Since I became a wife, one of the things I enjoy doing is keeping the house clean and orderly. When my husband and I started living together after our wedding, we had to adjust to each other’s habits and learn to make our own household management system. I had to constantly remind myself that I shouldn’t expect my husband to immediately pick up my ways. Like our marriage mentors have taught us, we need to establish our own in everything, because the home we’re building is different from those we grew up in. It can be quite daunting to make a list of must-have cleaning equipment when you first step into your shared home. I admit these were things I took for granted because I knew that when I needed to sweep the floor at my parents’ house, there were several brooms I could use. If I needed to get rid of dust, we had a vacuum ready to plug and play. While my husband and I bought basic cleaning stuff before we moved in, it was only when we REALLY LIVED in the house that we came across certain items we missed out. Here are some of the essential cleaning things you must buy when you move into a new home (whether you’re single and living solo or starting life as newly-weds):
THE BASICS
- A broom or walis tambo – One of the most basic cleaning things to sweep dirt off the floor.
- A broomstick or walis tingting – I find this very flexible because it can pick up hairs and can be used on both wet and dry surfaces. It is recommended that you have one for the outside and one for the inside.
- A dustpan – A temporary reservoir for dirt and dust-bunnies before you chuck them in the trash
- A pail designated for cleaning – You wouldn’t want to use the same pail for bathing and the same pail for rinsing your cleaning rags
- Spinning mop kit – I know I can just put in “mop” but this version makes the whole rinsing and mopping task quicker. You don’t need to touch the mop, just dunk it the pail with water and cleaning solution, spin it to get rid of excess water and mop away.
- Cleaning rags – buy several and if you can choose colors (for color coding), so much better. Assign a color for each area or surface. You don’t want to be using your kitchen countertop rags for your toilet and vice versa.
- Domex or concentrated Zonrox bleach – this is a must-have for disinfecting and sanitizing surfaces. I mix two capfuls into a bucket of water and also use this for our DIY disinfectant cleaning spray.
- Lysol Disinfectant Spray – For surfaces that need a quick sanitation.
- Dehumidifier- We didn’t know it was a must until we had a mold and mildew infestation. Sobrang hassle! Mold spreads really fast, especially during the rainy season. Aside from getting the dehumidifying kits from hardware stores, it is worth investing in a dehumidifying machine. We bought ours from Lazada.
- Insect & roach repellent – One thing my husband and I discovered, even if you keep your house clean, if roaches know they have a water source in there, they will be around. We haven’t perfected the insect repellent system, but for starters, aside from keeping your home clean and your trash covered and secure, you may need the help of repellents to keep them away. Mosquitoes don’t like citronella and eucalyptus oils, while roaches I’ve read, do not like peppermint and lavender. I’ll let you know our progress when it comes to combating roaches but GAH, we still encounter them.
- Garbage cans (with cover) and liners
For bathroom cleaning:
- Toilet brush with it’s own bucket/container
- Plunger
- Heavy duty cleaning gloves – The ones we use are Scotch Brite. Since they have many variants, make sure that you pick the right size and thickness. Some are meant to be used for dishwashing, some for laundry and then there are the gloves for heavy-duty cleaning which have thicker rubber material.
- Mr. Muscle Mold and Mildew Cleaner – this really makes bathroom cleaning so quick, specially when mold and soap scum begin to form on your tiles. This is so easy to use, just spray it on the areas with mold and mildew growth, leave for 15 minutes and then rinse with water and a rag. Make sure however, to wear a mask when you’re spraying this on surfaces to avoid accidental inhalation.
- Mr. Muscle Limescale Destroyer – You know those unsightly yellow stains under your toiletbowl rim? Those are limescale stains. I looked for this product when I noticed that my regular thick bleach couldn’t clean off the stains. So far, the ones under the rim are gone. I have yet to try another solution that will remove the heavier (and grittier) limescale stains at the bottom of the bowl.
- Sponge/scouring pad
- Toilet rags
I hope this list has been helpful for you. I wish I came across something like this before Dave and I moved in but we learned along the way. Sharing this with you so you’ll have an easier time having all your cleaning essentials ready and not stalling your cleaning time because you forgot to buy something. 😀
God bless you!
Ingrid Nieto-Pagulayan 