How Clean Is Your House?

I found this book by Kim Woodburn & Aggie MacKenzie on the bargain shelf at Barnes and Noble a couple of years ago. As I'm a bit of a germaphobe, I snatched it up and immediately pored through the pages.

How Clean Is Your House? has since become my go-to source for cleaning. It is worth far more than the $4 I paid for it. The authors are cleaning geniuses.

Top perks:

1. The book is divided up by room: kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, etc and describes in great detail what is best for each cleaning task and why.

2. The authors' "tools of the trade" are not only effective, but CHEAP.

Before reading this book, I wouldn't have known what "washing soda" is (approx $4.50 per 3.7lb box). Just a bit of this stuff will keep your washing machine clean (trust me, unless you've got a VERY expensive machine, your clothes aren't really getting clean), your disposal clean and serve as a superior grease eliminator anywhere in your house.

I've been given strange looks when purchasing denture cleaning tablets, but they are wonderful for cleaning a porcelain bowl, removing a stubborn stain on your carpet or eliminating limescale on any household surface.

I can tell you with 100% confidence that you can maintain a wonderfully clean home by keeping the following products on hand: White distilled vinegar, ammonia, baking soda, washing soda, concentrated dishwashing detergent (ie. Dawn), lemon juice or whole lemons, coarse salt and good old-fashioned bleach.

As it turns out, the most simple methods of cleaning are truly the best!