5 Must-Have Cleaning Tools

February 13, 2011, By Tom McNulty 2 comments

Tom McNulty

As all men know about projects, you’re only as good as the tools you’re using. This applies to everything from building a bookcase to assembling your kid’s first bike on Christmas morning. Or, if you’re really handy, putting together that wide-screen, HD TV from junk that’s just lying around your workshop.

About 85 percent of your housekeeping chores are dusting, vacuuming and de-cluttering. The clutter requires no tools.

Here’s what you need for the rest:

Spray Bottles

Advantages: cleaning mobility, speed and convenience.

Why carry around a heavy bucket of sloshing, dirty water and a mop when you’re cleaning? To stay mobile, just pour your cleaning solutions into spray bottles unless, like Windex, it already comes that way. You can mix solutions of water and ammonia or Lemon Lysol, then spritz the liquid onto countertops, appliances, glass and even floors to dissolve dirt and wipe up. Easy!

• Buy spray bottles in a range of sizes from home and hardware stores for $2 or $3 apiece. Cheaper ones won’t last.
• Don’t re-use the spray bottles that store-bought cleaning solutions came in, unless you’re refilling it with the same solution.
• Clearly label bottles and what’s inside.

All-purpose Sprays

Advantage: versatile cleaning solutions.

“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” was right – you can use Windex for all your important surface-cleaning chores, which include glass, countertops and even some painted surfaces. Not wood or fabric, though. Mr. Clean spray solutions are also excellent surface cleaners

Cotton Rags

Advantages: super-absorbency, efficiency, greenness.

Cotton rags are the absolute best choice dusting, washing windows and cleaning countertops. Plus, they’re tops when absorbency, streak-free drying, and environmental considerations are concerned.

Paper towels are convenient but not reusable. Fake fabrics like polyester don’t absorb moisture or pick up dust. Natural fabrics like wool or silk are not optimum either, for the same reasons.

A cotton terry washcloth is the ideal thickness, texture and size for manly cleaning, but larger (an old towel) or smaller (an old gym sock) are fine as long as they’re cotton. I recommend using white or light-colored cleaning cloths so you can tell when they’re dirty.

You can purchase packs of cotton cleaning cloths at home, hardware and discount stores, but you probably have plenty of old cotton sweatshirts, towels, and socks that you can cut to size.

Carry-All MCU (Mobile Cleaning Unit)

Advantages: mobility, speed, convenience.

If you’re going to be an effective housekeeper, you have GOT to carry your tools and supplies with you. Otherwise you’ll be stopping constantly to look for something, which totally breaks your momentum.

Your MCU will carry everything you need except for your vacuum cleaner, and optional large broom.

Use a toolbelt, a bucket with double compartments, a cardboard box, a kid’s wagon... whatever works for you. I prefer a lightweight plastic utility basket with handles, about 12” by 18” — very similar to the shopping baskets you see in supermarkets. Second choice is a two-compartment bucket with a handle. Get your choice at Target or Home Depot, or a similar home store.

iPod

Advantages: inspiration.

Housecleaning is not brain surgery. You can easily listen to music or podcasts to make the work lighter – your cleaning won’t be any less effective.

Vacuum Cleaner

Advantages: clean huge areas fast, and the only way to clean carpeting.

Well, I could go on all day about this tool but will refer you to two columns that should be posted on this site already: Vacuum Cleaner Features and Vacuuming Techniques. There, you’ll find all the details you need to buy and use this, probably the most important tool in your cleaning arsenal.

To sum it up in a few bullet points:

• Don’t buy a cheap one – a good vacuum is worth the investment of the $200 minimum I recommend you spend to get one with the features and performance you need.
• Make sure your vac has the necessary tools – including extension hose attachment to clean high and low.
• On-board tools – an assortment of brushes and nozzles to attach to the hose for different cleaning situations.
• Long power cord to eliminate constant plugging and unplugging as you move room to room.
• Rigid extension tubes that attach to the hose and let you reach off-the-ground areas.
• Bagless – not critical, but you’ll save significant bucks on replacement bags.

That’s all you need, guys. So, vaya limpiar con Dios, amigos!