36 general household essentials for

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Wastebaskets and trashcan -   36 general household essentials for

Wastebaskets and trashcan

One wastebasket for each room and a tall can for the kitchen. Find out if you will need to supply your own outside trashcan or if one is provided for you.

Trash bags

Generally, it’s 30-33 gallon for outside can, 13-15 gallon for tall kitchen can, and 4-6 gallon for wastebaskets, although I use grocery bags to line mine.

Broom

Huge variety and price range, but I like the old straw brooms. They seem to hold up better.

Dust pan

I like the ones with the snap on little hand brush for small clean-up jobs.

Mop

Here again, unbelievable variety and price range. If you go for one of the new-fangled ones with the pads, I suggest getting one with washable, rather than disposable. Several times during mopping, I take it off and rinse it well. You can also get one with an empty bottle attached so that you can mix your own cleaner or just use hot water.

Cleaning rags

A bundle of inexpensive rags that you won’t mind getting stained is essential. You can purchase pretty ones for show, but always have the old ones on hand. They will take a beating and turn grey in the end anyway. Paper towels are nice, but you can really go through them quickly and that gets expensive.

Sponges

I color code mine to prevent cross-contamination. Blue for bathroom cleaning and I keep it under the sink. Yellow for kitchen counters. Green for dishwashing. I prefer not to use the sponge I use on dishes on the counters.