Are your cleaning supplies clean?

When was the last time you cleaned your vacuum cleaner, mop, or even your dish brush? Over the course of time, our cleaning tools gather up all the gunk, germs, and grimes that they remove in the first place! Eventually, they might do us more harm than good. Therefore, it is important and absolutely necessary to clean and sanitize them regularly so that our home not only appears clean but is actually clean too!

Cleaning tools that need regular cleaning:

It is safe to say that whatever comes in contact with even a speck of dust needs some good cleaning. If you have kids in your home, deep-cleaning on a regular basis might just be the way to go. While it is a good idea to regularly change your cleaning supplies, we don’t recommend it. It adds to the unnecessary wastage to the environment and most of the cleaning supplies are plastic, which is harder, if not impossible, to recycle. Try to adapt to more sustainable cleaning supplies that can be reused after cleaning. From cleaning cloths to your washing machine, all of them need cleaning every now and then. Pro tip: Make a monthly checklist for all your cleaning supplies and mark your calendar for any free weekend to clean them all at once!

Cleaning Tools you should regularly clean:

• Vacuum Cleaners
• Brooms and Mops
• Cleaning cloths 
• Sponges and Brushes
• Dishwashers and Washing Machines

How to clean your cleaning tools

While so many seem overwhelming, worry not, since we will give you the complete rundown on how to clean your supplies. You only need home supplies to clean your cleaning tools and most of them are easily available in your kitchen or pantry.

Vacuum Cleaners

Vacuum cleaners are everyone’s favourite cleaning tool when it comes to getting rid of excess dirt and dust. But they require extensive cleaning every now and then as they collate all the dirt but don’t usually have a self-cleaning system. Here is how you can ensure your vacuum cleaner gives you the best results:

• Make sure to unplug the vacuum before cleaning it. Because every vacuum model is different, no single cleaning process will work for them all. If your vacuum has a user manual, make sure to check out the cleaning procedure, if written
• Once a month, use a damp cloth and mild detergent to wipe off any dirty from the casing, hoses, and attachments.
• At least quarterly, inspect the hose for blockages and change disposable filters or wash reusable filters. To freshen the air while you vacuum, add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil to the filter.

Brooms and Mops

Broom heads can be removed from the broom portion from the broomstick if it is threaded and placed in your bucket alongside your cleaning brushes. The same goes for mop heads.

• Once a week, take your brooms and mops and dust is outside to get rid of all the excess dust. Before cleaning them, make sure to remove the extra debris on the crevices.
• For mops, fill half a bucket with hot water and 1 cup of vinegar. Soak the mop head in the bucket for half an hour. They will come out completely clean and disinfected!
• For Brooms, take it outside and run the bristles over the edge of a step to whisk away trapped dirt. For deep clean, mix hot water with two teaspoons of dishwashing liquid, keep the broom inside and then rinse with cold water. 

Cleaning cloths

Your cleaning cloths come in various shapes, sizes, and fabrics; therefore it is important to make sure you’re cleaning them accordingly. 

• Wash regular cloth in the washing machine with some baking soda to cut through deep stains. Regular clothes, rags, old teeshirts and towels, cotton cleaning cloths, etc. can all be thrown in the washing machine on the high-temperature cycle
• For micro-fiber cloths, you need to proceed with caution. Wash them with a little bit of Koparo’s Laundry Liquid in warm water and avoid any fabric softeners or dryer sheets that will disrupt the dust-attracting qualities of the fibers.

Sponges and Brushes

Regular disinfecting is essential for sponges and brushes used in the kitchen as part of food preparation. Even your toilet brushes collate all the bacteria from the washroom. Consider investing in a toilet brush container so that the bristles don’t come in direct contact with all the germs.

• After every wash, rinse the sponge or brush well in hot water and let it dry sitting upright. Use a pen to pick out hairs and other debris that's caught in the bristles.
• Weekly cleaning is absolutely necessary for both. Pour 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar over a wet sponge and dish brush and soak it in hot water for half an hour.

Dishwashers and Washing Machines

While most modern dishwashers and washing machines do have a self-cleaning option, some of them still require manual cleaning from time to time. Here’s how you can ensure your cleaning appliances are spick and span:

• Clear out the drain of your dishwasher. There’s likely to be food residue in there, but sometimes bones, pieces of plastic or glass, and other debris can get in there and cause some damage. In a dishwasher safe bowl add white vinegar and set it on the top rack. Run the dishwashing cycle by itself at the highest temperature.
• For your washing machine, once a week, wipe down the outside of the machine with a cloth dampened with mild dishwashing liquid and water; rinse with plain water and wipe dry.  For deep cleaning, just run an empty load with hot water and white vinegar. Afterward, drain the washing machine and wipe it dry.

Hope this article cleared your cleaning supply woes. Keep reading The Clean Slate to get some much needed insight into your cleaning and living habits. If you are looking to purchase some all-natural cleaners to go with your cleaning tools here are some of Koparo’s bestsellers: