There is a long list of supplies needed to do housekeeping work. If you’re going to be a professional cleaner, you need to make sure to show up with all the tools you need (and some you don’t).
Don’t be caught unprepared for mildew, dust, or dirt. We’ve pulled together a complete list of everything needed to be a professional housekeeper.
This is the same list that we use with our own employees for all Standard Cleanings, Deep Cleanings, and Move Out Cleanings.
Equipment
Vacuum
This goes without saying, but a vacuum is a requirement to be a professional cleaner. Shocking, I know.
However, the decision on which one to get can be paralyzing. Here’s our tip: don’t sweat it too much, the vacuum will be busted in 6 months anyway. If you’re doing full time housekeeping work, you will go through vacuums every year. While this is expensive, it also means you have plenty of opportunities to try out different models.
Find what works best for you, and if you really want to get fancy and save money, you can get a cheap vacuum and put your own motor in it.
Mop (Spin Mop Preferred)
Your mop is also one of your most important supplies. Whatever kind of mop you get, make sure it’s large enough to cover entire homes, or up to 5 homes in a single day. Spin mops are encouraged, for their accuracy and cleaning ability.
Broom
This one you can cheap out on. No need to break the bank, all brooms are created equal, for the most part. Just make sure it has a sturdy handle and won’t break.
Scrub Brush
Cleaning showers and sinks would be impossible without a strong scrub brush. Get one with firm and plentiful bristles. Replace when the bristles lose their perkiness.
Toilet Brush
Never, ever use any of your other brushes or tools for the toilet. Keep a separate toilet brush, only use it for toilets, and nothing else. That is all.
Extendable Duster
Ostrich feather dusters are all the rage, but the most important part is the “extendable” part. Make sure you can get those hard-to-reach places without a step stool or ladder. This is an essential supply for all maids and janitorial workers.
Caddie
Don’t try to carry everything in a tote bag. Be professional and use caddie to carry all your cleaning supplies and products. Put only what you plan to use in this caddie.
Rinse Cup
A commonly overlooked supply that is mysteriously nowhere to be found in a home when you actually need one. Bring a large cup to splash water on the shower walls while you clean. Not every shower has an extendable shower head, so you may need one of these to reach all the tiles or shower walls properly.
Products
All Purpose Cleaner
This is the bread and butter of cleaning products. Most all-purpose cleaners are similar in quality, so go with whatever is convenient and ecologically friendly. If you’re serious about housekeeping, you should buy all purpose cleaner in concentrate and then mix it with water in your own spray bottles. This will save you a ton of money and shopping trips.
For a good all purpose cleaner you can buy in concentrate form, check out our review of Speed Cleaning and get some Red Juice off their website.
Glass Cleaner
Glass cleaner is the “good cop” of the all purpose/glass cleaner duo. It’s lighter, less concentrated, and formulated to avoid streaks.
Most major brands are perfectly acceptable. The real trick to removing streaks is the drying process, anyway. Always wipe down with a dry cloth after cleaning!
Bar Keepers Friend (Powder)
Comet is a similar brand of powder cleaner, but we prefer Bar Keepers Friend. The residue washes off much faster than Comet, and it’s just as strong.
These types of products are essentially powdered bleaches, and are very caustic and irritating to humans. Make sure to keep it off your skin and clothes. Use sparingly, this is for when you need to bring out the big guns. Tough tub stains are a perfect candidate for this mega powerful cleaning supply.
Keep it in your cleaning product roster.
Mold/Mildew Spray
This is your best tool for cleaning grout and tiles in bathrooms. Mildew spray is a must have for bathroom cleanings.
Oven Cleaner
This is another self explanatory one. Most oven cleaners work just fine – the only rule of oven cleaner is only use oven cleaner for ovens, it stains many surfaces and should only be used for its designated purpose.
Lime Scale Remover
Lime scale remover is one of the only ways you’ll ever get lime deposits off of shower doors. Buildup on shower doors is a hassle to clean, but when done correctly it will blow homeowners away. Clear glass is one of the most important elements to a visually clean environment.
Stainless Steel Cleaner
For use on kitchen sinks and around any stainless steel appliances or surfaces. This is another must have on your supplies list, because other cleaning products will leave residue or streaks on stainless steel.
Wood Cleaner
The last of our products: wood cleaning is an essential supply to add the finishing touch on a home. Most housekeepers won’t go the extra mile to polish wood, so this can set you apart from the amateurs.
Other Crucial Supplies
Microfiber Rags
You will need to have a metric ton of these. We’re talking a supply of 60-100 rags or microfiber cloths. In a lot of ways, these are actually your #1 cleaning tool. You’ll use them for pretty much every surface in a home at some point, and you need to have them in great numbers.
If you have a particularly dirt home, you can easily go through 20 rags. Easily. Don’t be underprepared, get more microfiber cloths than you need, and launder them regularly. Never cross contaminate! Bathroom rags do not double as kitchen rags under they’ve been thoroughly laundered.
Gloves
A must-have on your supplies list, unless you love getting your hands dirty. In a post-coronavirus world, these will of course be expected for sanitary reasons in general. Get a glove that fits comfortably and can be easily taken on and off. Whether you get disposable nitrile gloves or re-useable gloves is up to personal preference.
Course Sponges
This is another one of our supplies that needs to be restocked with some frequency. Sponges are the primary tool for cleaning sinks, so make sure you have plenty.
2 Rag Bags (For Clean and Dirty Cloths)
Remember those 60-100 rags we were talking about earlier? Well this is how you avoid using old, gross rags on the wrong surfaces. Use one bag for your dirty rags, another bag for the clean ones. It makes laundry easy, and allows you to manage the massive supply of microfiber cloths you’ll be carrying on the job.
Conclusion
These supplies are everything you need to be an effective cleaner. If you have all 20 of the supplies listed in this article, you’ll be able to clean 99% of homes. Sure, you may also want to stock up on bleach, or a food scraping tool, but this list by and large covers everything you’ll need in the day-t0-day life of a housekeeper.
Feel free to shoot us any questions at support@easywaymaids.com!
If you want to apply for Easyway Maid Service as a cleaning professional, visit our application page. We’re always hiring!
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