Some weeks. No, wait a second. EVERY week the goal of cleaning my house falls to the bottom of the list after keeping kids alive and fed, working to get paid, and crashing out by 9pm. After putting in hours of driving the parent shuttle, attempting to explain genetics to my 10 year old, and squeezing in a moment to work out or sit in silence, there is no time left for cleaning and I am unable to hire someone to help me clean. I was recently inspired by the fact that robot vacuums now do exist, so maybe- just maybe, there are new items to help with other cleaning tasks. And I also realized, that my kids can do some of this crap given that new items minimize the ways a child can mess up the chore (or breathe in questionable substances from cleaners such as what I used to use as a kid when having to clean the toilet and mainly covered my bathroom in a greenish-white haze with so much powder that Tony Montana would be concerned.)
So here is a list of a few items that have made a difference in keeping my house clean, sanity intact, and having kids do some chores….
Electronic Steam Mop
This mop from Shark has been a life-saver. When I first decided to buy it, I was like, who am I? The Jetsons!? But it is so easy to use, sanitizes with steam, has washable and changeable scrubbing heads, and gives a deep clean in less time than it takes to sweep. And it is super fun to use if you, like me, always wanted to drive a miniature zamboni. Buy this steam mop HERE.
Standing Broom and Dustpan
Having a brush with an extendable-handled dustpan has been a back and knee saver. It also takes less time to sweep the mess into the dustpan, and the “teeth” allow you to “comb” the brush through and pull off any lingering dust-bunnies or hair balls (which gross me out even though most of it is my hair). Best part is my kid can use it ALL BY HERSELF. So I don’t have to help with her chore. Buy a similar broom and dustpan set HERE.
Scrub Brush with Extended Reach
Speaking of saving our backs and our knees, this is not your momma’s tub and shower scrubber. It has a long handle so you don’t have to bend much or get a step ladder to reach the shower tile. You can even get brushes and pads to change out depending on what is needed. Buy this tub and shower scrub brush HERE.
Electronic Scrub Brush
Elbow grease is a thing of the past. Sure you may have to get your gains by lifting weights instead of cleaning, but you now have time for that! This electronic scrub brush with extendable handle can deep clean tons of surfaces with interchangeable attachments. Get one HERE.
Small Brush
Ok, so this isn’t an updated cleaning item, nor is it using new technology but sometimes you have to use a tried and true classic like this small scrub brush. This saves time since it is the right tool for the right job, such as cleaning drains, small crevices around sinks, and hard-to-reach areas. It is cheap and effective. Get a small cleaning brush HERE.
Toilet Wand and Cleaner in One!
Growing up, my family had a small-handled, rope-mop type brush that was kept in an old jelly jar under the sink and we used that to clean the toilet. That seems insane as I type this out. Of course it wasn’t more sanitary than the reusable scrub brushes on a stick I had in our bathrooms until a month ago. Enter, the Clorox Toilet Wand. This wand has the cleaner and scrubbing power in one, space-saving storage container. You click the pad on, scrub the bowl, let it sit to disinfect, and push a button to dispose of the scrubbing pad in the trash. The kids can use it on their own, and I don’t have to worry about certain “matter” hanging out on the brush in the corner behind the toilet. Win Win. Buy the Clorox Toilet Wand HERE.
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