Do you have a mess of bottles, cans, rags , and other cleaning accessories under your kitchen and bathroom sinks? Many people do. Cleaning supplies are commonly kept in these areas, but they aren’t always the best choice. If you don’t keep them locked then small children might get into them, and you often end up with a big mess through which you have to search to find what you need when you have a specific cleaning project in mind. Organizing all of you cleaning gear is a great way to save yourself some aggravation, not to mention time, as everything will be in one place for the times that you need them. (In fact, decluttering the house, in general, will make everything easier to find. )

It may not matter too much if you live in a very small home or apartment, but if you have a medium to large home, you may hate traipsing around the house and gathering your cleaning stuff from various locations. Not only do you have to sometimes drop everything to find a missing product, but you may find things have disappeared completely (or run out) and then waste time looking for those items. Organizing your products and storage areas can virtually eliminate all of these problems (and it works for your tools, as well.) If you can buy in bulk you’ll save money, and then you can always be sure you have enough, and you will always know where things are.

First, buy several buckets for your home. Do not get the round ones for this, but instead, look for the large, square type that have many different pockets as well as a big tub area included. (You should be able to find these at your Home Improvement store.) Get at least four for your home. You also want to invest in some plastic spray bottles, at least four for each bucket. You may also want to pick up some rags that you can buy in the same stores or you can use paper towels when you clean – which ever you feel most comfortable with. Once you have all of this, you can then begin your organizing project.

Buy what you need in bulk and have your supplies in one area in your home for organizing cleaning. Suggested items to buy are window cleaner, abrasive cleaner, kitchen grease cutter, bathroom disinfectant, and furniture polish. Don’t forget a small toilet brush, sponges with two different abrasive sides, and any special cleaning items you need for your home. You can also get something for your floors if you do not have an all purpose cleaner that will work well for that. Fill your spray bottles with what you would need for four different cleaning situations – kitchen, bath, dusting, and deep cleaning and then put them all into a tub for each purpose (One tub for the kitchen, and so on.) Put several rags in each, grab a small bucket for floor cleaning, and you have what you need.

What does this type of organization do for you? It gives you a ready to go bucket for each type of job that you can simply pick up and walk with when you want to clean. You will not have to think about having the right bottles or other materials and you can carry everything with one hand for the most part. When you are done, the last part of organizing cleaning supplies would be to take the entire bucket back and refill your spray bottles as needed. You will end up saving countless hours with this type of system that you can customize to fit your own needs.

For more tips on cleaning and decluttering your house check out these easy house cleaning tips.