heat will sanitize the floor.

saw50st8

Thu, May 21 2020, 8:38 am

We have an ecovacs 920. It is life changing (we got it before this). It can vacuum and it mop, but the mopping is more like a wipe down. It helps vacuuming close to shabbos when I'm busy with other things. You do need to have things off the floor or to mark off areas that it should go to. This one even gets under our furniture to areas I almost never touch.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod.....2cfac

We also own a steam mop and love it.

For laundry - I got a hand held steamer. I do not iron so this is much easier and quicker. We got a cheap one (like $25?) and it is fantastic.

amother

Oak

Thu, May 21 2020, 9:11 am

Recently I purchased a few things that have made housekeeping easier-

A very efficient extra large washing machine
A handheld steam iron
A brand new dishwasher- cleans very dirty dishes! No more rinsing first!
A fun to use and efficient mop-
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod.....00310
Lysol wipes

Amarante

Thu, May 21 2020, 9:13 am

amother [ Jade ] wrote:

I would have thought that the steam is bad for wood floors. I would love a dream mop since the heat will sanitize the floor.

You can't use a steam mop on wood floor - you don't use water on wood or any kind of liquid product. Even if the surface of the wood is "sealed" the steam can permeate can cause damage from below. Similarly laminate floors are very prone to water damage which is why they aren't recommended for bathrooms or even kitchens where they might sustain water damage.

However, in my experience, wood floors aren't used where they need to be scrubbed. You use a Roomba type of vacuum so that removes the grit and dirt which are the enemies of wood flors. Then you go over the surface with something like Bona which is sprayed on a microfiber "mop" and which cleans off the surface. I don't know people who "mop" their living room and bedroom floors which are typically those rooms which have wood flooring.

This is the reason why wood floors in kitchens are beautiful but aren't as easy to maintain as a tile floor would be. They are beautiful but not as practical as tile. I do have a wood kitchen floor but I am much more careful about making sure it is swept and any spills are attended to immediately than when I had a tile kitchen floor.

Last edited by Amarante on Thu, May 21 2020, 9:47 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Emerald

Thu, May 21 2020, 9:13 am

Regarding Lysol wipes and how difficult they are to get right now, I use baby wipes bought in bulk from Costco. They are not antibacterial (though there is debate about whether it is good to use so many antibacterial products in the home), but they are quite cheap (and available now). If an area is particularly dirty or I feel would benefit from bacteria fighting I will spray on some natural homemade cleaner. I am not someone who is against commercial cleaning products, and will use a combination of natural and commercial products in my home. The baby wipes are not to avoid chemicals, they are just much cheaper, readily around in my house due to kids in diapers and I find they work extremely well. I will even use them on my tile floor for spot cleaning.

Chayalle

Thu, May 21 2020, 9:37 am

Rappel wrote:

I'm glad to learn about the steam mop!

My go-to cleaning product: cleaning wipes. It sounds so basic, but table, windows counter, shelves -- it's so easy. No spray, no paper towel bits everywhere, immediately available. It makes wiping things down very quick and easy

Me too! I love method wipes (grapefruit or lavender are my favorites.) I use them everywhere to make cleaning easier.

Amarante

Thu, May 21 2020, 9:54 am

Wipes are almost impossible to find but they really are critical when you venture outside because wiping down surfaces that you touch like handles and screens is critical. You also want to wipe down your phone and your credit card as well as your car door handles and steering wheel and other surfaces you touch.

Here is a recipe for home made disinfecting wipes which is essentially soaking a roll of paper towels cut in half with a disinfecting solution. You then carry some around with you however is most convenient - e.g. a small number in a ziplock bag or take a small plastic Glad container and put a bunch in to keep in your car.

And of course you can DIY at home to save money but this thread is about convenience rather than money saving tips so I am posting because disinfecting wipes are critical for safety.

There are loads of DIY instructions but here is one

https://oneessentialcommunity......ipes/

Tzutzie

Thu, May 21 2020, 10:01 am

Amarante wrote:

I've been using water on my wood floors. Wash and wipe. With a crawling baby just a Wipe-over is gross. Needs a good clean.
I got a deebot robot. Its only a vacuum but it vacuums very plush carpet beautifully. Pulls up more dust than my regular cheap old one. It as 2 settings on how high power (carpet) or low power (tile, wood, vinyl floor) And even on full power it doesn't make a lot of noise. Much quieter than the roomba.

EPL

Thu, May 21 2020, 7:25 pm

Many years ago I purchased a steam cleaner, which is not the same as a steam mop. My machine was a large canister of water that came out as steam, through a hose and a nozzle. It was so simple to use, even my young daughters loved using it. All you had to do was build up the pressure in the canister , and then shoot the steam out. It cleaned very easily and disinfected everything, as well. I used it in my bathrooms, as well as other surfaces. It came with several attachments and one for the floors.

amother

Blonde

Thu, May 21 2020, 8:28 pm

Tzutzie wrote:

Link to the deebot? I have lots of carpet in my home. Thanks for mentioning.

amother

Lavender

Thu, May 21 2020, 9:04 pm

amother [ Oak ] wrote:

Which dishwasher?