For a sparkling home, you will need cleaning products for:

• Dusting: cloths, broom or vacuum attachment, furniture polish
• Rubbish disposal: rubbish bins, bin liners, recycling bin, compost bin
• General surface cleaning: all-purpose cleaner, kitchen cleaner, bathroom cleaner, paper towels and sponges, gloves, scrubbing brushes
• Laundry: laundry detergent, fabric softener, stain remover
• Specialty cleaning: oven cleaner, toilet cleaner, glass cleaner, bleach
• Floors: broom and dustpan, vacuum cleaner, mop

Armed with all those cleaning products, a ‘spik and span’ home is now just a matter of staying on top of household cleaning. Keeping your home clean is best achieved by following a plan for daily, weekly and monthly cleaning:

• Daily: wash and dry dishes, have a general tidy and do a load of washing if needed
• Weekly: vacuum carpet and hard floors, dust all surfaces, thoroughly clean kitchen and bathroom (including floors), wipe down kitchen appliances and bench tops, take out rubbish and have a general tidy of bedroom and communal areas
• Monthly: clean windows, dust hard to reach places (like ceiling fans or corners), tidy your garden or backyard, and have a more intensive clean of your kitchen and bathroom

Commercial cleaning products
While keeping your home clean and shipshape may seem like hard work, commercial cleaning requires cleaning products that are even tougher. Industrial and commercial cleaning products are used for cleaning of factories, schools, offices and retail outlets, as well as specialist facilities such as gyms, swimming pools, food preparation areas and engineering facilities. Many New Zealand cleaning product manufacturers create products for both domestic and commercial use.

Natural cleaning products
Along with recycling and energy conservation, natural cleaning products are becoming a popular choice in Kiwi households. In natural cleaning supplies such as these, biodegradable and plant-based ingredients are used in place of harsh chemicals. Look for cleaning products that are free from phosphates, nitrilotriacetic acid, ammonia, and synthetic dyes and fragrances.

Two producers of New Zealand cleaning products are stand-out performers when it comes to being a green housekeeper: EcoStore and Next Generation both offer a wide range of natural cleaning products which are kind to the environment.

If people in your household are concerned about what you’re washing down the drain into New Zealand waterways, you may want to consider some of these great New Zealand natural cleaning products. You can even make some of your own at home:

• Vinegar: mixing one part water with one part vinegar makes a great all-purpose cleaner which can be used in the kitchen and bathroom. Adding half a cup of vinegar to your laundry also makes for a good fabric softener!
• Lemon juice: use lemon juice to get rid of soap scum in the bathroom and shine your brass or copper fittings. By sprinkling baking soda on a cut lemon, you can use the lemon to clean stains and hard to clean surfaces.
• Baking soda: scrub surfaces with baking soda to get rid of stains, just as you’d use an abrasive cream cleaner. You can also use baking soda to get rid of odours in your fridge, freezer or anywhere else around your home.