Six-day Decluttering Challenge
Back in March, the NYT Wirecutter launched a six-day decluttering challenge. I love Wirecutter and can spend hours going down rabbit holes about the best vacuum cleaners, clothes hangers, pots and pans, dish soap, towels - you get the idea. I get a lot of great advice from their posts, so I’m definitely going to do the six-day challenge. Even as a tidying expert, I can always learn new things.
Day 1: Today’s challenge is to get rid of single-use cleaning products.
The author, Brittney Ho, begins with:
Think of it like this: To most effectively declutter your spaces, you have to first declutter your cleaning routine itself.
Ditch complicated, single-use cleaning products as much as possible, and opt for multipurpose cleaning essentials that serve double (or triple) duty. Toss all of the excessive products taking up space in your cupboards, and then add back new products only as you really need them. You’ll end up with a pared-down arsenal customized for your needs.
I like this advice. I like to clean (most of the time) and have an arsenal of cleaning products that I have been working to pare down. A couple of years ago, I fell for a subscription service that included a lifetime supply of “free” laundry detergent as long as I purchased the stain removers, everyday cleaner, wood cleaner, etc. Part of the appeal was they sent one reusable bottle for each product and small packets of concentrate to mix the refills. However, the small packets kept piling up, and we didn’t really like the laundry detergent, so I ended up canceling the subscription.
I’m going to start in the cabinet underneath my kitchen sink. I will pull everything out and assess its value to my arsenal. I need some contact paper for sure. The cabinet was pretty well used when we moved in.
You can find their favorite dish soap here, along with instructions for cleaning things like jewelry and your night guard.
For cleaning the kitchen counters, which I clean multiple times a day, I use either vinegar and water or if I want something that smells good, I use my bottle that has Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day or Grove. If you have kids or cook with meat, you may want to consider their pick of Clorox Free and Clear spray.
I’ll be back for Day 2.