There’s a number of household things that I’ve discovered recently that have made a very significant change in my life. Some are simple, some are big, but they’re all things that I’ve been really, really happy with.
Or in other words, it’s review week!
So I’ve always disliked cleaning. I don’t get a huge sense of satisfaction from it, largely because it’s always been so much freaking work. Especially when you’ve always had multiple pets.
Which is why the Libman Wonder Mop and Zwipes microfiber cloths have made such a difference for me.
I’ve always hated mopping. It never seemed like it did anything, and managed to both hurt my back and make a mess in the process. The Libman Wonder Mop (Amazon | Find a Retailer) doesn’t look like it should be much of anything… but it totally changed my opinion of mopping.
With little more than water and about as much elbow grease as it takes to sweep, this mop got stuff off my kitchen floor I would have otherwise had to get down and scrub by hand. It’s super easy to squeeze the dirty water out, and just impressed the heck out of me all the way around. It is well worth the bit extra to make the job so much easier.
Dusting is another chore that I tend to … intensely dislike. I’d learned a while back that using Swiffer-style pads made dusting much easier, but you end up running through a lot of the pads quickly, which is both expensive and crappy for the environment.
Enter the Zwipes (Amazon | WalMart | Home Depot).
These are about as thick as a cheap washcloth or thin handtowel, or about as thick as a really good paper towel. But oh my goodness are they a lot more useful.
To give you an idea, you can use one of these with just water to get a clean, streak-free mirror. When wiping down walls and cabinets, I saw results that compared to my experience with Magic Erasers… but without crumbling, and lasting a lot longer.
Additionally, all you need to do is throw them in the wash to clean and reuse them. I’ve used about a third of my 24-pack… and then washed them, and used the same third of a pack again, and done it again, and…. you get the idea. Contrast this to trying to clean with a sponge or paper towel, and it’s no contest at all.
Keep in mind folks, I still dislike doing housework. These don’t make the job fun or anything. But I found that these tools made the job go a lot quicker, and a lot easier. And that’s very important for me.