Living in an apartment can get pretty cramped. Every square centimetre has to be used to maximize space and allow you to keep organized. Although you might not really think much about it, even things like apartment cleaner supplies can contribute to the clutter.
As cleaning professionals who travel with a carload of cleaning supplies day in and day out, at Maid4Condos, we’ve learned a thing or two about fitting the right cleaning tools and products into small spaces.
Here, we share our essential cleaning supply tips to help maximize space and efficiency in your apartment.
Create a Cleaning “Caddy”
First, we always carry a cleaning caddy, which is organized with the tools and cleaning products that we use for our basic cleaning clients. This typically includes the following:
- Dustbuster or duster
- Clean rags
- Cleaning products
- Cleaning wipes
Visit your local dollar store to see if they have something that would fit these items nicely. If you can spend a bit more money, check your local home organization shop.
The beauty of the cleaning caddy is that you carry it around as you clean, so you aren’t constantly running back and forth, grabbing the stuff you need.
This makes short work of your cleaning day, so you can get on with doing the things you love. Then, once you’re done, you just slide the caddy and cleaning tools back into its storage spot.
Over-the-Door Shoe Holders
Depending on how enthusiastic you are about cleaning your apartment, you might have a whole arsenal of cleaners.
A nifty space saver for cleaning products and handheld tools is an over-the-door shoe holder. The little slots are the perfect size for cleaning supplies such as canisters and sprays, but also things like feather dusters.
Hang it on the back of any closet door that has space, and you’ll find everything you need neatly organized for cleaning day whenever you need it. You can then do what we do: just select the cleaning tools you need, and put them in your caddy when it’s time to clean. A certain Home furnishing store tends to have these types of organizers available in various sizes.
Use Hooks and Clamps
If you open your broom closet with a sense of dread that you’re going to take a broom handle to the face, use hooks to secure everything. Hooks take up very little space and come in all kinds of sizes to accommodate your mops, brooms, dusters, etc.
There are also clamp-like devices that open slightly when you put pressure on them with the broom handle and then close to hold onto them securely until you need them again.
As well, most dust pans and many brooms come with little loops at the top so they can be hung up easily.
Invest in Affordable Wire Shelves
Wire shelves are affordable and easy to customize with a pair of clippers. You can create your own configuration to accommodate all your cleaning supplies, in hand with a selection of baskets or boxes to keep things organized.
Put everything in a logical order so you can find what you need quickly. Because wire shelves can be anchored into the wall, you don’t have to worry about the weight of all those cleaning products bringing the shelf down on top of you.
Use an Old Towel Rod for Spray Bottles
If you find that most of your cleaning supplies come in spray bottles (as opposed to aerosol cans), you can use an old towel rod to hang them up. The handles hook right over the rod, so you can keep them all lined up in one neat little row.
The rod can be installed in front of shelves in your storage or linen closet. It keeps everything reachable and doesn’t take up extra space on your shelves. Tension rods work, but they might not be strong enough to manage the weight of several bottles.
Keep Things in Reach With a Lazy Susan
If you have an awkward little kitchen cupboard that doesn’t seem good for storing kitchen wares, consider sliding in a lazy Susan for cleaning supplies.
You can spin it until you find what you need, and most cleaning products are small enough to squeeze in and out of tight corner cupboards.
Consider Your Cleaning Products
Smaller apartments with less storage space call for smart shopping as well. Consider what surfaces you need to clean, and then find the best all-purpose cleaner to tackle more jobs. This allows you to reduce the number of cleaning products you have to store, so you take up less space. You’ll run out faster, but at least you’ll have fewer bottles of cleaning products to contend with.
Organize Cleaners by Room
Instead of trying to jam all your cleaners in one place, see if it makes more sense to organize cleaning products by room. For example, can you slide a little basket underneath the toilet for your toilet bowl cleaner?
For the kitchen, can you keep your disinfectant wipes in the corner of the counter or under the sink? Organizing cleaners by room also means that the cleaners are always within reach.
Store Garbage Bags in the Bins
Keep extra garbage bags in the bottom of your garbage bins. Although this doesn’t work for composting and kitchen garbage, it does work for little trash cans throughout the rest of the home.
Use Your Mop Bucket
Buckets take up a lot of space, but when not in use, they provide the perfect place to store cleaning items. Your duster, sponges, cleaning products, etc. can all fit inside perfectly until cleaning day.
Explore Hidden Opportunities
You might be missing hidden opportunities in your apartment to organize.
For example, if you have a stacked washer/dryer in a closet, there is probably enough room to add some hooks or tiny organizing shelves for some of your cleaning products.
As mentioned, beneath the toilet is an excellent spot, but what about the space over the toilet? Could you install a little wall cupboard there with doors to store cleaning products? Also, is there something else taking up too much space?
Can you organize that tupperware, or toss out some things you no longer need to free up more storage?
If this all sounds like too much work, you can trust our apartment cleaners at Maid4Condos to clean your apartment for you. Then, you’ll only need to store a few cleaning necessities. Click here to reach out to us today, or call us at 647-822-0601.
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