7 Must-Have Spring Cleaning Tools & Products!

We’ve been encouraging some serious spring cleaning for a few weeks now, so hopefully, you’re polishing away and getting your home to really shine! But if you still need some motivation, I thought it would help to have some of my favorite spring cleaning tools and products, both new and classic—things that really let you get the job done in minimal time with maximum results.

Serious Sponges

My first must-have spring cleaning tool is a heavy-duty sponge that can really get the job done right. Specifically, my go to these days is the Scrub Daddy. These combine everything you want in a sponge—non-scratching but double-textured for effective options while cleaning, and they resist bacteria so they don’t start stinking. I like to cut these in half—the easier to handle, and this way one pack stretches twice as far.

DIY Outdoor Glass & Window Cleaner

You won’t believe the results—windows so clean they almost disappear—from these humble household ingredients. In a bucket, combine:

• 1 gallon hot water
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dish soap.

Simply soap up your windows, then rinse with the spongey-side of a double-sided squeegee. Now flip it over to the rubber side and slick away any moisture and streaks. I can’t stress enough the importance of having a really good squeegee for this job if you want that perfect streak-free finish.

Rubber Broom

Anyone with carpets plus pets (or quite frankly, just carpets plus heads of hair) should get a rubber broom for intense de-hairing. Nothing gets fur or hair out quite as effectively—even the most ground-in stuff—and it’s kind of satisfying to use, as well. For extra friction, dampen the bristles with a little bit of water. Here’s how to use it: Apply firm pressure in short strokes towards you, repeating the motion a few times over an area, and you’ll start to see all sorts of crap come up to the surface. Pick up the clump and put it in a garbage bag, or make a pile of the stuff that you can vacuum up later.

Silicone Toilet Brush

If it’s been years since you upgraded your toilet brush, it might be time to seize on the wonders of modern technology! The new silicone models are better designed to grip and nudge away staining and other yuck from inside your toilet. There are versions with the look of a traditional brush, but I’ve found that the really strange-looking new slanted ones that hug under the lip of the bowl are excellent as well. Silicone rinses away more cleanly and doesn’t hold on to as much water and other toilet residue; simply shake them dry and put them back in their holders. Less bacteria and grossness attached to the brush equals less filth and aroma! Sign me up!

Enzyme Cleaners

If you have in your life: pets, children, a spouse, a body of your own, a stovetop, laundry stains—you get my point—it’s time to see how revolutionary enzyme cleaners can be. Unlike more old-fashioned technology, which uses (sometimes too harsh) abrasion to scrub something clean, or uses (sometimes too harsh) acid to break down soil, or which uses a surfactant or oxygen to lift a stain away, enzyme cleaners actually digest the soil. Much as the saliva in your mouth (that contains enzymes) begins the process of breaking down your food, so does this super-cleaner. It sounds weird, but I’m serious: Life-changing! We’ve been using Bac-Out from Biokleen for years now, and wanted to make sure it made our list of the best spring cleaning tools and products. We have a whole article on the life-changing magic of enzyme cleaners if you want to learn even more.

Up High & Down Low

Have you been letting those moldings and ceiling corners collect dust? Don’t feel guilty—we all ignore the air up there every once in a while. But spring cleaning is when you should get serious about those high-up web and dust colonies, and it’s super-easy to get them clean. My favorite method is to take a microfiber cloth (have I mentioned my Maker’s microfiber cloths?) and wrap it over the end of a pole or broomstick handle, securing it with an elastic (you learned this trick on Halloween back in 2nd grade, making lollipop-tissue ghosts, remember?). DIY spring cleaning tools FTW! Run the covered tip along the edges of those moldings and into corners and remove all that schmutz in the blink of an eye, and feel like a real boss while you’re doing it.

For down low, guess what? That dusting ghost you made for the ceiling works equally well on baseboards. Add in a flat-head mop with a microfiber cloth for easy dusting underneath furniture, and up and down walls if necessary.

A Great Vacuum Cleaner

I have been a Dyson customer for years. And as I’ve come to expect, the Dyson Absolute v10 model stick vacuum is a serious improvement over previous models (which were also fantastic!). The v10 has up to 20% more suction power than the v8. But most impressive? You can vacuum for up to 1 hour on a single charge! What that means, is no more running out of power when you’re really on a tear, or running back to charge after just a few minutes. I also sing the praises of cordless vacuums in general since it means no cord to trip over or to yank you back when you’ve reached its limit. It makes my most-hated task—vacuuming—just that much more bearable.