Five Basic Cleaning Products Every Guy Needs
As men, we like tools. We like owning tools, buying tools, and using tools. The good news is, your same love of tools can be applied when it comes to cleaning your house. Tweet
Highlights
The difference between a bachelor pad and a crime scene is careful maintenance.
Just as you don't want to run around in a filthy car, most women don't want to run around in a filthy apartment.
“(Men) can run businesses, but they can’t figure out a mop.”
That’s according to Jill Yavorsky, a sociologist at UNC Charlotte, who shared this insight with The Atlantic earlier this year. It might sound insulting but—sorry, guys—the evidence backs it up.
A 2019 study from the University of California Santa Barbara found that “Although women’s housework hours have declined in recent years, women continue to do more housework in most households, even those where women’s earnings are the same as or greater than their husbands.” What the study doesn’t show is that most of us just don’t care about dust on the coffee table.
But women do, so if you want to avoid being the domestic pig, roll up your sleeves and pretend to care. And yes, this is also true even if you’re always alone and your place is a dump because you can’t find a woman around to do more than her fair share. Women are smart that way. In fact, some women even think covering your floor with a handmade carpet of towels, socks and T-shirts is technically unattractive.
Some women actually think covering your floor with a handmade carpet of towels, socks and T-shirts is technically unattractive.
Here’s the good news: There are tools for that. The first step in getting the job done is shopping for the required new tools. Consumer tip: ask for “cleaning products.”
Let’s assume you have all the extras you need. You have sponges, towels and rags, and paper towels. You’re off to a good start. But you’ve just scratched the filthy surface, and there are several key cleaning tools that every guy needs to clean house. Nothing fancy, mind you. We’re not scrubbing tile grout or waxing floors. This is just about keeping your house at a minimally-acceptable level of hygiene in the fastest and most efficient manner possible.
Not an eraser or a sponge but some magical hybrid of the two. It cleans literally any surface, from a wall that somehow got a stripe of chili on it to all those light switches with fingerprints around them. Spaghetti sauce flung on the wall during a sudden burst of shared sexual excitement that got fulfilled on the table in the middle of dinner? Clean. Kitchen or bathroom sink with smudges or toothpaste residue? Clean. Buy these in bulk.
Buckets of mop water are always a huge pain in the ass. Whether you’re dealing with footprints, spills, or well-tread areas, a Swiffer is a quick and easy way to get the job done. You can also get Clorox Scentiva antibacterial mop pads to pop on top. Like many of the best things in life, they come already wet, and are perfect for pet messes or bathrooms.
The straight-up boss of multipurpose cleaners. Counters, sinks, appliances, toilets, and all bathroom surfaces — it will clean them all. It’s fast and effective so you don’t have to scrub and scrub. It’ll even clean whatever-the-hell-that-is on the front of your fridge. Spray it on, leave for a minute, sponge off, and bam, you’re done.
An enduring classic for a reason. It cleans and polishes wood and hard surfaces around your house like nothing else that doesn’t eat. Spray it on, wipe it off, and then buff. It will pick up all the dust on your shelves and furniture, and is especially effective at cleaning and renewing leather furniture.
Perfect for mirrors, glass shower doors, glass coffee tables, lamp bases, and windows. Simply spray and wipe off with a paper towel for streak-free cleaning. It makes glass into an invisibility cloak.
And get a toilet brush. That’s major.
