After a long work week, the last thing any of us want to do is spend the weekend cleaning our homes. You might not even hate to clean. Sometimes it’s just a pain getting your supplies together and putting them away after you’re done. If your problem is with the organization, a DIY cleaning cart or caddy might be the solution! Whether you’re getting to some late season spring-cleaning or preparing for the messes of the future, a DIY cleaning cart will make weekly cleaning tasks and urgent messes a stress of the past, opening your weekend schedule to be filled with whatever you like!
How to choose your cart/caddy
When deciding between the many options available to you, it’s not as simple as picking the first one you find. There are several factors to consider, like the size of your living space, the number of cleaning products you’ll need, where you’ll be storing the cart, etc. Each cart and its contents will look different depending on the person, but here are a few tips to follow based on the size of your living space:
- For smaller living spaces: A small bucket filled with a few common items like cleaning cloths, a spray bottle filled with diluted Scentsy All-Purpose Cleaner Concentrate, rubber gloves and a container of the new Scentsy Swipes might be all you need for dorm rooms and apartments.
- For the new home: Try a plastic carry caddy when a bit more storage space is required. Add a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, glass cleaning spray, sponges and a duster to the cleaning basics above, and you’ll be able to tackle almost any problem.
- For a full house: A cursory glance online might make cleaning carts seem too pricey. If you dig a bit deeper, you’ll find many tiered rolling carts online for around $30. These carts can be outfitted with magnetic or adhesive hooks to expand their storage space to hang a small broom or vacuum, a dustpan, a mop, and still have plenty of space to hold all of the products we mentioned above or some of your favorite Scentsy Clean and Laundry products! One thing to keep in mind is the amount of carpet in your home. The rubber wheels on many of these carts won’t roll well on carpet, so you may have to opt for a cleaning caddy if most of your floor is carpeted.
Organizing your cleaning cart
If you’re using a tiered cart, it can seem like you have all the room in the world to load up your most used cleaning supplies. But an overflowing, chaotic cart will make you want to clean even less. When you set up your cart, it’s a good idea to take some time to organize your cleaning products in a way that makes sense to you.
Start by identifying frequently used products — cleaning cloths, gloves and sponges — and place them on top of the cart where they can be easily accessed. Taller items like spray bottles or other cleaning solutions should go on the top tier as well so you don’t have to awkwardly pull them out from the middle or bottom. The middle tier should hold products that you might need to access while kneeling or standing. A small hand broom or vacuum can be a great way to clear counter tops or crevasses where dust might be hiding. If you find yourself soaking up spills off the floor and tabletop, place your rags in the middle tier instead of on top. For the bottom tier, place products that are used infrequently. Trash bags, reusable mop heads and cleaning product refills should end up on this tier.
Alternate uses for your Cleaning Cart
If the idea of a portable cart to store commonly used items excites you, here are a few other ideas you can build on to create a cart to fulfill your needs:
- Laundry cart: Stack your detergent, bleach, fabric softener and other laundry products on this cart for easy access. It’s also a great place to store stain-removing products for when dinner gets a little messy.
- Garage cart: Place some frequently used tools on the top tier of this cart. Make sure to leave some space on the bottom two tiers that you can fill with specialty tools as you need them.
- Garden cart: There are lots of options online that would be welcome in any gardener’s home. Larger tools like rakes, shovels or pitch forks can be stored upright. Make sure to leave space for a bucket to store gloves and smaller hand tools.
How will you personalize your own cleaning cart? What other ways can a cart be used in your home? Let us know in the comments!
