Scrub-a-Dub-Dub

For some odd reason, other peoples dirt always seems much scarier than your own. So needless to say, I spent a lot of time cleaning our new place this past week. And I’m not a cleaner. I’d much rather be doing anything else, well, short of a root canal.

So in the hopes of speeding up the whole get-clean process, I decided to test out a few new cleaning tools, and I absolutely loved them.

1. Casabella Way Clean Waterstop Rubber Gloves. I always use gloves when cleaning to protect my skin from the chemicals, and typical I go through a pair a month. Somehow, I always get a tear in them. But not these gloves. They’re much thicker than your grocery store variety, but not so thick you can’t move your hands making them both durable and flexible. In other words, they’re the perfect cleaning glove.

2. OXO Good Grips Deep Clean Brush Set. You’ll never use a toothbrush to scrub again. The stiff bristles on these brushes work so much better, and the little rubber thing on the end is amazing at getting gunk out of crevices.

3. Casabella Microfiber Magnet Mop. Every time I used a Swiffer, I felt wasteful and oddly dirty. As if I was walking on a boatload of toxic chemicals. So I decided to switch back to an old fashioned mop so that I could use a “cleaner” cleaner without any waste, and this Casabella mop tops the charts. I’ve used the old fashioned cotton mops — back in my waitressing days — as well as a bevy of sponge mops, and none were as easy to use as this Casabella mop. It’s extremely lightweight. It’s head fully pivots making it effortlessly glide across the floor. And to top it off, the sponge can be removed and thrown in the washer.

4. Casabella 4-Gallon Bucket. It’s hard to get excited about a bucket, but the shape of this one is brilliant. Unlike round buckets that waste space in cabinets and closets, this narrow, rectangular beauty fits practically anywhere. Plus, it’s crazy lightweight.