How To Create A Cleaning Center?

A cleaning center is a must for every house so that you know where you have kept the most important thing you require everyday – cleaning supplies. Now to think of, you need a place that is easily visible as well as easy to manage. Every family member should be able to see it and use it easily whenever there is a mess created in the house – a stain or a spill. The area where you keep all these materials need not be huge, but you must be careful to keep them at a low height, accessible to all, yet away from kids. The bottles or equipments should be clearly marked to prevent confusion. Moreover, keep an additional area to keep the washtub.

Things you’ll need:

1. Containers for storage
2. Adhesive labels (or you may use a glue stick to paste the labels)
3. Permanent marker/Sketch pens
4. Cotton rag-like cloth
5. Scrub brushes
6. Washtub (preferably plastic)
7. White vinegar
8. Spray bottle
9. Lemon juice concentrate
10. Club soda
11. Baking soda
12. Boric acid powder

Instructions:

1. Empty a wide cabinet or shelf where the cleaning tools would be kept. A moderately higher section of a cupboard is a perfect cleaning material storage, out of reach of children at home.
2. Drill in hooks as additional attachments to the inner wall of the shelf. You may also use plastic vacuum hooks in rows that are strong enough and do not damage the shelf. These hooks are for holding brooms and garbage bags.
3. On the horizontal base, stock the things which you have already gathered, namely, white vinegar, Boric acid powder, lemon juice, club soda and baking soda. Small quantities of these items are sufficient as they are not items of frequent use. If you do not have these items and have bought larger cans, transfer a little of each into a smaller bottle or jar in your “cleaning centre”. The vinegar should be stored in plastic spray bottles. Keep drying materials like Silica gel to restrict moisture. Wet or damp items should be kept separately to prevent mildew growth.
4. Stock clean cotton rags in a small basket or container in the shelf. Keep the dirty rags in a separate laundry bag but do not put them back into the same basket before washing as the other rags too, may get dirty.
5. On the hooks, hang small brooms, a dustpan for keeping dust after cleaning, and a bag to be used for hand-wash laundry clothes. If you have a bigger shelf, use it to keep a large broom and a mop too, else they can be a good place for hanging other utility articles such as an ironing board.

Tips and warnings:

1. Make use of old socks and clothes as dust cloths and rags. They reduce wastage of cloth, save money and have a coarse texture for dusting. They even fit into the hand as a glove.
2. Use baking soda in a damp rag to clean smudges on walls, remove crayon marks and polish silver.
3. Few readymade items like liquid dish soaps and stain removers are available to make cleaning less tedious.