Life, as of Late

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Maintaining a clean home can be quite the challenge, especially when you have little ones. As a mother of three with a german shepherd, believe me – I would know. Our kiddos aren’t school age yet and my husband and I work remote full-time, so we spend a lot of time in our home, and subsequently, our space requires pretty frequent upkeep.

There are a few cleaning supplies I rely on heavily with children and a pet in our home. These have made all the difference in not only preventing messes, but also quickly and regularly addressing them, because, as you can imagine, they do happen frequently.

Here are my personal favorite and must-have cleaning materials for keeping a spotless home with children and pets:

Scotchgard: Fabric and Upholstery Protector

In my living room, I have two white (that’s right – WHITE) boucle accent chairs. I’ve never been good at sacrificing aesthetic for the messy reality that is toddlers. I badly wanted a pair of white chairs, despite having young kids who often have sticky fingers and love to touch anything within arms reach. Who intentionally purchases white seating with children? Me, apparently. BUT, I use Scotchgard fabric and upholstery protector for extra protection to prevent damage.

Scotchgard essentially blocks stains and repels liquids, making it not only easier to clean fabrics that it’s applied to, but also preventing full absorption, leading in zero to minimal staining. I applied this generously to my chairs after purchasing them, let them dry, and they still look great after a year and a half of use! I’m not exaggerating. Before you pass up on your dream furniture, try this stuff first.

Hoover Carpet Cleaner

If you have carpet in your home, I think it’s absolutely necessary to also have a carpet cleaner/shampooer. It doesn’t need to be commercial grade – just something to remove stains and refresh your carpet every now and then.

Outside of inevitable accidents from children or pets, the foot traffic alone is reason enough to invest in a carpet cleaner. You would be amazed at the difference. We definitely were.

I nearly went with a professional carpet cleaning company, but realized that a Hoover Carpet Cleaner would pay for itself multiple times over and would prove useful to have on hand to immediately address any future messes. The average price it would cost to have someone professionally clean three rooms once is what it would cost to just purchase the vacuum.

We were over the moon with the results after just one use – and this is one of the lower price point carpet cleaners! So long as we have carpet, we will always keep a carpet cleaner in our home.

Disinfectant Spray

One of the biggest inconveniences and concerns as a parent is sickness, which is most easily and often times spread through the use of toys. The #1 way I’ve found to combat this is regularly disinfecting my children’s playroom and toys with Lysol Disinfectant Spray. I also use this on bath toys and allow everything, including surfaces, to fully dry before letting my kids come in contact with them again.

This is a game changer for quickly killing germs and brings me so much piece of mind. It’s incredibly convenient for addressing all of the germs spread on even the tiniest toys.

Bissell Little Green Machine

One of my favorite cleaning tools is Bissell’s Little Green Machine! It’s portable, lightweight, and a powerhouse when it comes to spot cleaning. The Hoover Carpet Cleaner I mentioned earlier is great for addressing large areas of carpet, but the Little Green Machine is perfect for removing smaller stains, especially on upholstery. I’ve used this powerful machine to clean the glider in my daughter’s nursery that was covered in spit-up (yuck, I know), juice stains from my couch’s armrests, and even the floor mats from our family car.

This is an incredibly effective tool that comes in handy for nearly any and every piece of upholstery you’d want to clean.

Bissell Crosswave Dry Vac

Dry vacs are at a higher price point than a traditional vacuum or mop, but wow are they convenient. Like the Bissell Crosswave’s Dry Vac name states, this vacuum is unlike your standard vacuum or mop. Rather, it vacuums and mops simultaneously for easier cleaning. I can testify that since buying one, my floors have never been cleaner. The ease of use also incentivizes more regular cleaning since it cuts the time and effort in half.

This came most in handy when my kiddos were in their crawling and mouthing stages and it was paramount to keep the floors clean. It gives me so much peace of mind and since it cuts the work in half, I end up cleaning more floors more often.

O-Cedar Spin Mop

The O-Cedar Spin Mop has taken households by storm since it hit the market, and for good reason. The separation of the clean and dirty water and the spin mechanism that prevents over-wetting your floor makes it the perfect addition to your cleaning supplies. The microfiber mop head is also reusable! Just toss it in the washer and it’s as good as new.

I love to use the alternative attachments also. These are great for cleaning grout or even scrubbing your shower wall.

Bissell Handheld Steamer

If you have an affinity for cleaning, you are going to love this Bissell Steam Shot! This handheld steamer is the perfect product for tough stains in hard to reach places. It comes with several different attachments, making it the perfect multi-use tool to address all of your needs.

My favorite use for this steamer is on baseboards and windowsills. It also works great for cleaning grout!

Swiffer Sweeper Wet Mop

This might seem like a no-brainer, but, in my opinion, every home needs a Swiffer Sweeper Wet Mop. It is so convenient for addressing quick spills, not to mention – very affordable. There are also plenty of off-brand wet mop pad refills on the market, adding to its value.

As a mother of a 1-year-old, this mop is frequently used in our home to clean up after my daughter has thrown most of her lunch on the floor.

These are my must-have cleaning tools and supplies in a busy home with children and a dog. I’d love to hear what cleaning hacks and solutions you utilize in your day-to-day life. As always, thanks for reading!