There are literally thousands of different types of cleaning supplies available in stores today. A different product for each cleaning job. But the truth is, you don’t need most of them. Your Grand Parents probably kept a clean home and they didn’t have any of today’s fancy products.

I’m a professional cleaner and I only use a few. It’s about knowing what to use where and how to use it. Keep it simple and your cleaning will go a lot faster.

Here’s a quick list of the essentials: a broom, mop, window cleaner, bleach, all purpose anti- bacterial cleaner, vinegar, an essential oil of your choice, and micro fibre cloths. That’s it. You can do your whole home with just these things, no matter the size. In fact, you could even do without the anti-bacterial all purpose cleaner because vinegar can also fulfill that role.

Now, if you have carpets in your house you really need a vacuum cleaner as well but that’s the only necessary piece of cleaning equipment.

The Cleaning supplies market is huge. We’re bombarded with advertising everywhere we turn. It’s no wonder we start to think we need a different product for every separate cleaning job we have. But getting a million different products is not only considerably more expensive; it’s also extremely inefficient.

It costs you a couple of minutes every time you have to go and get a different product because you’re cleaning a different section of your house. I’ve seen so many people take out the cleaner they use for the kitchen to wipe down counters there and then when they’ve finished that, put it away and get something else for the counters in the bathroom.

The job is much simpler with just one or two cleaners and there are products that are suitable for most jobs.

I use vinegar for just about everything. It disinfects, it cleans, it deodorizes and it’s simple. Depending on the job, I mix it with varying amounts of water but I still haven’t found an environmentally friendly product that is any better.

I keep some bleach around for the toilets and occasionally the bath tub and I use an all purpose cleaner for the floors. An orange essential oil mixed with a dab of vegetable oil makes a wonderful furniture polisher and leaves the house smelling wonderfully fresh (and I have two large dogs).

And finally, the micro fibre cloths are one of my most important cleaning discoveries! They are just brilliant for any cleaning application. They pick up dirt, they don’t leave streaks or film and they last and last.

You don’t need a million different cleaning supplies to do the job. Cleaning is a chore that most people (including me) don’t particularly like. But with the right tools and the right techniques you can get more clean out of every minute and get your house done in record time. On my website, I describe lots of techniques that get the cleaning jobs done quickly with just the ingredients I’ve listed here.