You have a cleaning schedule, you’ve made chore charts for your kids and you are ready to tackle Keeping The House Tidy…but what about your cleaning supplies? When it comes to supplies there are many different methods of keeping them organized and accessible. Check out these ideas and choose the one that works best for you and your family.
What cleaning supplies do I need?
In general, you will need bathroom cleaning supplies (cleaner for countertops and bathtub, cleaner for toilets, disinfecting wipes, glass cleaner, floor cleaner), floors (cleaning solution), cabinets and wood furniture (wood soap or dusting spray), duster, cleaning rags or towels and paper towels.
Strategies for Storing Cleaning Supplies
In a central supply closet/location
If you have younger kids you will most likely be the primary cleaner. Choosing one central location for your cleaning supplies is a great option. That way you always know where to find them!
Choose a closet or under a sink where there is plenty of space to store what you need. You could use a basket to put all the supplies in so they are easy to tote around as you clean.
You could also use a shoe organizer hung on the back of a door to hold all of the supplies. Make sure and label each pocket so everyone knows where to put them!
In a central location, divided by job
If you have space, a great way to organize your cleaning supplies is by job. Get a tote for each job (bathrooms, floors, dusting etc) and add the necessary supplies, then keep all of the totes in one closet or room. There will be some overlap, so you can either purchase more than one supply (i.e. window cleaner for both the bathroom tote and the window tote), or have one cleaner that you move around.
You can also attach cleaning checklist cards to each tote. I love these Printable Cleaning Checklist Cards from Somewhat Simple. Laminate the cards and throw a wipe-off marker in each tote to make the cards easy to use and reuseable.
In the room where the supplies are needed
It is super handy to have the cleaning supplies right where you need them. If you have space in cabinets in the bathroom or kitchen, or near family rooms, you can have a tote dedicated to each space. For example, in the tote near my family room, I would have dusting supplies and cleaning wipes for disinfecting light switches. Since the floor is carpet I wouldn’t have floor cleaners. You could also attach the cleaning checklist cards to each of these supply baskets or totes.
When you are teaching kids how to clean, organizing cleaning supplies and making them more accessible makes a huge difference. Whether you keep your cleaning supplies in a central location, divide them up by job type, or in the rooms where the supplies are needed if kids and teens know where to find the supplies and have a clear idea of what they are supposed to do, chore time becomes much easier for everyone involved. I hope one of these strategies makes keeping your home clean and tidy much easier.
