Updated 5/13/2018
I’m all for making cleaning my house easier. I’ll take any shortcut available. Over the years, I’ve found some pretty useful tricks to make housework faster, and this one is by far my favorite. Behold, the cleaning caddy.
Yep. I really just showed you a fifteen dollar plastic caddy. But trust me on this, I’m not crazy. Having a portable collection of all-purpose cleaners is such a time saver. Let me guess, you have all your cleaners (maybe 12-15 of them) lined up in a pretty little row in a cabinet somewhere? And when you need them, you load up your arms in a desperate attempt to carry them all at once to the other side of the house? (I bet you try to carry all the grocery bags in at once, too, right? I get it, I’m totally that person.)
But why do you need all those cleaners? There’s no need to have that many options. All you need are a few basics that have a wide range of abilities.
When it comes to my cleaning arsenal, I try to keep things pretty light. I use a gentle all purpose cleaner for most things, as well as a homemade glass cleaner and a wood cleaner/polisher. You’ll also want to grab a stock of microfiber cloths.
Aside from the basics, I also like to keep trash bags (I store mine in an old Clorox Wipes container), rubber gloves, a Swiffer duster, essential oils and air fresheners, and a lint roller.
Read More: Why You Should Use DIY Glass Cleaner + A Free Recipe
So back to that caddy. Imagine having everything you need to clean your whole house right at your fingertips, without having to pile them in your arms like you’re hugging a wet, angry cat. That’s where our new friend comes in.
Pick up a heavy duty plastic caddy with a sturdy handle. Stuff it full with the basic essentials I mentioned above and store it in a central location (like a linen closet or laundry room). And thank your favorite blogger (that’s me!) for saving you from chemical overload.
Read More: 12 Tips For Crushing Your Spring Cleaning In One Weekend
I decorated my caddy with a chalk paint pen to make it a little more personal. You can use paint, pens, decals, and stickers to make it your own.
Then download the free printable shopping list for the items you need to stock it with, plus my own recipes for a DIY (clean and healthy) Bathroom Cleaner and Glass Cleaner. Just drop your email in the box below and I’ll send it all right over!
Feeling extra productive? Read my tips on how to create a weekly cleaning schedule to save yourself from an all-day Sunday scrub-fest.
So tell me, what are your favorite cleaning products that you can’t live without? And do you make your own?
I’d love to hear what you’ll store in your new caddy!
David Stuart says
April 1, 2019 at 2:55 amAs it turns out, the paper makes for a great window cleaner. To clean your windows with paper, spray the zone with a window spray, then fold up the paper to buff out the fluid. The paper and ink influence a gentle rough that to can evacuate watermarks and make your entryway sparkle.
lucy liu says
August 15, 2018 at 10:10 pmYou are so good, I think you love life, enjoy!
Diego Monterey says
July 10, 2018 at 11:59 pmThis will surely make cleaning easier! My mom would always spend 10-15 minutes before cleaning just to gather and make sure she has everything she needs in arm’s reach. A caddy would surely make her happy and more convinient for sure!
Lela Burris says
July 11, 2018 at 6:56 amThanks Diego! Yes, it definitely makes things much easier. I think you should gift her a caddy now!
caroline says
May 16, 2018 at 8:21 amAn organised caddy certainly makes cleaning so much easier. I try to tell my clients to have a caddy ready for our visits. Otherwise we waste time trying to find where they have stored things
Lela Burris says
May 16, 2018 at 2:05 pmThat’s such a great point Caroline! It’s so helpful for cleaning services to have everything they need without having to search for them. Thanks so much for adding that in!