When you walk down the cleaning supplies aisle at the supermarket, the shelves are stocked with so many brands and products. Cleaning companies are constantly enhancing their product, adding new scents, and packaging. It can become confusing which ones work, which ones you NEED, and which ones you WANT. For example, I love to buy Meyers and Methods different scented multipurpose sprays for my kitchen counters and tables. The new scents make me happy and look forward to cleaning. Do I need to buy them? No, I can stick with the basic ones I have.
Once you add a variety of cleaners into your cart to clean everything in your home, from the floors to the toilets, you’ll probably feel faint looking at the hefty bill! But it doesn’t have to be that way. As a cleaning professional, trust me when I say you can clean your home effectively with just a handful of affordable products.
There are 5 must-have products that I always carry in my cleaning bucket, and have for the last 20 years (only adding one item in the last five years). What can I say? I am a creature of habit. Hopefully, my habits will help save you money!
Here’s my 5 must-haves under $5:
1. Lemon Pinesol
Let’s face it. Our homes can often house a variety of different odors. From musty to downright stinky, I’ve seen it all. This is why I always carry a deodorizer in my bucket to get rid of any unpleasant smells and leave a fresh scent in its place. I like to call this Squeeky Clean’s “signature scent”. I can’t tell you how many times I am cleaning, and people stop and breathe loudly and say “it always smells so good when you and your staff clean here!”
Lemon Pine-Sol is a lemon-scented deodorizer that kills odors such as urine, grease, dirt, and grime. It’s a versatile product that can be used to clean laminate and hardwood floors, bathrooms, and kitchens. I use this in combo with Windex to dust, clean toilets, and wipe floors (except stone floors). It is basically my multipurpose cleaner, and you will NEVER find me cleaning without it!
Since this is a dilutable cleaner, a little goes a long way. Just mix ¼ cup Lemon Pine-Sol with a gallon of water for general cleaning. To clean your toilet, just a teaspoon (or capful) will clean your toilet.
Nothing beats the feeling of walking into a room and having it smell citrusy fresh!
2. Clorox Clean-up
I know what a lot of you are going to say. “Clorox Cleanup is very harsh!” This is very true, however, when you have to clean some of the places I have had to clean, there is not a single all-natural product that cleans as-good-as Clorox Cleanup. The only natural substitute for this is hydrogen peroxide, and good luck finding large quantities of that in stores.
Clorox Clean-Up is a multipurpose cleaner that cleans, disinfects, and kills 99% of viruses and bacteria, including the Covid-19 virus. With the ongoing pandemic, this is a product I find myself using a lot at home and in my client’s spaces to get rid of Covid and keep everyone safe.
Plus, this cleaner cuts through grease, soap scum, dirt, grime, mold, and mildew stains. Clorox Clean-Up can be used to clean kitchen sinks, white cabinets, counters, doors, walls, tubs, toilets, showers, and tiles. It is also a disinfectant which is the only proven way to remove most viruses and bacteria.
Just spray the product onto the surface you want to clean and wait for 30 minutes before wiping clean. This product contains bleach (which is why it’s so effective on tough stains), so you want to use it in a well-ventilated area. Before using, open any windows in the room, and switch on the fans to promote better air circulation. It is also helpful to wear a mask when cleaning with this product and wait the full 30 minutes after spraying before you go back to clean with it. This is one of those products that work while it sits.
A lot of the offices we clean always have brown stains around the sink drain from the large amounts of coffee that gets poured down the sink. We just spray this in the sink, and let it do its magic with no effort on our part.
There are days when I do not have to use this product (except in toilets because I do not use bowl cleaner), but it is definitely one of those products I must carry with me at all times because there is really no substitute for it.
3. Vinegar and/or Windex
You probably already have this affordable, non-toxic multipurpose cleaning solution in your store cupboard. Most of us use vinegar for cooking, but it can also be used for cleaning.
Vinegar is acidic, and it can dissolve dirt, grease, and grime. Although it isn’t an EPA-approved disinfectant, vinegar’s acidic nature allows it to kill certain types of bacteria.
There are different types of vinegar, but white distilled vinegar is the best for cleaning, as it doesn’t stain surfaces. To make your own homemade multipurpose cleaner using vinegar, fill a spray bottle with a 1:1 ratio of water and vinegar. I prefer to use cleaning vinegar, as it is more powerful than regular white vinegar.
You can use this diluted vinegar mixture to clean a variety of surfaces including countertops (just not granite or marble), sinks, some faucets, showers, tubs, and toilets. You can also use this homemade cleaner to clean windows in place of Windex.
A lot of people do not like the smell of vinegar, so I use Windex instead. You can not add essentials oils to cover the smell if you are using it for glass and mirrors or hardwood floors (which is what I mostly use it for).
For multipurpose cleaning I add a tablespoon of, you guessed it…Lemon Pinesol.
4. Bar Keepers Friend
Kitchens, especially ovens and gas ranges, can accumulate a lot of grease as a result of regular cooking. This grease can sometimes be difficult to cut through, which is why I always carry Bar Keepers Friend Soft Cleanser.
This is my go-to product for cleaning oven doors, gas ranges, and removing stains from kitchen and bathroom sinks. I just squeeze, scrub with a non-abrasive sponge for 1 minute before wiping clean, rinse off then polish dry.
The great thing about this product is that it’s safe to use on a variety of different surfaces such as stainless steel, ceramic, porcelain, and glass. As such, you can use it to remove rust stains on stainless steel flatware, clean ceramic dishes, and glassware. I have noticed it even removes watermarks from faucets.
5. Stainless Steel Cleaner
Many kitchens nowadays are equipped with stainless steel appliances. Sleek and shiny refrigerators, gas ranges, microwaves, and dishwashers add a touch of modern charm to your home, and it’s important to have the right products to clean these surfaces.
My preference when it comes to cleaning stainless steel is the Home Depot Brand “Zep”. (It’s more expensive on Amazon). There are many stainless products out there as well, but what I have found is certain appliances work better with certain brands of stainless cleaner. However, this brand works well on EVERY stainless appliance I have worked with (and that’s hundreds!). Just a warning, it is on the greasy side, so a little bit goes a long way. You also must make sure you do not get any on the floor because it makes the floor super slick!
There you have it, my 5 must-have cleaning products under $5! These items are so good at what they do, and they are definitely my go-to products for cleaning. You don’t need to spend a fortune to have a clean home. With these budget-friendly products, you can have a squeeky clean home without breaking the bank.
Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog post, where I share 5 of my favorite “feel good” cleaning products and items for under $5!
Sending you squeeky clean thoughts,
Michelle M
The Squeeky Clean Method 