My Homekeeping Gear

I'm always up to trying out new gadgets and products. When I see something new and improved, often times I'll wait until there is a coupon, then I'll pick it up and bring it home to try out. I thought I'd start sharing my likes and dislikes with my fellow homemakers.

I don't have little children at home all the time anymore, since my oldest is now 26 years old. But I have 6 kids and the oldest was 9 years old when the baby was born. We live in the country where there are no sidewalks or paved driveways. Let me tell ya, I know dirt, germs, grime, spills, and messes... and I know what I like to get rid of the dirt, germs, and grime.

I have a few things in my homekeeping arsenal that I simply wouldn't want to do without.

• Swiffer wetjet: I love my swiffer wetjet! It's so much easier to use than the old mop and bucket I use to use. Not only is it easier to use, it's much more sanitary than the old bucket of dirty mop water. Mopping my floors takes mere moments instead of a block of time. If you go to the swiffer wetjet website you can sign up to receive a coupon book and save $5.00 off on your purchase!
• Swiffer dusters: What a nifty gadget! I use to hate dusting and I'd always have one of the kids grab the pledge and a dust rag to go around the house dusting. Ever since I tried one of these I have been doing the dusting and I love it! This thing picks up every little speck of dust. I can squeeze it in between the curly Qs on my ornamental candle holders and the chandelier. It even picks up the dust on the turned legs on my country style coffee tables.
• Spray bottle of ammonia... I can't live without this. I spray our trash cans lightly with straight ammonia and it keeps the raccoons and dogs out of our trash. It really works!
• Clorox bleach: I can't imagine a home without Clorox. They even came out with a high efficiency formula for our front loading washing machine. Love that!
• Clorox disinfecting wipes: I take my Clorox wipes with me when we travel and on picnics. Oh the nasty germs on a picnic table! Not very appetizing... so I brush off all excess stuff with paper towels, then wipe down the table really good with the Clorox wipes. I wipe the table down first thing when I get to the picnic site... it needs to sit for several seconds to kill all the bacteria. After it sits for awhile, then I spread out my tablecloth.
• Hand crocheted or knitted dish cloths (100% cotton yarn). I love... love... love them! My daughter in law made me a couple of them years ago, before she was my DIL. I wasn't so sure about using them, because I had my favorites. You know how that goes... but I love them! They are textured enough to get the dishes and counter tops clean. If you make your own, you can knit or crochet them to the size you like.

Okay, this is the short list. I'll add more of my favorite gear in the future.