I am a total sucker for the latest and greatest cleaning gadgets. I’ve wasted a lot of money trying each trend and learned 3 things: 1) most of the “As Seen on TV” gadgets are CRAP 2) You get what you pay for 3) and there is no such thing as a house that cleans itself.
That said, here is a short list of the items I count on to keep my sanity, er…um, I mean my house clean.
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The Dyson DC35 Digital Slim vacuum cleaner is cordless and weighs in at only 10 lbs. This little vacuum is powerful enough to rid my living room carpet of pet hair and crumbs, yet lightweight enough for my 3 year old to use…although she doesn’t yet vacuum quite up to my standards. It’s suitable for every floor surface: carpet, vinyl, tile and wood and includes a motorized floor tool with two types of brushes. There are regular and max power settings that provide variations in suction. I generally save the max power setting for carpets and when I need to use the hand tools to retrieve crumbs from between the sofa cushions as it drains the battery much faster.
From an adaptive standpoint, this lightweight cordless godsend allows me to vacuum my entire house without fatigue or tripping over cords. However, there is no on/off switch and requires manual activation of a power trigger while in use, but like I mentioned above…my 3 year old can use it. Another caution is battery life. Yes, I vacuum my entire house with this tool, but not all at once. I can generally complete 2-3 rooms per charge.
I do still use my regular cumbersome vacuum for deep cleaning, but for weekly routine chores, this little vac works wonders!
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Using a traditional mop one-handed is a challenge at best. Between the heavy buckets and squeezing the excess water out while holding the mop with my chin…I need a more functional solution.
I use the Libman refillable spray mop in lieu of the Swiffer spray mop simply because it allows me to use my own *chemical free solution and a reusable pad. I did try to refill and continue to use my Swiffer for a bit, but found that the solution container leaked once the original seal was broken.
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I currently own and use the Shark steam mop, I use it to deep clean my sealed hard floors. It’s lightweight and fast, heats up in 30 seconds, and automatically releases steam with every push-forward motion. However, since the steam is only released on the push forward and requires 15 seconds in 1 spot to truly sanitize, this is a mop NOT a sanitizer in my book. Still, it’s a great weapon against ground-in dirt, dust, and dried spills, and leaves the floor virtually dry.
I’ve started researching and saving for the HAAN Total HD-60 Steam Sweeper. This cool gadget steams AND sweeps simultaneously or separately, includes a carpet sanitizing attachment similar to the Shark, swivels, and is ready to steam in 20 seconds (I’ll keep you posted and review it when I get it).
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The Swiffer Dusters with Extendable Handle extends up to three feet to reach dust in high and low places. This gadget saves my back in a couple of ways: 1) no bending or squatting to reach low shelves or baseboards 2) no climbing on stools or furniture to reach high places…hence no falling and busting my arse.
Automatic Shower Cleaning System
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That’s about it. I attempt to keep a rotating cleaning schedule, but seem to be failing miserably in that area at the moment. In a perfect world (where my kids helped and made no messes) this is roughly the schedule I’d keep:
**Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post. I purchased these items for my own personal use. I was not required to give a positive review and all opinions are 100% my own. I only review products that I’ve found to be adaptable through personal experience or that I have researched and tried for the purpose of adaptive review.
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