8 Must Have Cleaning Tools

One of the largest tasks when moving can be cleaning. I relied on professional cleaners when moving to Seattle, but there are always little cleaning projects that pop up along the way.

Here are a few must-have cleaning tools to have on hand during your move:

A Squeegee
Not only are squeegees great for keeping windows clean and glass mold free, it’s a quick way to remove animal hair from carpet or microfiber couches. Squeegees come in variety of price ranges, and I have found that in this case it’s worth investing a few more dollars the first time rather than buying cheap tool that breaks after the first few uses or has weak rubber.

Toothbrushes
Don’t throw away your old toothbrush, give it a rinse and keep it under the sink; you’ll be surprised how often you use it. It’s great for cleaning kitchen tools like a coffee grinder or dusting off a keyboard.

Bucket
It might sound obvious, but having a sturdy bucket is a cleaning must. Avoid cheap buckets with flimsy handles, I learned the hard way that they don’t carry much liquid. Buckets are also great for soaking fragile items that might break in the sink, or for carrying moving supplies from project to project.

Small Broom and Dustpan
Again, a broom and a dustpan are cleaning 101, but having a small set is more handy than you think. Use it to clean up small spills, crumbs and dust bunnies. For me, a standard sized broom feels like I have a lot of sweeping to do, and I hate sweeping, so having a hand broom and dustpan available makes it easy to sweep up the small stuff.

Spray Bottles
I keep at least two spray bottles on hand, one that only is used for bleach and the other for water or gentle cleaners, and both are clearly labeled. I use the bleach with a little bit of water to get rid of mold spots in the shower or for pre-treating stains on bleach friendly clothing. A spray bottle with water is handy for cleaning and feeding plants, or look you can look-up a recipe to make your own organic cleaner.

Disposable Plastic Gloves
Some people like reusable gloves, but I’m not a fan of keeping something around that touched a lot of dirty spaces. I also want to keep my nails and hands healthy, so for a few dollars I buy disposable plastic gloves at the grocery store. Use the gloves when cleaning toilets, the cat’s litter box, or scrubbing tough stains off of the carpet.

Microfiber Cloths
With so many electronic devices in today’s world, microfiber cloths are great for dusting and cleaning delicate cell phone, laptop and TV screens. You can prolong the life of the cloth if you wash them separately and don’t dry them with dryer sheets.

Toothpicks
Toothpicks are great for cleaning small nooks where dirt can hide, like around light switches or drawers in the refrigerator.