3 products that will transform your housecleaning
The Shark will keep your floors sparkling clean this winter.
By Aimee Heckel
Mother Nature’s timing is cruel. With the holidays, it seems like we have a steady stream of visitors. Yet at the same time, the house is the hardest to keep clean, between snowballs, mud tracks, Christmas tree tinsel, pine needles, cookies and sticky candy canes.
The difference between fighting to keep the house clean and staying on top of the mess comes down to having the right tools.
We asked several professional housecleaners their home-cleaning tips. Here are some of their tricks and favorite products to make your cleaning easier.
1. The Shark Steam Mop. Stop scrubbing the floors on your hands and knees and using potentially toxic products where your kids crawl around. We heard great things about the Shark, but when we tried it out for ourselves, we now can’t imagine how we survived as parents without it.
Our favorite version is the Steam Pocket Mop, with three different steam settings for different purposes and a two-sided pad. The steam loosens up the grime on the floor, speeding up cleaning time. The Shark isn’t cheap, though; this version is about $160.
But it’s on sale right now at Macy’s for about $130. Or opt for the simpler version, the Light and Easy mop for just $70 (and worth twice as much). Save money with Macy’s coupons and pair them with 6 percent Cash Back from ShopAtHome.com.
2. S.O.S. Pads. These steel wool pads cut through even the toughest grime in your oven, stovetop, sink, microwave and around the kitchen. Use them on your pots and pans to remove baked-on yuckiness, return shine and even remove rust stains. Best of all, these are cheap, at less than $2 for 10 pads at Walmart. Find them in different scents and styles, too.
3. The O Cedar O-Duster. Use this to keep your wood and tile floors sparkling, in between times when you mop. Turn it one and this robotic floor cleaner glides and bounces across the floor, dusting as it goes. Yes, like an iRobot Roomba — but much cheaper. Just $39.99 at Target.
Got pets? The O-Duster is our favorite way to keep on top of the dog hair. Run the O-Duster at night while you put the kids to bed and then quickly run the Shark steamer on top of it after they’re asleep, and you’ve got sparkling floors in a matter of minutes.
Save money on gifts for your kids with these coupons.
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