Using Cleaning Caddies To Stay On Top Of Housework

I used to be an all or nothing gal. My house was either spotless or could have been used as a set for a TV crime series. It all hinged around what day of the week it was: Saturday was cleaning day (most of the time) and by Friday we had our very own in-home sandpit located suspiciously at the exact place our children removed their shoes. On top of this all three bathroom mirrors smeared with a combination of spit and toothpaste as a result of those terrible suction caps on kids toothbrushes”¦ they seemed like a good idea at the time. Trust me, the list goes on.

A while ago I discovered I was able to ‘maintain’ the living area, then the house got progressively worse as you left this space.

Why? We spend a lot of time in this area, and all of the cleaning products are located in the laundry and under the kitchen sink! I was ‘maintaining’ these areas because the cleaning products were located in these areas”¦ it was quick and easy to wipe something down!

How to use cleaning caddies

I decided to buy multiple products and scatter them around the house, then eventually went out and bought little caddies to keep them all neat and tidy.

It worked.

When I’m bathing the kids”¦ I wipe down the bathroom.

When the kids are having a 10 minute play in their bedrooms or getting changed”¦ I dust their rooms.

These little cleaning stations are situated in key areas around the house and contain the exact products needed to clean each particular area.

Every house is different, so just partition your house into manageable areas and have one caddy per area.  We have:

• Living area caddy (Kitchen, Lounge, Dining)
• Laundry caddy (Laundry, study and hallways)
• Downstairs bathroom caddy
• Ensuit caddy (Master bedroom and ensuit)
• Upstairs caddy (Upstairs bathrooms, other bedrooms and areas)
• Car Cleaning / Garage Caddy

The result”¦

1. The house remains in a presentable state all week
2. Saturday chore day is only an hour or two”¦ rather than most of the day

What products to use in each room

If you’re going to introduce this concept into your home, you need to be sure that you’re stocking it with everything you need so you don’t fall into old habits.

The idea is that you include all of the products you need to ‘maintain’ the area, and also do your thorough clean, whether it’s weekly or fortnightly. If the thorough clean slips, since you’re maintaining the rooms, it’s not so overwhelming.

I spent quite a bit of time initially working out what to include, but have since refined my list.  Here’s what I’d suggest you include.

All Cleaning Caddies

Cloths

Each caddy should include a variety of cloths, all with their specific purpose i.e. you don’t want to have the same cloth brand / colour to clean the toilet then also accidentally use it to clean the dishes. i.e. every blue cloth in our house is for cleaning the toilet or ‘unhygienic’ things. Everyone in the house knows never to use a blue cloth for any other purpose.

We also have another cloth type JUST for doing the dishes.

Finally, every other cloth in the house is a ‘general purpose’ cloth, used for wiping down sinks, dusting”¦ anything else.

I do think cloth type is a matter of personal preference, so I’ve listed out some options below. Consider the different ‘types’ then decide which cloth you’d like to use.

In summary, here are the 3 purposes:

• Cloth 1 – Cleaning Toilets and yukky areas
• Cloth 2 – Dishes
• Cloth 3 General Cleaning and dusting (at least one type, I have a preference for using Microfibre for dusting and something else for using with sprays).

Here’s a variety of cloths to choose from (all of them are machine washable):

Chux Original Superwipes “”these cloths are, value for money you can buy them in a 20 pack and come in 4 colours, great for colour coding your jobs around the home, pink for the sink and blue for the loo. They are fantastic for washing up and general spills, I have a couple in all of my caddies as they are the ‘go to’ cloth in an emergency”¦ due to their price and the fact that they are purchased in bulk, in the absence of a paper towel I don’t feel guilty about throwing them out (you can also buy a green biodegradable version).
Chux Bathroom Duets “” is a set of two microfibre cloths that work in tandem to deliver a streak-free finish to shiny bathroom surfaces such as tap ware, mirrors, and shower screens. The first cloth is designed to be used wet to remove grime and the second is designed to be used dry to absorb moisture and buff and shine, resulting in a streak-free finish.

Chux Collections Microfibre Cloth  Fantastic for dusting, attracts and locks in dust.

Chux Multi Purpose  Collections Absorbent Cloths nice strong cloths and they also come in a patterned “Collections” range so you can have a plain and patterned one for different purposes.

Kitchen Wonder Cloths really strong cloths, contrary to the name, they are great for using all over the house. Due to their strength, I have these in my Garage caddy too!

Other

Chux Magic Erasers these are the most amazing cleaning product I’ve ever seen, I use them for removing soap scum from my shower screens, removing grime from my kitchen tiles and splashbacks and getting marks off walls and skirting boards. Available in Bathroom, Kitchen, Mini 8 pack, Big Block and also a bigger format Glass and Tile they work like magic!  The other best thing about them is that their chemical free ,which means all you need to do is add water to activate the cleaning power.
Chux Glass & Tile Magic Eraser as mentioned above is big and flat meaning you can use it for larger areas. I’d include in caddies for areas where you’re going to use it regularly on a large area. As an example, I’ve been using it to clean my grout in the living area, it returns it to white in seconds”¦ with just water!

Spray I’m not so brand loyal, I tend to purchase based on price.

Kitchens

Note – I use the kitchen caddy for cleaning the kitchen, not for washing up supplies.
Chux Kitchen Duets (maintaining clean) a fantastic set of two microfibre cloths that do an amazing job with just water! The first cloth removes grease and grime, the second cloth absorbs water and provides a streak free shine. These are great for areas with a high gloss finish (glass, splashbacks and stainless steel.

Gumption (thorough clean) great for cleaning sinks, tiles, cooktops, laminate benchtops and the oven.

Chux Kitchen Magic Eraser (thorough clean) Fantastic for hard to clean scum and any scuffs and marks.

Bathrooms

Gumption (thorough clean) great for cleaning sinks, tiles and baths.

Chux Bathroom Duets (maintaining clean) a fantastic set of two cloths that do an amazing job with just water! The first cloth removes soap scum and grime, the second cloth absorbs water and provides a streak free finish. These are great for areas such as glass, mirrors, show screens, taps etc. I’ve resorted to hanging these over the shower screens, after each use I just rinse them and hang them back up. When they need a clean, they go in the washing machine.

Chux Bathroom Magic Eraser (thorough clean) Fantastic for removing soap scum off the shower screens and tiles. Great thing is they are chemical free!

Toilet Duck I’m not so brand loyal, so I tend to purchase based on price.

Laundry

Gumption (thorough clean) great for cleaning sinks, tiles and laminate benchtops

Garage / Car Cleaning Caddy

Chux Original Robuste is up to 2 x thicker and stronger than the Chux Superwipes and are machine washable

Chux Heavy Duty Scourer sponge on one side, scourer on the other. Great for the garage.

Chux Big Job Magic Eraser if you keep bikes in the garage or have ever leaned anything up against the walls these are the most amazing invention, I’m in love with them! Just add water and lightly rub the wall and the scuff marks are removed. I’ve tried to do the same thing with a ‘normal’ cloth and no amount of scrubbing (without using other chemicals too) get the marks off. These are fantastic!

Free Downloadable

To help with your initial shopping trip and ensure that you buy the right number of products for your own purposes, download our single page cleaning caddy shopping list. 

With winter in full swing meaning the flu season upon us, the concept of using cleaning caddies will help you stay on top of the cleaning, in turn, removing germs.

Have a cleaning tip or confession you want to share?