When it comes to cleaning, I am rather slow to get started.  It takes me for ever to get the energy, both physically and mentally, to tackle our entire house.  Now, with full disclosure, I do have a cleaning lady come twice a month, but the house still gets filthy in between the cleanings, which is why I still have to do some cleaning.

To help keep myself organized, I created a cleaning caddie to keep all of the cleaning products together.  Now, when it’s time to clean the house, I can just grab the cleaning caddie and get to work!

When setting up  your cleaning order, I always suggest starting with the most difficult areas first.  I say this because once you get started, you get in the flow of cleaning.  But by the end you are usually ready to be done!

I always start with the top floor and work my way down.  I do this because in our house, we have two bathrooms and all the bedrooms on the top floor.  The bedrooms are all hardwood and the bathrooms take a lot of energy, so I want to start with the most difficult area first.  The kitchen and living room is on the second floor, which is a little less difficult to clean.  The mudroom and office is on the third floor, which typically involves vacuuming and some dusting.  Then, the basement just needs a vacuum, which makes it the easiest floor in the house.

When setting up your cleaning caddie, I always try to keep the least amount of cleaning supplies in the caddie as I can.  This makes the caddie light so I can carry it around and it keeps the number of cleaning products I have in check.

I try to make my own cleaning products, but when I need something quickly, or I just didn’t have time to make my own products, I love the products listed below!  When I do make my own products, I will reuse old bottles and write what I have in the bottle.  I will remove the label on the bottle using lemon essential oils after soaking it in bubble water.

• Murphy’s Oil Soap for Wood Floors
  • I mix this stuff up with some water and use old rags on our Swiffer Sweeper to get the floors looking sparkly and clean.
• Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Lavender Multi-Surface Cleaner
  • I love that you can use this on all sorts of surfaces and the smell is fresh and clean.  I spray it directly onto a microfiber cloth and wipe everything clean.
• Dyson Vacuum
  • This truly is such a fantastic vacuum.  We have had ours for over five years and it still works like it’s brand new.  The suction is seriously amazing and it is easy to clean…our toddler loves taking it apart!  And all of the attachments are on the vacuum, making it easy to use the different parts for the different areas of the house you are cleaning.
• Swiffer Sweeper
  • I use the Swiffer Sweeper and some rags to wash the floors.  By attaching the rags to the bottom of the Sweeper, I am able to make my own mop.  I dip the rag into the Murphy’s Oil and water mixture, then ring it out.  I will attach the rag to the bottom of the Swiffer and wash the floors.
• Microfiber Cleaning Cloths
  • I love Microfiber clothes.  They are fantastic for wiping up and dusting everything around the house.  Since they are soft, they don’t scratch the surfaces I am cleaning.  They also work well when using them dry to pick up dust around the house.  We get dust bunnies in our front hall closet, so I will just use a cloth to wipe up the floor and all of the dust is picked up without having to wet the cloth!
• Old Baby Blankets We Took From The Hospital
  • You know the blankets I am talking about.  The swaddle blankets that have the blue and pink stripe on it.  Well I took the old ones, cut them in half, and now have some fantastic rags.  These are the rags I use to wash the floors using the Murphy’s Oil and Swiffer.  They are perfect for cleaning the floors and if it gets too gross, I can throw it out.
• Large Bucket
  • I use a large bucket for holding the water and Murphy’s Oil mixture in.  I take the rag, get it wet in the bucket.  After squeezing the excess water out, I put it on the Swiffer and wash the floors.
• Cleaning Carrying Caddie
  • I thought this caddie was just adorable and the perfect place to keep all of my cleaning supplies.  I can carry it around while I clean the house and it looks cute!

Now you know my cleaning secrets and how I keep my cleaning products organized… by creating a cleaning caddie!  What are some of your cleaning secrets?  I am always up for more tips when it comes to cleaning.