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Where are the cleaning supplies?
If you are following along with Zeke Life blogs, you already know that I love to clean. This means that I also have a lot of cleaning supplies. While this is normally a good thing, when you downsize to a smaller home, it was a challenge to consolidate and organize all of the cleaning supplies. My previous home in Indianapolis had 3 levels (upstairs, main floor and basement) with 4 bathrooms along with a generous mudroom / laundry room with ample storage. Specialty cleaning supplies would fit nicely in the mudroom, but the majority of cleaning supplies would be stored in each bathroom as well. Apparently, it was frustrating for Kyle because he never knew where the cleaning supplies were kept — that was his excuse for not cleaning!
Downsizing is Hard
When we moved up north, we also downsized to a much smaller home. While we LOVE our new home, I did have a hard time finding space and a good location for our cleaning supplies. Plus, it was extra difficult when you only have 2 bathrooms with much less space and 4x the amount of cleaning supplies needed! We are still using up many of our old supplies from the previous house (and I’m getting better to not buy so much extra as well).
Kyle’s favorite room in our new house is the mechanical room. This means he spent an enormous amount of time researching and thinking about the layout to fit everything needed for our little cottage-in-the-woods. Luckily for me, there was a perfect space under plumbing pipes in front of the water lines on one side and our crawlspace access on the other where I could fit a metal shelf (that we already had!) to store all of our cleaning products, supplies, and tools as well as extra toiletries and bathroom supplies.
Save, Don’t Spend (when possible)
I am, or try to be, a minimalist. Probably not to the extreme as the definition signifies, but I do not like spending money, and I’ve been able to practice that my whole life. It’s one of the reasons that we’ve been able to try this new lifestyle – we save, not spend. Using the metal shelf as a storage solution meant finding something else to hold the supplies because they were falling over and falling through the cracks. I didn’t want Kyle to have another excuse for not finding the cleaning supplies! So when I didn’t already have something to use, I went to the store to find a #simplesolution.
We have a very nice Menards in town, and generally, it offers the most cost-effective products for the things we need and want. And if you keep the receipt, they have a good return policy. So I could purchase more products and return the ones I didn’t use. This is exactly where I went to find the baskets that I wanted to use to hold the cleaning products. Menards tagline and advertising song is “Save BIG Money at Menards” to which Kyle & I have rebranded to “Spend ALL your Money at Menards”.
Menards had a lot of different storage options available in various sizes and colors. I found these white plastic baskets that were malleable enough to fit in and out of the shelf. Plus if any cleaning products spill in them, they are easy to wipe up. I purchased 2 different sizes and was able to use both because the metal shelf is adjustable so I could fit everything together very nicely.
Each step makes it easier
There are a few tips that I would recommend for this solution. First of all, spend some time consolidating the products that you want to keep and use. Get rid of empty bottles or keep to reuse them, but store them in a separate basket. If you have multiples of the same products, only put one in the go-to cleaning basket, and store extras in another bin. Remember to look there first before buying more at the store!
Next, put similar products together. For example, I made a basket for my everyday cleaning supplies like 409, Bar Keepers Friend, Windex, etc. Then I also have another basket for specialty cleaning supplies like pet stain remover or quartz countertop cleaner that is only used a few times a year.
Before I went to the store, I measured the space where I wanted to put the baskets – width x depth x height. Don’t forget to measure the height – especially if your space isn’t adjustable! I forgot to measure the height initially, and for my first trip to the store I didn’t buy anything. It was actually ok because I was able to see all of the products available and think about the style and color combination before purchasing.
At the store, I spent a lot of time reviewing all of the options available – even the second time. Even though the different sizes weren’t exactly the same style, the baskets I chose were similar and I think they go together nicely because I bought all the same color – white. I bought extra baskets of various sizes because I didn’t know exactly what I needed until I got them home and started putting it together.
It works! Kyle helps with cleaning too!
Because I already spent the time to consolidate and organize the products that I wanted together, it was very easy to put them in the baskets and place on the shelves. Everything fit perfectly. I’m very happy with the end solution and BONUS – Kyle knows exactly where to find the cleaning supplies. He’s actually been much more helpful when cleaning up!
Tell Us what you think
If you have any tips for organizing your small spaces or your cleaning products, I’d love to hear about them! Please comment below so I can learn from you. Tell us what you think so we can share more info that you love to read.
– Kara from Zeke Life
Live like Zeke
You’re such a good boy!
