Make cleaning easy as possible – and even fun – by decluttering & organising your cleaning cupboard!

“The objective of cleaning is not just to clean, but to feel happiness living within that environment.” 

Marie Kondo

How true! There’s nothing nicer than when you can sit down, relax and enjoy your beautifully clean home. Let’s be honest for a moment though. Everyone loves a clean home, but does anyone actually love doing the cleaning? Mrs Hinch makes cleaning look “sexy”, but really it’s a chore that most of us would happily avoid. And the thing that makes it even worse? When your cleaning supplies are cluttered and disorganised.  Cleaning cupboard chaos is a common problem.  How ironic that the very thing that’s supposed to help you achieve having a clean home is actually hindering it. Mess attracts mess and it’s not motivating in the slightest. It can make us feel stuck and overwhelmed.  When your cleaning cupboard is out of control, you just don’t feel like cleaning. You end up buying things you already have because you can’t see what you’ve already got. Can you relate?

So, what are the main causes of cleaning cupboard chaos?

More often than not it’s usually caused by overbuying coupled with a lack of organisation. This might sound like a strange question (but it’s actually a thing)… Are you attracted to cleaning products when shopping? Do you find yourself spending a little too long in the cleaning aisle? If your favourite product comes out in a new design, scent or colour, do you feel compelled to add it to your ‘collection’ even when you don’t need it? If that’s you, you’re not alone! Often, we buy these products simply because we’ve been ‘influenced’ on social media. Or, perhaps, you like the idea of a product and believe the claims and promises that they’ll deliver you a clean and tidy home. The thing is, of course, it’s not the products themselves that will make your home clean, it’s the physical act of cleaning. And that’s down to you!  You can have all the cleaning products in the world, but if you don’t use them, what’s the point? They’re just going to end up as clutter. And honestly, you really don’t need a myriad of different products to keep your home clean. The bottom line is that too much stuff can become a burden on you.

For more on decluttering your home, see HERE.

My advice when it comes to cleaning products is: If you don’t need it, don’t buy it.  If this advice has come too late and you’re struggling with an abundance of cleaning products, don’t worry. The good news is that you can transform a cluttered and chaotic cleaning cupboard pretty quickly. Here are my simple steps and ideas to take your cleaning cupboard from chaotic to calm in minutes…

 

7 Simple Steps to make cleaning as easy as possible.

 

Step 1: Empty the cupboard

– Get everything out and arrange on a flat surface so you can see duplicates and how many products you have that do the same job.

– Separate into categories such as dishwashing, laundry, floor and carpets, windows and glass, multi-surface, kitchen, bathroom (consider keeping bathroom products in the bathroom if you have space), specialist cleaners, miscellaneous etc.

 

Step 2: Clean the cupboard

Wipe out the cupboard interior whilst it’s empty and clean the doors and handles. Leave to air dry while you sort through the contents.

 

Step 3: Decide what to keep

– Look for half-used and almost empty products that can be used up quickly and put duplicates to the side for now. 

– Decant multiples of the same product into one but be careful never to mix different cleaning products together. Think practically about what you use most and gather them together.

– How many cloths do you actually need? Do you really use 4 of the same product? Be ruthless. Discard any products that you never use or don’t need and pop in a bag to pass on to someone who will. Take them to work (to be used in a kitchen or staffroom there) or donate to a local charity that helps people set up their first home. 

– Store duplicates you want to keep elsewhere until you require them –  in the shed, garage or a household cupboard, but don’t forget about them! Shop your home when you run out of something instead of buying more.

 

Step 4: Let the shop store it

If you are struggling for space and find it difficult to decide what to keep and what to discard, be realistic about how long products usually last in your home. For example, if it takes years for you to get through a bottle of cream cleaner and you have five, chances are you could just keep one (see Step Three for ideas on how to get rid of your excess), and replace it when you run out in two years time. Let the supermarket store it for you instead.  The space in your home is valuable real estate so you don’t want to use it for things you don’t need. Most of us have a shop not too far away where we can repurchase items as and when we need them.

 

Step 5: Consider microfibre & chemical-free cleaning 

Create even more space by ditching traditional cleaners and switching to microfibre cloths. It’s no secret that I LOVE a microfibre cloth! They clean effectively with water alone and remove 99% of germs and bacteria without chemicals.  Backed by science, it’s a purse-friendly option that’s healthier for your family, more sustainable and kinder to the planet.  Microfibre cloths are reusable and can simply be washed in the machine after use.  Imagine, no more wipes, no more plastic bottles and no more nasty chemicals polluting the air we breathe inside our homes.

For more on chemical-free cleaning, take a look at my blog which shares 11 ways to clean naturally with bicarbonate of soda. 

 

Step 6: Keep it simple 

We’re led to believe we need tonnes of different cleaning products in order to keep a clean house when it’s simply not true. Most of us could drastically reduce the number of products we use and store by simplifying our kit and routine.  I can’t tell you the last time I used a window cleaning product or a stainless steel cleaner, they’re just not necessary. Microfibre cloths do the job just as well, if not even better!  One of the most basic cleaners we all have in our homes, dishwashing liquid, can be used as an all-purpose cleaner all around the home. Yes, there are some task-specific cleaners you may need but on the whole, the simplest products are the best. If you like the idea of cleaning naturally, then baking soda, white vinegar, lemons and essential oils are your new best friend! 

 

Step 7: Contain & organise

– Give everything a home and store like with like.  – Arrange everything back in the cupboard in a way that makes sense for practicality and ease of use. For example, put your most used products at the front and least used at the back.  – Measure the space carefully before choosing storage and look for boxes, baskets, caddies, pull-out mini drawers, turntables etc that will help to keep your products organised and easy to find.  – Don’t forget to maximise the space on the back of the cupboard doors too. Add clips to hang rubber gloves and use hanging caddies for small items like sponges. Before buying new, look around your house for things you can reuse and repurpose for this. Use what you already have in the first instance. If you feel it’s important to get the right aesthetic, upgrade your storage at a later date.    It takes a bit of trial and error to get the perfect system set up but once it’s done, it’s life-changing. Oh, and one last tip – labels! Label everything you feel is necessary. Voila! Enjoy your beautifully organised cleaning cupboard and have fun cleaning! There are no excuses now!

 

Ready to get cleaning? Join my FREE Zone Cleaning community HERE!