Family Living: A Few of My Favorite Things
| March 18, 2025Gadgets guaranteed to get your house spotless
If You’re the Type of Person Who Feels More Efficient When Motors Are Running:
Electric Toothbrush
If you thought a toothbrush was just for teeth, think again. Balabuste Boss uses her electric toothbrush to clean around the faucets and the back of her ovens. Brand doesn’t matter. Any will do.
—Available on Amazon
Bissel Steam Cleaner
They always say elbow grease is all you need to clean, but why waste all that energy when you can have a steam cleaner loosen grime and gunk for you? Balabuste Boss recommends Bissel’s Steam Cleaner. She uses it to clean her oven door and around the toilet, and says it’s also great for cleaning grout, countertops, range tops, and any hard-to-reach places.
—Available on Amazon
Here’s a tip from Balabuste Boss: Used together, the steam cleaner and the toothbrush are great for a seriously thorough deep cleaning.
Mabogu Electric Spin Scrubber
With an extendable arm and eight replaceable heads — each designed for a different task — this handy gadget can clean countless surfaces. Tirtza says this is a wonder for scrubbing grout, reaching under vanities, and deep cleaning bathrooms. It’s great on textured tiles, too, and she’s even used it to dust moldings.
—Available on Amazon
Everyone Knows Clean Floors Are the Crowning Glory:
O-Cedar EasyWring Microfiber Spin Mop, Bucket Floor Cleaning System
There’s no way around it — the most thorough cleaning your floor gets is from a good old-fashioned mopping. This fan-favorite mop and bucket set has a built in mechanism to wring the mop. The mop heads are removable, washable, and replaceable.
—Available on Amazon
Robot Vacuum Cleaner
The days of wishing for robots to do the dirty work is in the past. Rikki has a Roomba, and sets it to go on every night. Chani uses the Dream L10s Ultra — a vacuum and mop combo. She says if you buy one, don’t give up on it — there’s a learning curve. She has her preferences on preset, and she never has to think about it.
Roborock Dyad Pro Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner
I don’t know why it took this long for someone to dream up this genius product — a vacuum that simultaneously suctions dirt and mops the floor. Rachel says she’s been running it over her kitchen and bathroom floors every night. Her floors have been noticeably cleaner, and the weekly sponja takes much less time.
—Available on Roborock and Amazon
MOOSOO Cordless Vacuum Stick Vacuum Cleaner
Swiffer WetJet
For a fast, easy cleanup, Mindy loves this vacuum, which she calls “a lifesaver.” It works with a battery, so there’s no pesky cord to deal with. She likes to use it with her Swiffer WetJet to get her floors clean with minimal effort.
If You’re More of a Low-Tech Gal:
Pumice Stone for Toilets
I’ll bet you thought pumice stones were for exfoliating your feet, knees and elbows, but there’s one specially designed for toilets. Tirtza says this is an insane hack for cleaning those hard-to-reach curves in toilet bowls. The removable head means you can use another head for other cleaning projects.
Available on Amazon
OXO Good Grips Microfiber Extendable Duster
A personal favorite of mine, this duster extends to 52 inches, making those super high places accessible. Those spots you’ve written off — a/c vents, the tops of your kitchen cabinets, tops of doorways and windows, crown moldings — are well within reach. (And you won’t believe what’s up there.) The head is both removable and washable.
—Available on Amazon
I know you know, but here’s a quick review of some of the best cleansers:
Suggested by Laya, Rivky, Racheli, Chaya, Tirtza, and Mindy, who all know how to keep a house sparklingly clean.
(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 936)
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